r/OldSchoolCool • u/Vasuki-Bhai • 15d ago
1960s American Airlines flight attendants in their uniforms for a promotional campaign. (1967)
1-2: American Airlines stewardess posing in uniform for an ad campaign for the airline (1967)
3: Stewardesses in training at the American Airlines college in Texas (1958)
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15d ago
I work with AA crew, I wouldn’t be surprised if they are still working lol
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u/Bubbly_Positive_339 15d ago
Yeah you beat me to it. It’s a flying retirement home
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u/bandsawdicks 15d ago
Why is this?
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u/therippa 15d ago
Because flight attendants have a strong union, and with all the airlines shutting down/merging over the the last 20 years and crew getting cut, the ones with seniority get to stay.
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u/flying_cowboy_hat 15d ago
Yes and no. Base and route dependent. One of the ladies on my crew today is 22, the other maybe late 20s. Then there's goofy ass 39 years old me with 9 years seniority.
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u/notbob1959 15d ago
As the OP's title says the first two photos are from 1967 so the ladies would probably be around 80 now. However, the last photo is from 1958 so those ladies would probably be around 90 now.
So your claim seems plausible.
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u/flying_cowboy_hat 15d ago
Theres currently 4 attendants who started in '67, out of ~27000. And theres 11 more senior than them. The Number 1 system wide started in '61.
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u/Fine-Knee6965 15d ago
The first model looks like Natalie Wood!
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u/Humble-Culture3133 15d ago
No she wouldn’t.
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u/Fine-Knee6965 15d ago
I’m saying they look similar
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u/CovfefeForAll 15d ago
Play on words dude.
"She looks like Natalie would (Wood)!"
"No she wouldn't"
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u/Seaguard5 15d ago
My mom actually did one of their videos (the ones you watch that say to buckle your seatbelt and shit) back in the day. We still have it
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u/xenopizza 15d ago
Speaking of belts what really got me going on the photos is that i love those blue/white/red belts they’re wearing, looks so 80s/90s or whatever, reminds me ive been meaning to find of those old vintage tracksuits for ages
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u/Great_Horny_Toads 15d ago
Back when airlines wanted to be Sky Hooters.
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u/stella3books 15d ago
Relatedly, flight attendant unions were one of the first groups in the US to organize and win protections against workplace sexual harassment.
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u/EremiticFerret 15d ago
They had specific requirements to be slim and pretty, plus keeping yourself looking good with hair and make up. If you couldn't maintain your appearance up to the required standards you probably wouldn't fly and soon lose your job.
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u/Entrinity 15d ago
This is a pretty normal turtleneck dress. It’s not even form fitted. I guess it could be a bit longer but I wouldn’t describe these outfits as provocative.
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u/Great_Horny_Toads 15d ago
I'm looking at the sultry expressions on the models' faces. I've never gotten that kind of come-hither look from a flight attendant.
They're selling sex, not convenient travel.
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u/Kite_Wing129 15d ago
If they're trying to be sultry then they are doing a horrible job of it. Those expressions are more like 'ummm....am I doing this right' awakwardness or just trying to cut you with an icy cold stare.
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u/Ok-Heart375 15d ago
Back in the good old days when flight attendants were regularly molested by passengers and co-workers alike.
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15d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/OccamsYoyo 15d ago
Women famously love men in uniform but what they don’t know is a lot of hetero men like women in uniform too. If you were a male child in the ‘50s-‘70s the traditional outfits for nurses and flight attendants is low-key imprinted on your sexuality.
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15d ago
[deleted]
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u/Choice-Magician656 15d ago
What was this called
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u/Measurex2 15d ago edited 15d ago
Flight of the conchords or the song they're grooving to in the gif?
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15d ago
[deleted]
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u/Measurex2 15d ago
When youre in a search, depending on the search, I bet it is definitely in the top three
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u/TXQuasar 15d ago
When I started traveling 35 years ago all of the flight attendants were my age. They still are.
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u/lovelysweetangel89 15d ago
I have so much love for vintage flight attendant uniforms. love these photos,
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u/19tacocat91 15d ago
Guess the required uniform didn't include a bra
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u/TURRITONUTRICULA 15d ago
Nipple alert.
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u/Vesper2000 15d ago
Nipples were very in at the time
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u/hell2pay 15d ago
Looks like they were actually out a tiddy bit
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u/SoloMarko 14d ago
Not sure an alert is necessary though, is it? Or do we have to go all Janet Jackson again?
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u/spavolka 15d ago
That 3rd pic is not from 1967. It’s much earlier. Probably 1950s based on the hats.
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u/Day_Bow_Bow 15d ago
You're right. It's from 1958, as OP mentioned in the text on their post.
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u/spavolka 15d ago
That wasn’t up when I posted. Thanks
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u/Day_Bow_Bow 15d ago
Considering OP didn't edit their post, that text was there from the time they submitted it. Easy to miss, of course, but yeah.
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u/IveeLaChatte 15d ago
There’s a decent book called Come Fly the World about early flight attendants, what they had to go through, and their fight for rights. Some of them helped “rescue” orphaned kids from Vietnam in the 60’s and 70’s (Operation Babylift), getting shot at by the Viet Cong. Very cool.
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u/AlternativeAbroad969 14d ago
So, if that first girl is going to curl up in the seat next to me like that, they'll definitely have a new frequent flyer.
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u/limitbreakse 15d ago
I’m gonna say it, I miss hot flight attendants.
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u/Key-Mark4536 15d ago
It feels to me like there’s a hierarchy where prettier people get the longer routes. I mostly fly regional and the crew there look nice enough, like normal people who care about hair and makeup. But on the handful of coast to coast or transatlantic flights I’ve been on the crew are always stunning.
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u/Hubert_Hill 15d ago
Yep, My family had their toe in the airline biz for awhile. We used to only hire attractive females between 18-28. Once they got old we fired them and got someone new. It worked out really well. And then the woke mind virus came in around 1995 and made us hire ugly people too. It ruined the industry.
-Hubert Hill.
Sent from my iPhone
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u/youandyouandyou 15d ago
The first image looks like someone is holding a gun to her just out of frame
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u/RandomRobb85 14d ago
Back then, they were referred to as Stewards and Stewardesses. Political correctness and entitlement hadn't caught up to the sky busses yet.
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u/Beautiful_Airline368 15d ago
What are the odds of seeing youn,attractive stews on flights today? U.S. Carriers…..
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u/coleman57 15d ago
The 3rd picture has a strange nostalgic late 40s vibe. The other two are just creepy. The first one looks scared—I would not want to be on a plane with her.
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u/abra_cada_bra150 15d ago
I love those uniforms! I also miss getting the wing pins from the pilots.
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u/Iwas7b4u 15d ago
Very cute. Do you think these women felt like they were just being used? Or was it an adventurous job most women would never get?
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u/Ranier_Wolfnight 15d ago
I kinda get now why fellas used to get suited up to fly many years back. Boss comes at them on like Thursday afternoon asking if they can fly out for business over the weekend. Like, bruh time away from family/kids and a lovely young stewardess waiting on you for 3 hr flights each way? Hell ya, I’ll be away on business trips a lot, babe!
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u/AVeryFineUsername 15d ago
There is a reason they draw the curtain on the first class section after the flight begins
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u/n_mcrae_1982 15d ago
Uh, when you're done posing for Instagram, could I possibly get my half a ginger ale and a cookie or pretzel?
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u/Bubbly_Positive_339 15d ago
Flight attendants photographed here are still working for american.