A woman ended up having to wear the captain’s t-shirt on a Southwest Airlines flight, or else she would have been denied boarding. The airline was completely off base here, in my opinion.
A woman’s “lewd” outfit on Southwest Airlines
Kayla Eubanks used Twitter to document a situation she faced on an October 6 Southwest Airlines flight from New York to Chicago.
Eubanks started by sharing the outfit she was wearing on a Southwest Airlines flight, when she was allegedly told that her boobs were “lewd, obscene, and offensive.”
She claimed that a Southwest Airlines gate agent “practically did cartwheels to ensure [she] wouldn’t get on this plane.” A gate agent took issue with her outfit, so the passenger asked to see the policy prohibiting what she was wearing.
After over 20 minutes, the gate agent said she couldn’t find the policy but that it does exist, and then asked Eubanks to put on another shirt if she wanted to take that flight.
This @SouthwestAir employee practically did cartwheels to ensure that I wouldn’t get on this plane y’all. I was held at the gate for 30 minutes because of my shirt. pic.twitter.com/gxnlNX4H6b
— Kayla Eubanks (@UziSuzy) October 6, 2020
At this point the captain of the Southwest Airlines flight came out to talk to her, and this guy definitely had the best vibes of any Southwest employee that day. He said “they’re hating on you because you’re looking good, is that right?”
Understandably Eubanks was agitated, but I appreciate how the captain remained calm, tried to deescalate the situation, and came up with a backup plan. He showed empathy to Eubanks while not totally throwing his company under the bus, which is a tough balance to strike. I imagine many other airline employees would have gone on a power trip at this point, but that’s not what he did. Kudos.
The captain eventually loaned the woman his shirt so that she could fly. She took it off during the flight, and was then told she’d have to speak to someone after landing.
The CAPTAIN of the flight loaned me his shirt so that I could board (having been removed from the flight and the flight being delayed). I eventually took it off.. Only to be told that I would have to speak with a supervisor upon landing pic.twitter.com/sBLCHrRbRO
— Kayla Eubanks (@UziSuzy) October 6, 2020
After landing a supervisor confronted her (and Eubanks definitely comes across more reasonable than the supervisor, in my opinion):
- He claimed she didn’t “have very many clothes on up at the top”
- The supervisor claimed that her top “reveals quite a bit,” and Eubanks asked if she should “leave them at home” next time (referring to her breasts)
- Eubanks went on to say “I don’t understand how my body parts are obscene, it’s not like my nipple is showing, it’s not like I have a picture of a vagina, it’s not like I have curse words, that would be obscene”
- She asked the supervisor “who are my boobs offensive to?” and he responded “maybe others on the aircraft”
- The supervisor tried to ask for her ID, though maybe he should be more focused on wearing a mask correctly?
This video was just so I could have their names but Patrick also tried to get my ID, which I obviously refused. Idek dude. pic.twitter.com/zPvdsz9DMN
— Kayla Eubanks (@UziSuzy) October 6, 2020
Following the incident, Southwest Airlines reached out to Eubanks to apologize for the experience, and to provide her a refund of her fare as a gesture of goodwill.
What is Southwest Airlines’ dress code?
What is Southwest Airlines’ dress code, actually?
“Regarding our policies, each situation is very different, and our employees are responsible for following our Contract of Carriage, available on our website.”
Southwest Airlines’ contract of carriage notes the airline can remove people for:
“Engaging in lewd, obscene or patently offensive behavior, including wearing clothes that are lewd, obscene or patently offensive”
Southwest Airlines is in the wrong here
People often struggle to differentiate between how people might dress on planes in an ideal world, and what is lewd. They’re not the same thing, though, and that’s important to recognize:
- Personally I wouldn’t even wear flip flops or a tank top on a plane (in fairness, I’m weird, and tend to wear shoes and long pants even to the beach); regardless, my preferences shouldn’t dictate other peoples’ rights, and unless you’re Michelle Visage on RuPaul’s Drag Race, mind your own business when it comes to what other people are wearing
- I know other people think that I’m underdressed to fly in premium cabins (I’m a fan of “athleisure”), and think everyone should dress up when they get on planes
- We can argue all day about whether airlines should have…
Read More: Southwest Tries To Kick Off Woman For “Lewd” Outfit