The airline has introduced an updated gender identity policy with a little help from Michelle Visage.
Virgin Atlantic is officially saying goodbye to gender uniforms. On September 28, the British airline announced an update to its gender identity policy, which abolishes the requirement to wear gender uniforms for the crew, pilots and ground crew. Virgin Atlantic shared the new policy via video and a social media campaign.
Back in 2014, Virgin Atlantic introduced a uniform created by fashion legend Vivienne Westwood. Among the gender options was a uniform “for female flight attendants”, consisting of a red ensemble with a tight-fitting jacket, pencil skirt and red heels. Meanwhile, men wore burgundy or gray three-piece suits. The changes introduced in the policy update will allow Virgin Atlantic employees to choose their preferred uniform regardless of their gender identity.
“It is very important that we give our employees the opportunity to accept their individuality and be themselves at work. It is for this reason that we want our employees to wear the uniform that best suits them, as well as how they identify our customers, and ensure that our customers are addressed using their preferred pronouns,” said Juha Jarvinen, commercial director of Virgin Atlantic.
Virgin Atlantic officially abandons gender uniforms. On September 28, the British airline announced an update to its gender identity policy, which abolishes the requirement to wear gender uniforms for crew, pilots and ground staff. Virgin Atlantic shared the new policy via video and a social media campaign.
Back in 2014, Virgin Atlantic introduced a uniform created by fashion legend Vivienne Westwood. Among the gender options was a uniform “for female flight attendants”, consisting of a red ensemble with a tight-fitting jacket, pencil skirt and red heels. Meanwhile, the men wore burgundy or gray three-piece suits. The changes made to the policy update will allow Virgin Atlantic employees to choose their preferred uniform regardless of their gender identity.
“It is very important that we give our employees the opportunity to accept their individuality and be themselves at work. It is for this reason that we want our employees to wear the uniform that suits them best, as well as the way they identify our customers, and make sure that our customers are addressed using their preferred pronouns,” said Juha Jarvinen, commercial director of Virgin Atlantic.
This initiative is part of Virgin Atlantic’s “Be Yourself” agenda, which aims to make their employees feel comfortable in their roles. Previous changes made by the airline include allowing female-identifying crew members to wear trousers, making make-up optional and relaxing the policy on visible tattoos.
The change in the uniform code is also accompanied by the release of additional badges with pronouns for airline employees and customers and an update of the ticket sales system, which will allow passport holders with non-gender marks to choose their preferred gender codes and titles.
