Around the World in a Bad Mood! by Rene Foss

comfortable en route.
    B ERTHS: Conveniently lighted—wider than the conventional railroad berth—and curtained for privacy. Also we proudly feature Sleeper Seats, made of deep-cushioned foam rubber. Easy-chair comfort with lots of legroom—at night the chair reclines fully to “chaise longue” position for a smooth slumber.
    M EMORABLE M EALS: The gleaming galley is completely equipped to serve oven-fresh full-course meals and delicious between-meal snacks. Prepared on board by professional chefs and graciously served by your stewardess. No tipping at any time, of course.
    S TRATO L OUNGE: Just step down the spiral staircase to the most distinguished club in the world. Beautifully appointed with built-in bar, horseshoe-shaped couch, and circular table. A unique flight experience.
    V ANDA O RCHIDS F LOWN F RESH FROM H AWAII: Our gift to you in memory of your trip on the Stratocruiser.
    Times have certainly changed and you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to recognize it. My mother was a flight attendant (or, at the time, an airline stewardess) from 1951 to 1959, when air travel was considered glamorous, exciting, and even elitist. People actually dressed up for their trips. They wore shoes. Back then most people traveled by car, bus, or train, so taking a trip by plane was a special event, and being a stewardess was a special career. In my mother’s day, stewardesses wore white gloves and little boarding hats, they learned to serve lobster thermidor tableside on the airplane, and they had to practice the art of polite conversation with one another so they could better communicate with all the sophisticated passengers. You can only imagine my surprise when I began my career in 1985: Instead of wearing white gloves, we’re wearing rubber gloves, and instead of learning to serve lobster thermidor tableside, we’re learning to put handcuffs on unruly passengers. Instead of practicing the art of polite conversation, we’re practicing the art of self-defense in case we encounter air rage!
    Not everything was entirely rosy back in her day, though. For example, stewardesses had to quit when they got married or reached the age of thirty-two. Many women hid the fact that they were married in order to keep their jobs. Secret marriages, how intriguing! They also had to wear girdles. In fact, there was a girdle-checker to make sure they were wearing them and there was also a weight-checker. Stewardesses who stepped on the scale and were over the predetermined proper weight were grounded without pay until they lost the weight. Back then stewardesses had to share hotel rooms on layovers, which would be unthinkable in this day and age, and often women were not allowed to apply for the purser position, which paid more and was only available to men. Still, it was a coveted career and my mother had many fond memories of her days as a stewardess. When I was a little girl she told me stories of the interesting people she had met on her flights: Helen Keller, Duke Ellington, and Richard Nixon to name a few. She grew up on a farm in the Midwest during the Depression and didn’t have indoor plumbing for most of her childhood, so it’s easy to imagine how thrilling it must have been for her to have a career that allowed her to meet those people; to literally get off the farm and travel the world. She also loved the free travel benefits, and took her parents to places they would never have seen otherwise, like Hawaii and New York City.
    Because being a stewardess was such a coveted profession in those days, the airlines could afford to be very particular about whom they hired. Around World War II, some of the earliest stewardesses in commercial aviation were required to be nurses. This requirement was most likely influenced by the military presence in the country at that time. By the 1950s the requirement was dropped and the new trend was to hire beautiful, elegant women (there were very few male