ABSTRACT
In the early days of flying, being an air hostess was one of the most glamorous jobs for women – a female icon of charm, beauty and considerate care. Body and gender were definitely used as sales assets. Singapore Airlines still has strict rules for looks, age and weight. This chapter focuses on individual interviews and group interviews with employees, union officials and managers and on observation of the labour process. It highlights the significance of type of work, position and local setting when it comes to bodies, gender and boundary setting. The quality of the crew is improved when men enter. Men have authority and passengers do not partake in sexual banter with male cabin crew. The chapter discusses seated, upright and walking bodies, and illustrates how the material structure and the job content hampered or helped them in setting boundaries and building authority over passengers.
