Celebs Who Voiced Support For the Girls Kicked Off United Missed 1 Detail
We all know celebs aren’t shy about taking up causes on social media and yesterday’s Twitter-wide controversy was no exception.
After Shannon Watts, a United Airlines passenger and activist who founded Moms Demand Action, tweeted that an agent at the gate of her flight was allegedly forcing teenage girls to change out of their leggings before boarding the flight, many celebs expressed their outrage and called out the airline’s hypocrisy.
But they missed one tiny detail.
The passengers didn’t have a normal ticket, they were traveling on standby, meaning they traveled for free or at a discounted rate.
And if you think celebrities travel standby instead of first class, you’re lying to yourself.
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Hey @united I fly a LOT. About to go on tour all April and changing all my @united flights to other airlines
— Sarah Silverman (@SarahKSilverman) March 26, 2017
I have flown united before with literally no pants on. Just a top as a dress. Next time I will wear only jeans and a scarf.
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) March 26, 2017
.@united I have flown numerous times while displaying an egregious mooseknuckle. What’s a male over 10 have to do to get noticed?
— Andy Richter (@AndyRichter) March 26, 2017
@united Why aren’t you allowing girls to wear leggings on flights? Who is your gate agent policing girls clothing?
— Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) March 26, 2017
The celebs who voiced their concern online about this issue aren’t even held to the same standards as us regular economy-class peasants. Of course Chrissy Teigen can wear no pants in first class!
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In an attempt to do some damage control, United Airlines said in a statement that the girls who were wearing leggings were not regular passengers, but instead were allegedly “pass riders.” This means they were relatives or friends of United Airlines’ employees, and their tickets were either discounted or comped in exchange for representing the United brand.
This representation includes a strict dress code, and this policy doesn’t apply to United’s regular travelers. The dress-code restrictions for “pass riders” include leggings, ripped jeans and midriff shirts.
The issue that United’s tone-deaf statement failed to address is that, whether intended or not, these kinds of policies sexualize young girls and their bodies, especially considering that the father of the 10 year-old was also a “pass rider” and wasn’t subject to the same scrutiny as his daughter. In fact, United’s dress-code doesn’t seem to address men at all, since the average man does not wear leggings, ripped jeans, or midriff shirts.
Despite their piss-poor attempt at clearing the air, United should recognize that these small innuendos that tell girls what’s considered “properly clothed” reduces them to their sexuality.
Regardless of company “policy,” the pointless embarrassment of these girls isn’t chill, and this caveat doesn’t reduce the impact or damage done.
Celebs may have reacted without getting all their facts straight, but they weren’t wrong to get mad.
