Virgin Atlantic Launches Its Latest Ad Campaign: 'Be Yourself,' and I Have Thoughts

Jim Michaud

In the latest chronicle of “Go Woke, Go Broke,” Virgin Atlantic has decided to ditch gender specifics for its pilot, flight crew, and flight attendant dress code. This move gives the crew the option to express their… identity.

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This should go well.

WATCH:

So fierce! I wonder: Do you get the bonus of that dance routine in between snacks and drinks?

The Washington Post offers some… “depth” on the subject.

Virgin Atlantic flight attendants, pilots and workers on the ground no longer have to choose gendered uniform options, the British airline announced Wednesday.

Starting immediately, employees will be able to “wear the clothing that expresses how they identify or present themselves.” The airline also started offering optional pronoun badges for staff members and customers, and updated its ticketing system to better accommodate people who have selected gender-neutral options on their passports.

So a non-binary or female-identifying male can sashay around in their makeup and four-inch CFM heels. How revolutionary — and probably unsafe.

But, I digress…

“At Virgin Atlantic, we believe that everyone can take on the world, no matter who they are,” Juha Jarvinen, the airline’s chief commercial officer, said in a statement.

I suspect all the passenger cares about is that they get on the plane in an organized fashion and get to their destination safely. If that fits into the crew taking on “the world,” then have at it.

“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.”

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I mostly take red-eye flights, so when I board, my mission is to get to my window seat, put essential oils over my face, throw a blanket or my warm jacket, over my head, and immediately go to sleep. Next red-eye flight, I do plan to add to my repertoire a “Do Not Disturb” sign so that the flight attendant does not wake me up. I have my own water should I wake up and need a drink. I don’t need to be awakened before the flight comes to its final destination.

Aside from a nod, smile, and “Thank you,” I am barely looking at the flight attendant, let alone what the flight attendant is wearing.

If it’s a daytime flight, I might acknowledge their presence a bit more when they give me drinks (if I’m not sleeping) and when we deplane; but for the most part, I do not give a rat’s hiney what they are wearing—in my years of travel, I couldn’t even tell you the name of one flight attendant who I have encountered. So, why would I care about their pronouns? Seriously?!

Why does Virgin Atlantic care about this so much? Well, the performers (and they are all performers, one way or another), who were paid to do the video explain how important this is to them.

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You see, it’s not about flight safety, experienced pilots who can expertly handle a plane, or an efficient crew who keep the customers comfortable and seated throughout the flight. It’s about the Virgin Atlantic crew feeling, “fabulous, fierce, and ferocious!”

To put a finer point on this, I doubt this ad is running in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, or Bahrain.

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