The Jet Sex: Airline Stewardesses and the Making of an American Icon

 The Jet Sex: Airline Stewardesses and the Making of an American Icon by Victoria Vantoch  287 pages

Summary from Goodreads: In The Jet Sex, Victoria Vantoch explores in rich detail how multiple forces--business strategy, advertising, race, sexuality, and Cold War politics--cultivated an image of the stewardess that reflected America's vision of itself, from the wholesome girl-next-door of the 1940s to the cosmopolitan glamour girl of the Jet Age to the sexy playmate of the 1960s. Though airlines marketed her as the consummate hostess--an expert at pampering her mostly male passengers, while mixing martinis and allaying their fears of flying--she bridged the gap between the idealized 1950s housewife and the emerging "working woman." On the international stage, this select cadre of women served as ambassadors of their nation in the propaganda clashes of the Cold War. The stylish Pucci-clad American stewardess represented the United States as middle class and consumer oriented--hallmarks of capitalism's success and a stark contrast to her counterpart at Aeroflot, the Soviet national airline. As the apotheosis of feminine charm and American careerism, the stewardess subtly bucked traditional gender roles and paved the way for the women's movement. Drawing on industry archives and hundreds of interviews, this vibrant cultural history offers a fresh perspective on the sweeping changes in twentieth-century American life. 

What I thought:  I saw this book at the library when I was looking for something else and thought it looked interesting. I didn't know anything about the subject, and it was actually a pretty interesting read. The author did a huge amount of research on the subject, so there are a lot of details here --- but it's not dry at all. I found it really interesting to read about how this job was created for women and became an opportunity for women who really wanted to be pilots (a job out of their reach completely), who then found a way to fly. It was also really interesting to read about how structured these jobs were -- it wasn't just all about image, although that was a huge part of it.  Stewardesses often spoke several languages and had degrees. Which means if you wanted to get this job, you not only had to fit an extremely specific body size/type, specific body measurements, hair color, hair style, etc. -- you had to be educated.  And of course, for a long time, you had to be White. Reading about the first Black stewardess was very interesting -- and as you'd expect, she had to show she was always perfect at work because the standards for her were even higher than for anyone else.  Definitely a book to read if you're interested in women's history, especially women in the working world.  This was an unexpected good read.