The women represented in this book are heroines. I don’t know if I would have put up with everything they put up with for years before I wanted to scream. But they kept at their jobs and fighting for a better work environment for everyone. Reading the stories about the training the women went through, from the physical of being able to get emergency slides working to making sure they have perfect hair and make-up, is just maddening. They were professional women who had to deal with unprofessional men all day and every day. And there are women who fought against this from the beginning and then the fight kept going until they all went on strike as members of a union, or unions as each airline had their own rules and groups. I was angry for the women as I read and then I realized those that got angry got active. You may never look at your flight attendants in the same way again. But not everyone got along and they weren’t always fighting for the same thing. May you find inspiration in these pages. Thanks to Doubleday for the advanced copy.

I found this subject to be very compelling and interesting. I’m about the same age as the main subject and remember all the issues discussed here when they happened. Thrilling to see this beleaguered group of women so expertly represented by these young crusaders.

"The Great Stewardess Rebellion" is a sweeping account of the lives of stewardesses from the 1960s-70s. The glamorized way of life that attracted many to the job was too good to be true almost immediately. From weight and height mandates and sexist comments from passengers to a company that sees them only as decoration and a union that won't support them, the stewardesses were facing problems from all sides. This book follows a few stewardesses as they fight for equality in the workplace in the changing landscape of the 1960s and 70s. I enjoyed this firsthand account of the struggles these women went through. As a millennial, I had no idea of the types of discrimination these women faced. Even as other women were advancing, these women were constantly being dragged back by the airlines. I thought some details were repetitive at times, but the overall story was compelling and enjoyable.

In 1961 American Airlines had an add in the newspaper. The American Airlines made the stewardess job look like a magical wonderful job. In the morning the stewardess would be in New York and then that evening have dinner in New York. When nineteen year old left the farm wanted a job as a supervisor stewardess. Patt would lead a workers rebellion. Others did the same thing thr out the United States. Airlines had these rules that she be slim-hipped, smiling, perfectedly coiffed, strict weight levels, wear girdles, have perfect complexions, perfect eyesight and teeth, no scars and be white. They also could not be married. If they got pregnant, they would be fired immediately. The airlines kept these requirements. They would be checked to see if they were following the rules. They even fought for each stewardess to have their own bedroom rather than being doubled up in a bedroom. The stewardesses wanted their own bedroom. These women did so much to forward women’s rights.

This is an amazing story to read. The author brings to this book a treasure trove of vintage commercials and related stories to this book. I realized how much their work/labor rebellions affected the future of the present working women today for the better working conditions. The writing is excellent. This is a combination of culture and feminist history information that quite readable.

Here's another bit of history I either didn't really think about or didn't know at all. This book chronicles the battles flight attendants fought for DECADES to get workers' rights. Between the sexism, ageism, and just not wanting to pay fairly, the reader will close this book seething at the audacity of U.S. airlines. And the thing is, flight attendants are STILL fighting to get paid fairly for their time at work.

There are times when I felt the book got a little slow or maybe that I had already read that information a little earlier in the book. When it felt slow, I thought, "if I think this is slow, how about waiting 30 years to get back pay?" And when it felt repetitive, it was because the same things had to be fought for over and over again, just with different airlines, or over slightly different points. If I got frustrated, imagine what the flight attendants felt.

I hope that people will read this book and realize how hard people fought and how far we still have to go in so many industries to get equity and fair wages for all workers.

My thanks to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

oppression, unionization, historical-figures, historical-places-events, historical-research, history-and-culture, nonfiction, airline-industry****

If you thought that the American film industry in the last half of the last century was sexist slavery, the airline industry, specifically stewardesses, has it beat by furlongs. Think Stepford without the marriage part. The pay was marginal and the clothing and other costs came out of it, think Company Store. The issues are feminist but are rooted in some basic human rights. Some parts read like a PhD thesis but clearly get the points across. This union was not only born of an honest need to break the pattern of what was clearly employee abuse but with the future clearly in sight. Many detailed personal experiences are included and only magnify the need for the action taken. Needs to be included in college curricula and appreciated by those who travel by air.
I requested and received a free temporary e-book from Doubleday Books via NetGalley.

I really enjoyed reading "The Great Stewardess Rebellion" by Wulfhart. I had no idea how many of the gains in women's rights were pioneered by stewardesses/flight attendants.

The book was well-woven with personal stories and a linear narrative as to make it interesting to read as well as informative.

I would recommend highly as a book club pick!

As a frequent international flyer, I've always wondered how US based flight attendants seem to have more rights and job security than those based in other countries. This book was excellent for telling the story of how those rights came to be and really included a lot of rediculousness that made me embarrassed just to hear about (esp. the racoon skin hats and other uniform misses).

There are photos of the adds that were run so you can see how they really walked the line sometimes between professional and racy. Overall, fascinating to see and read about.

The Great Stewardess Rebellion combines social history with labor history to tell the story of how stewardesses (soon to become flight attendants) fought for recognition as vital members of flight crews. Long exploited as eye candy for male passengers, they battled against repressive weight and appearance regulations, rules against getting married or pregnant, and the mandatory retirement age of thirty-two. Important and fascinating! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital review copy.

I remember when I went to flight attendant training in 2015, I had to dye my hair all one color and buy makeup because I didn’t even own the lipstick we were required to wear. I had friends and family who thought this was insane and sexist, but I didn’t really mind. I knew I wanted to be a flight attendant, so I attended “image” class to ensure I was properly groomed and wore my uniform as accepted (though it’s kind of a joke in the industry that once you leave the training center- often called the “Charm Farm” by more senior flight attendants- that imagine standards are no longer necessarily adhered to). That being said, the industry has obviously changed drastically and I’m very grateful for the flight attendants before me who fought for all this leniency. I personally still take pride in how I present myself on the job and I want to represent my company well, but since I’m now married, on the verge of “aging out” according to the old standards, and can’t imagine feeling comfortable being referred to as a “C.R. honeybun,” I’m so happy I’m not forced to say goodbye to my incredible career.
This book is very interesting and educational while also ensuring an entertainment quality that is necessary when reading historical accounts. It’s a quick read and I’m glad I was able to review it. I’d highly recommend it to anyone interested in the aviation industry and any current or former flight attendants as well as feminists and general history buffs.

Growing up in the 60’s, stewardess was still a glamour career option. If I knew then what I know now…
Bravo for a finely written history of this often seen and little understood field. The anecdotes make the labor struggle instantly accessible. With the current climate of passenger misbehavior in the face of safety mandates, this background is especially relevant.

This was an extremely informative, interesting look at the contributions stewardesses made to the women's rights movement. I learned so much by reading this book.

Beginning in the 1960's, the Stewardess' decided that they had enough. Enough of the low pay, weight checks, , age restrictions, marriage restrictions, and pregnancy restrictions. Together, they began to work with their union to fight these discriminatory practices. This book focuses on a handful of these women who changed the labor laws for the better. Well written and paced, this both informative and easy to read. 5 out of 5 stars.

As a flight attendant myself, this book was deeply personal for me, and it really brought to my attention how hard the stews that came before me worked to give me all the benefits and workers’ rights I have today. While I did know about a lot of the darkest parts of the industry already, I couldn’t believe just how scrutinized these women were and the things they were forced to endure from the company and passengers alike. The book itself is incredibly well researched and written in a really straightforward way, without sacrificing the truly human part of the story. If you have an interest in feminist history or labor movements, this is a book you’ll definitely want to read, and I’m forever grateful to the incredible women in this book for allowing me to have the career I do today!

Very well researched and written story of the growth of the airline industry, the women's movement of the 60's and 70's and of those that fought to improve the lives of those who chose a career in the sky.

Taking what could have been a dry, hard to read "just the facts" kind of book and personalizing it with the people who lived it made this book readable and enjoyable

The Great Stewardess Rebellion was an eye-opener. I always knew women have come a long way in our fight for equal rights (and we are still fighting), but the way men used to treat women in the 60's was shocking. This book was fascinating, if a bit dry at times. I highly recommend all young women read this book.

Really enjoyed the history of the airlines, unions, and the women’s movement. Very readable. Personal stories kept it from being dry. Quite eye-opening.

Surprising and disturbing, this well-researched history of the flight attendant profession starts out in the 1950's and early 1960's--the stewardesses were young women selected for their appearance and cheerful personalities. Their training facility, nicknamed the "charm farm," covered hair, makeup and the social graces. They were weighed weekly (and fired if they were over the limit). They could not marry, were dismissed from the job at age 32, and were subject to random inspections by supervisors to ensure that each was wearing a bra, girdle, and slip at all times. Their union, the TWU, was happy to collect their dues, but marginalized the stewardesses and dismissed their concerns. They endured harassment from many of the passengers and pilots, and the airlines' advertisements, replete with sexual innuendos, just made things worse. Recommended for anyone interested in history, particularly women's history. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Excellent! And past due. I was working for one of the major airlines in the late 60s. I knew some of the people in this book. The women worked hard, and were beyond brave facing derision and worse from men AND other women. They remain heroes in my book.

This is an excellent work of non-fiction highlighting a little known, or at least rarely discussed, part of workplace and feminist history. The mix of historical events and the individuals profiled in this book were fascinating. I didn’t previously know about any of the women at the center of the events described, but the author was able to bring them to life throughout the text. The interspersed pictures personalized the stories even more. I found so much connection between the workplace today and the history outlined in this book about airline stewardesses fighting for their workplace rights. As an HR professional, I wish I had been able to read this book YEARS ago. It illuminated so much I didn’t know about flight attendant unions and the workplace they dealt with in the 60s and 70s especially. It was also eye opening to learn about the EEOC and Title VII enforcement during this period. Reading about the women that fought for their rights and the rights of their co-workers was inspiring.

It took me a few chapters to get into the book and adjust to the topic. At first, I felt like I was reading a basic textbook, but once I finished several chapters, I became highly invested. After I got halfway through, I could barely put it down and the ending snuck up on me! I could have continued reading about these women and their shared history. Occasionally I became confused by the timeline of events and felt like we were skipping around to different points in history, but overall, I followed the trajectory of what happened and who was involved.

There is so much of interest in this book. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in workplace history, unions, airline history, feminism and unsung heroes of the past. I will have a new appreciation for the flight attendants on the plane of my next flight!