British Airways will now allow male staff to wear makeup and carry handbags
British Airways (BA) is going gender-neutral and will now allow male staff to wear a 'touch of mascara and lip colour', false eyelashes, and paint their nails.
According to the Daily Mail, airline bosses revealed in an internal memo staff can 'be bold, be proud, [and] be yourself' as the company relaxes its uniform policy.
BA reportedly hopes the new rules would be 'embraced by everyone regardless of gender, gender identity, ethnicity, background, culture, sexual identity, or otherwise'.
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British Airways' old uniform policy was far more rigid and divided by gender, but now male pilots and cabin crew will be able to show off more of their own identity.
Hardline rules on hairstyles have also apparently been eased, which means you're now more likely to come across a man bun at 34,000 feet.
Staff are now allowed to carry a handbag, regardless of gender.
Despite relaxing some uniform policies, the airline has remained strict on visible tattoos.
The airline will also retain gender specific uniforms.
A British Airways spokesperson said, as per the Daily Mail: "We are proud of all of our colleagues at British Airways and we are committed to an inclusive working environment."
They added: "We have worked with our people to create updated guidelines for grooming, beauty and accessories, allowing our colleagues to bring the best, most authentic version of themselves to work every day."
British Airlines' uniform policy changes comes shortly after the carrier dropped the phrase 'ladies and gentlemen' to welcome passengers on board.
The airline chose to adopt more gender neutral language instead.
A BA spokesman told iNews in October last year: "We celebrate diversity and inclusion and we’re committed to ensuring that all our customers feel welcome when travelling with us."
Virgin Atlantic has also scrapped its gendered clothing requirements and will allow staff to choose the uniform they wish to wear.
There is the red option, which has traditionally been worn by female cabin crew, or burgundy, which has traditionally been worn by male cabin crew.
The shake-up means male cabin crew can wear skirts and female flight attendants can opt for trousers.
This means a massive increase for any non-binary cabin crew to choose a uniform that makes them the most comfortable.
Virgin Atlantic staff also now have pronoun badges to communicate their preferred pronouns to passengers and other staff.
Rachel Lang