A question that people often ask is if there is a requirement to be pretty or good looking to become a flight attendant. It’s understandable that people would ask this since nobody would want to apply for a job only to find out they aren’t “pretty” enough. So, let’s tackle this question as well as some other related information you’ll need. Let’s start with a very clear answer.
No, there is no requirement to be good looking or pretty to become a flight attendant.
That being said, there’s a reason why people often think there is such a requirement. Let’s take a look at why that is.
The Flight Attendant “Image”
Airlines put a lot of effort into making their flight attendants look great. It makes sense that for most passengers, flight attendants are the employees from the airline they will interact with most. Most passengers will rarely talk to a pilot or anyone from headquarters. So, since flight attendants are the one position that will interact with passengers most, it makes sense that airlines want to make sure that they give a positive impression.
The image that all airlines want their flight attendants to have is to be clean, friendly, professional, and well groomed. They also want them to have a very standardized look so that every flight you take the flight attendants will all look to have the same general look.
*Related: How to become a flight attendant with NO experience
Grooming Requirements
In order to achieve this uniform look, airlines have very specific appearance standards for their flight attendants.
This includes showing up to work for every shift while meeting their airline specific image standards. Here is a brief list of things that they may (and often do) require:
- Clean and pressed uniform
- Make up
- Hair
- Clean nails
- No visible tattoos
- No piercings (aside from ears for women)
As you can see, it’s very important to airlines that you portray a specific image. That being said, that image is related more to you making sure you look clean and polished that it does to you meeting some unrealistic beauty standard. If you’re willing to put in the time to meet the airline standards, you should have no issues.
Uniforms
As mentioned above, the uniform is a major part of the flight attendant image. Each airline has a slightly different uniform set up but you will be required to wear a uniform and also makes sure it’s clean and pressed for each shift. In addition, there are airline specific requirements around what shoes you can and can’t wear. Once upon a time it was required that you wore high heels, but that seems to be changing for some airlines.
Other Image Standards
In addition to things like wearing a uniform and make having the professional “look” of a flight attendant, you’ll also have to meet some other standards that are related to your appearance.
Here is a short list of some of these related requirements. Please take a moment to read through the additional details for each of them.
Friendly Demeanor
Another thing that generally gives people the impression that flight attendants are always good looking is that they are trained to be very friendly and outgoing. That means they are often smiling and are very outgoing.
When people are friendly and smile often they leave a positive impression with people. You are more likely to have people think you look great if you are smiling, happy, and friendly. There’s a reason people smile in pictures. It’s more aesthetically pleasing and gives a much better impression to others.
Summary
While it may be intimidating to see a group of flight attendants that all have their make-up and uniforms on, there is no requirement to be pretty or good looking in order to get hired. If you think you’d enjoy being a flight attendant, you should look into the details of the job and consider applying. You should absolutely not be discouraged based on your looks.
Your decision to apply to be a flight attendant should be based on you loving the job and all that comes with it. If you want a great career with a non-traditional schedule, a lot of travel, and tons of interaction with the public then it might be a great fit for you.
Good Luck!
