Red Lipstick Banned For Flight Attendants On Official Turkish Airline

That's right, no red or dark pink lipstick or nail polish for flight attendants on the official Turkish Airlines, the fourth largest carrier in Europe. Airline officials claim it's because they want to keep the stewardesses:

“artless and well-groomed with makeup in pastel tones.”

“As a consequence of our current cabin uniforms not including red, dark pink, et cetera, the use of lipstick and nail polish in these colors by our cabin crew impairs visual integrity."

UPDATE: 5/12/13  There won't be a ban after all. The CEO of Turkish Airlines blamed it on over-zealous junior managers.


It probably has more to do with the fact that red lipstick is sexy and something the increasingly conservative nation would consider haram (forbidden).

The guideline follows other restrictions on employees’ appearance and on serving alcohol. Critics say they reflect the influence of the government’s conservative religious values at the fast-growing state-run airline, one of Turkey’s most recognized brands.

“This new guideline is totally down to Turkish Airlines management’s desire to shape the company to fit its own political and ideological stance,” Atilay Aycin, president of the airline’s Hava-Is labour union, told Reuters.

“No one can deny that Turkey has become a more conservative, religious country.”

The rest here.

And the secular Turks are not happy.

Sad to see a country that was once proudly secular slowly becoming Islamized. Sure it still has a secular constitution, but how long will that last.

And they want to join the E.U.