During my school years of the 1960s and the 1970s, “stewardesses” were presented as hostesses. It seemed at that time, perhaps due to strict grooming standards, stewardesses were considered hot dates in the media. Advertising for one airline was “Fly me, I’m (insert girl’s name)! This ad campaign was stopped because of backlash from the public.
There was a bestseller called Coffee, Tea, or Me? It was about the true story of Trudy and Rachel and their adventures in the friendly (and, at times, not so friendly) skies. The title was kind of punchline for a while.
I attended a flight attendant session during a career day in high school. I remember a lot of the presentation was about appearances. Weight standards were very important, no chubbies allowed. Women over forty years of age were retired from the job.
The most interesting requirement was about scars. Attendants were not allowed to have any scars on the face, neck, arms and legs. The reasoning was that they could cause the passengers to jump to the conclusion the scars came a plane crash. One badly burned woman was allowed to be an attendant because the scars only covered her torso, Her clothing covered up her disfigurement.
I got a booklet on grooming tips.