I used to dream of being an air hostess when I was a kid - yes they were still called hostesses back then, but let's not dwell on that. I loved the idea of travelling the world, getting to eat those cute little airline meals and OK, the uniforms were pretty cool too - for the 1980s.
Weirdly, things don't seem to have moved on since then. In fact, they've regressed. BA's female cabin crew now wear prim little retro hats and more make-up than a New Romantic. (Blusher and lipstick, at the very least, are compulsory.) Hell, they're not even allowed to wear trousers. Outlawed in 2010, apparently, despite the Baltic temperatures on most flights.
And what happens to those fresh-faced feminists who flout the rules? Grounded, a la Jodie from a Very British Airline who was fired from the BA training program after being asked to reapply her lipstick four times on Monday night's BBC2 show. Yeah, cause that's what all cabin crew need; MORE make-up. Us women are totally unpresentable without it, don't you know?
Check out this video by BA if you need convincing.
Now, I like my slap as much as the next woman, but if I was ordered to wear it by an employer to 'add an extra layer of confidence', along with a stereotypical 1950s-esque uniform I had absolutely no say over, I don't think it would make me feel proud and professional. I think it would make me feel like a doll, but then maybe that's where the term 'Trolly Dolly' comes from...
Still, at least British Airways don't expect their female cabin crew to take their uniforms off. Undeterred by being branded sexist in 2012 and having the ad for their charity calendar banned for being offensive to women, Ryanair continue to put the cheap into cheap airlines
Their 2014 calendar features female bikini-clad crew members on all fours on the beach.
Poor Miss July - Ryanair were obviously too tight to even stretch to swimwear - she had to make do with her bra and pants. #Tightarse
Memo to Ryanair boss from Miss July; 'We said we wanted to burn our bras, not sunburn in our bras. Duh!'
So, what happens if Baby Girl decides she wants a career in the skies? I'll be encouraging her to be a pilot instead.