Reply #177: And I agree with your grandma [View All]

[JohnnyRingo]

The glory came from an aluminum greasy spoon diner that flew them around the world. For a young woman to see the sights in countries they'd only dreamt of must have been quite a draw.

It's unfortunate that sexism was a prerequisite tool for employment back then. No one wanted old overweight (or married) attendants, and discrimination ran wild in the industry. For those "qualified", I'm sure it was a dream job of a lifetime, but like any modeling career it could quickly come to an early end. I imagine many shunned stewardesses ended up hopping tables, and I would think that looming potential would be great incentive to marry rich at the peak of their career.

I have a friend who was a stew at the end of that era, and she retains that job today for Southwestern. She was (and still is) gorgeous, but had the industry not been forced to change she would have been out of a job decades ago. For what it's worth, she's been married four times.