Turkish airlines bans red lipstick London – Mai Mihaimeed Turkey’s national airline amended its dress code to prohibit the wearing of brightly-coloured lipstick and nail polish following complaints made by passengers, the airline claims. The move has raised concerns among Turkish secularists that fear the country is becoming more Islamic.
In a press statement, Turkish Airlines said the ban was aimed at keeping crews \"artless and well-groomed, with makeup in pastel tones\", as a natural look improved communication with passengers.
\"As a consequence of our current cabin uniforms not including red, dark pink, etc, the use of lipstick and nail polish in these colours by our cabin crew impairs visual integrity,\" the statement said.
The changes include further restrictions on employees’ appearance and on serving alcohol on a number of domestic flights and to Islamic countries.
\"This new guideline is totally down to Turkish Airlines management\'s desire to shape the company to fit its own political and ideological stance,\" Atilay Aycin, president of the airline\'s Hava-Is labour union, said. \"No one can deny that Turkey has become a more conservative, religious country.\"
Critics say the actions of the stare-run airline reflect the influence of the Turkish government’s conservative religious values.
\"This measure is an act of perversion. How else could you describe it?\" Gursel Tekin, vice president of the main opposition party CHP said, according to the Hurriyet Daily News.
“Does the public authority decide what a 20- or 30-year-old woman will wear?”
Turkey is 99 percent Muslim but the Nato state and EU candidate has a secular constitution.
Flight attendants have reportedly protested the decision by sharing images of red lipstick on social media sites and wearing it on flights.Turkish Airlines, Europe’s fourth biggest, previously revised its dress code, banning red-bleached and platinum hair and the wearing of flamboyant silver make-up by female flight attendants.