Turkish Airlines is banning flight attendants from wearing red lipstick and nail polish.
The fourth biggest airline in Europe, wants to try to keep its crew's appearance "artless and well-groomed with makeup in pastel tones," Reuters reports. The airline believes that a less dramatic look would help the flight attendants communicate with customers better.
"As a consequence of our current cabin uniforms not including red, dark pink, et cetera, the use of lipstick and nail polish in these colors by our cabin crew impairs visual integrity," Turkish says in a statement.
However the crew isn't too happy about the change according to CNN."Outrage spilled into social media, sparking newspapers columns and a movement after Turkish Airlines announced the new dress code this week," CNN reported.
According to Reuters, secular Turks are bothered by the change as they fear that the country is becoming more Islamic.
"This new guideline is totally down to Turkish Airlines management's desire to shape the company to fit its own political and ideological stance," Atilay Aycin, president of Turkish Airlines' Hava-Is labour union, is quoted as saying by Reuters. "No one can deny that Turkey has become a more conservative, religious country."
The majority of Turkey is Muslim, but the country has a secular constitution and is a member of NATO. Turkey has been trying to become a member of the European Union for several years.
This isn't the only change that the airline has tried to make. Earlier this year, newspapers published the airline's plans for their crew to wear a more Ottoman-style uniform for women. The uniform included ankle-length dresses and Ottoman-style fez caps, which were shown in images, however this received a lot of backlash at many said the outfit was too conservative.
There is no official word on whether or not the airline will change the uniform.
According to CNN, the airline also prohibits flight attendants from having platinum blond hair as well as certain shades of red.Last month, the airline also made headlines when they decided to ban alcohol in business class on a majority of domestic flights. They also completely eliminated it on routes to eight conservative Middle East nations.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
