The audition of the role of stewardess or couriers has now evolved into a more complex profession and is no longer now identified as gender specific stewardess, they are now considered to be flight attendants or cabin crew, both men and women act in the role. In 1930 the first stewardess took flight, this made women glamorous icons of femininity. There were strict rules amongst the stewardess, such as only being single, young, attractive, white females of the right height and weight. If the women were to be married their role as a stewardess was terminated. Planes were noisy and uncomfortable and the stewardesses were treated poorly and frequently man handled by male passengers. Hourly rates were extremely below, earning just $1 an hour and on average. The stewardesses worked around 100 hours a month.

Originally, white women were only allowed and it wasn’t until December 1957 in result of the Civil Rights Act and the Equal Rights Act, the first African- American stewardess was hired by Mohawk Airlines in the United states. Following this, males were also hired, changing the name of the role to flight attendant. In 2001 the September 11 terrorist attacks caused the federal authorities to be convinced that passengers are entitled to more safety.

Since then, men and women are eligible to apply for a career as a member of a cabin crew. Current practices include requirements such as a minimum of 18 years of age, crew must be between 4ft 11 and 6ft 3, they must be of a healthy weight, have a neat appearance and excellent communication skills. As seen in the video above, the uniforms have changed from military looking, dull coloured uniforms to more colourful retro looking uniforms in the 1950's to now classy, elegant restricted uniforms. In the video the future of uniforms is very retro space girl looking.

The benefits include better safety for passengers and ranges of eligibility for the role of cabin crew, the only disadvantage may be the price of tickets from one place to another. Over all the flight attendant industry has significantly evolved since 1912, benefiting those boarding the flights.