Amid ticket prices spiking and a bleak outlook for travelers this holiday season, Virgin Atlantic proudly announced on Wednesday that their male pilots and crew can now wear women’s clothing.
A spokesperson for the airline celebrated how Virgin Atlantic’s pilots can now wear female or male uniforms, both designed by Vivienne Westwood, who, according to Wikipedia, is “largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream.”
The spokesperson announced: “We’ve changed our uniform code to give our crew, pilot and ground teams the option to choose which of our iconic uniforms … best represents them.”
Some compared the airline’s decision to the “cringey” interpretive dance video released by the Chicago Teachers Union in 2021— which showed teachers outside and not “social distancing” while advocating school closures.
Both cases show the disconnect in the priorities and values of many of America’s managers and administrators versus that of the rank and file.
Political correspondent Nile Gardiner called it the “latest woke madness from the corporate world.”
Virgin Atlantic has contracted with Michelle Visage to lead the publicity campaign to commemorate the initiative. Visage, a judge on “RuPaul’s Drag Race Allstars,” said:
“People feel empowered when they are wearing what best represents them, and this gender identity policy allows people to embrace who they are and bring their full selves to work.”
One Virgin Atlantic employee who identifies as “non-binary,” said: “The updated gender identity policy is so important to me. As a non-binary person, it allows me to be myself at work and have the choice in what uniform I wear.”
The Daily Mail reported that Virgin Atlantic also introduced “pronoun badges” to ensure patrons and staff can profile their preferred pronouns if they desire. Reportedly, the new pronoun badges can be requested at check-in.
Celebrating the changes, Juha Jarvinen, Virgin Atlantic’s chief commercial officer, stated:
“At Virgin Atlantic, we believe that everyone can take on the world, no matter who they are. That’s why it’s so important that we enable our people to embrace their individuality and be their true selves at work. It is for that reason that we want to allow our people to wear the uniform that best suits them and how they identify and ensure our customers are addressed by their preferred pronouns.”
Mark Anderson, executive vice president at Virgin Atlantic, also lauded the changes saying:
“We take our commitments to diversity and inclusion seriously, but you can rest assured we have a lot of fun along the way.”
Pink News reported that Virgin Atlantic’s inaugural flight to introduce the changes would feature “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” star Tituss Burgess as a master of ceremonies for the flight, “which promises to feature on-board entertainment including an on-board DJ, drag queen bingo, a Judy Garland singalong and inter-seat speed dating.”
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