I feel for the Houston doctor who was singled out for dressing inappropriately on an American Airlines flight from Jamaica to Miami. She did not deserve to be ridiculed by flight attendants and American Airlines was right to apologize.
Let’s be clear, although we have only Dr. Tisha Rowe’s side of the story and a statement from American Airlines, it seems:
- She was stopped by a flight attendant for wearing a “romper” outfit deemed too revealing
- She was told to cover up, but had no change of clothes
- Instead, she was given a blanket (upon request)
- She was told by another flight attendant “not to make a scene” as she retreated to her seat
- It caused her 8-year-old son to cry
Folks, we’re going to assume her story is true. If you don’t want to make that assumption, just pretend this is a hypotehetical.
To me, it’s the warning from the flight attendant that just screams “don’t act uppity” to me. There may have been no racial prejudice involved; I cannot know the mindset or subconscious mindset of the flight attendants onboard. But look at what she was wearing:
Here is what i was wearing when @AmericanAir asked me to deplane for a talk. At which point I was asked to “cover up”. When defending my outfit I was threatened with not getting back on the flight unless I walked down the aisle wrapped in a blanket. #notsofriendlyskies pic.twitter.com/AYQNNriLcq
— Tisha Rowe MD, MBA (@tisharowemd) July 1, 2019
Honestly, what’s the problem?
Speaking of her wardrobe choice, Dr. Rowe said:
I turned, and I looked at my backside, and I kind of gave myself that, you know, girl check. Growing up, I lived in a very conservative household. Like, if my dad thought my shorts were too short, I was not leaving the house. So that’s just something that I’ve gotten into the habit of doing.
I have a very curvaceous body, and I put my body in bold colors, so you’re going to see it. But it’s not vulgar. It’s not inappropriate. It’s not bad, you know? If you put someone who’s a size 2 in the exact same outfit next to me, no one would be bothered.
Yep.
My Opinion Of Her Wardrobe Doesn’t Matter
I do think what the lady is wearing is tacky. Not so much because it looks bad (she looks great to me) but because seat pitch and width is so bad on American Airlines and we end up finding ourselves skin-to-skin against our seatmate. I’d rather be cloth-to-cloth than skin-to-skin with anyone. But that was not the reason she was stopped…and good luck telling me people to cover up on a flight from Kingston, Jamaica to Miami in the humid heat of summer.
But at the same time, I also don’t care. I truly don’t care what she chooses to wear, as long as it covers up so-called “private” parts and doesn’t include vulgar/obscene messaging. I still dress up when I fly…somewhat. Some may say my jeans don’t belong in a premium cabin. I’m one of the odd people who enjoys wearing a suit and tie (though not every time I step onto a plane). My point is the clothing you wear is about the most subjective thing you do in life.
As I’m writing this, I’m sitting next to a guy wearing a sheepskin tank-top, burlap Bermuda shorts, and suede faux-Birkenstocks. He’s got dreadlocks and a scraggly beard. Ugh…
And maybe he finds my polo shirt and trousers as equally repulsive.
Wherever that line is or should be, Dr. Rowe did not cross it…not if she was wearing what she posted on Twitter.
And for us to dismiss her story is wrong: this sort of double standard must be called out. I fly all the time…literally more than some flight attendants and pilots. I see far more revealing, misfitting, clothing on passengers all the time. Thus, we cannot help but to assume that she was called out due to her size or skin color. Perhaps both. We don’t have a smoking gun, I suppose, but it’s an elementary use of deductive reasoning.
American Airlines Did The Right Thing
To AA’s credit, it promptly issued a full refund and apology, though perhaps I would have worded it differently:
We were concerned about Dr. Rowe’s comments, and reached out to her and our team at the Kingston airport to gather more information about what occurred. Unfortunately, we’ve been unable to reach Dr. Rowe or leave a message at the number provided. We want to personally apologize to Dr. Rowe and her son for their experience, and have fully refunded their travel. We are proud to serve customers of all backgrounds and are committed to providing a positive, safe travel experience for everyone who flies with us.
Customers “of all backgrounds”? What does that mean? She’s a well-educated doctor and accountant. Does AA mean education level? Rowe alleged racism on Twitter, so I suppose that could explain why. I view the issue not as deliberate animus (hostility) toward passengers of size or color, but as an unacceptable double standard. Ignorance is no excuse.
CONCLUSION
AA must train its flight attendants to evenly apply dress code standards. When in doubt, let it pass…this sort of altercation plays right into the hands of those who argue that AA is a “racist” airline. It’s not the sort of publicity that AA needs. And more importantly, Dr. Rowe deserves to be treated with the same level of respect afforded to everyone else.
What are your thoughts on this incident?
Her outfit isn’t vulgar. Tacky, probably. I would be surprised that’s something the FAs would care about. It’s not like she’s wearing short shorts showing her buttcheeks
Well written Matthew.
I do think double-standards (female) and institutional racism are at play.
As a parent, my heart hurts that her child had to witness this. Kids have amazing memories and profound experiences stick with them. My son vividly remembers the police officer who pulled over his father years ago.
The flight attendant should be reprimanded for this. Seems like she decided to be the fashion police instead of just doing her job.
Nothing on underneath, it seems. Personally, i want more than a thin piece of cloth between another passenger’s “business” and the seat. No matter the gender, race, age, or profession 9f rhe wearer. Just another person seeking to take advantage…when is the lawsuit coming?
Dude stfu i work for a airline and see passengers who have they a***s hanging out and let on with no problem so pls have several seats
Go to any airport during the summer and white teenage/college girls are wearing this exact same outfit. AA was totally in the wrong here.
She looks fine to me. My question of AA is what is the dress code “standard” and how did she violate that? Too much skin? Low % of her body covered? If her top had straps would that have been a pass? Did anyone complain about her dress?Does AA require their FAs to apply what is always going to be an arbitrary standard and become the fashion police?
Like most readers of this blog I fly lots and I have certainly seen much worse than this. And, the flight originated in Jamaica where it’s hot, the airport has little A/C.
Bad move on AA’s part, IMO.
I’m pretty much in agreement with the entirety of the blog post and the above responses. So I don’t have too much to add there.
But I will say that I am confounded as to why airlines put their flight attendants in a position where they are enabled with near-absolute power over a subjective decision like this. It creates a situation just ripe for abuse of that power where nobody — passengers, crew, the airline itself — wins. (I can think of other posts on this very blog that addressed similar situations.) Isn’t the flight crew primarily there for the safety of their passengers?
Well written FAP (Flight Attendant Protocol) piece Matthew
+1 to all of the above. Bad move by AA.
This is just another in a series of recent events where an airline has asked a passenger to cover up. I don’t think it’s a case of fat shaming or racism since the others I read about were conventionally attractive light skinned women.
My guess is this has been going on for awhile, that maybe there is some unofficial (or maybe even official) standard dress code that flight attendants are suddenly being criticiaed out for enforcing. And the press is, as usual, making a mountain out of a molehill.
In every case I’ve seen so far, the passenger has been showing quite a lot of skin, to the degree that even just 10 or 20 years ago would not have been socially acceptable in any public place except maybe Walmart, the beach, or a nightclub, let alone in a tightly packed confined space like an airplane where you’re likely to be pressed up against the person next to you.
Folks need to stop being so damn trashy is all.. Its not okay.
While I would agree that people need to stop being trashy, it’s yet another thing that is subjective. To me, her outfit isn’t trashy. I find it perfectly acceptable in a country like USA and Jamaica where both have locals and tourists alike walking around in outfits that are very similar or worse.
Since we don’t have all the facts, no one should be having any of the above opinions.
Have none of you learned anything from any of the recent “scandals” in the news that turned out to be nothing?
Wait for all the evidence, then make a judgement.
What sort of evidence are you waiting for?
I completely agree with you Matthew. What this lady was wearing was just fine. I see people who look awful – and do awful things on airplanes all the time, and the flight attendants ignore them. (Such as the total slob who sat across from me in business class on a Delta flight from Atlanta to Johannesburg, removed his shoes and socks and clipped his toenails into the aisle.)
The doctor was flying from Kingston to Miami to Houston; three very hot and humid cities in the summer. And she was on vacation. And she was having fun with her son. As a former flight attendant I can’t imagine that I would even have looked twice at what this passenger was wearing. And never in a million years would I have told her she couldn’t fly without changing clothes.
I just can’t wrap my head around the fact why FAs are NOT (seemingly) becoming more conscious about their conducts in this age of videos and social media? Don’t they know that ANY sort of an “event” aboard a commercial airliner is bound to be recorded and shared over social media? As such, any power trip by an FA is going to reflect very badly on them yet it seems fhey just dont care. Which brings me to my next question: does the airline NOT discipline their power tripping FA after such an embarrassing event? If so, it is apparent that the sanction doesn’t go far enough as these type of incidents keep grabbing the headline.
I agree with Josh somewhat. But I will take it one step further. We have become a society that not only judges immediately, but we seem to have extreme opinions on things that do not pertain to us at all.
Also:
and good luck telling me people to cover up
to
and good luck telling people to cover up
Why when she checked her luggage did the agent there tell her she was dress inappropriate to fly. Perhaps the beautiful Doctor did have a blouse or something to pull out and change to before surrendering her luggage. She looks fine to me and should have been given an opportunity to remove something from her luggage at checkin. Or purchase something in a gift shop. Shame on you AMERICAN AIRLINES. FREE FLIGHTS FOR LIFE PERHAPS.
Have no problem with her clothes, just hope she bought TWO seats.