WATCH: A Former Flight Attendant Talks Fighting Discrimination At The Airlines

In 1953, American Airlines announced that all female flight attendants would retire at age 32. In 1963, a group of female flight attendants issued a response to the edict, claiming gender and age discrimination. Among them was Dusty Roads, who spoke to PBS for their “Makers: Women Who Make America” project, which premieres February 26.

In the short clip above, Roads discusses what it was like being a female flight attendant for American Airlines in the 1950s (“It was a fabulous career. We were looked up to, we were admired,” she says), the barriers she and other female flight attendants had to overcome–including sending the first case to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 1965–in order to maintain their jobs passed the not-so-ripe age of 32.

Of the decision to fight for her right to work for the Airline past the age of 32, Roads says, “I wanted to make it a career instead of just a job.” Roads proceeded to work for American Airlines until 1994.

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• 1933-1936

  Designed by Fiolel Colangelo, this is the second generation of the early Boeing/United Air Lines uniforms for United Airlines, between 1933-1936. In the years 1935 and 1936, a “United Air Lines” armband was worn by cabin attendants on the left arm to celebrate the birth of United Airlines from the union of four smaller carriers.
  em
  Copyright The Museum of Flight Collection/em

• 1933-1936

  Fiolel Colangelo designed uniforms.

  emCopyright The Museum of Flight Collection/em

• 1945-7

  Two Northwest stewardesses: Mary Finley North and her sister, circa 1945-1947.

  emCopyright The Museum of Flight Collection/em

• 1940s-1950s

  A United Airlines stewardess with food service in the galley in the late 1940s or early 1950s.

  emCopyright The Museum of Flight Collection/em

• 1966

  United Airlines flight attendants in a winter uniform inside a 747 circa 1966.

  emCopyright The Museum of Flight Collection/em

• 1968-1971

  Designer Oleg Cassini created these uniforms for Airwest between 1968 through 1971. He created a futuristic look for the flight attendants of Air West during the carrier’s brief existence prior to its purchase by Howard Hughes. The basic uniform consisted of a textured polyester dress and a jacket with an unconventional side-buttoning configuration. The pieces came in a selection of bright, solid colors inspired by the natural colors found at Air West’s destinations, including fern green, Pacific blue and canyon red.

  emCopyright Delta Airlines
  /em

• 1968-71

  Oleg Cassini designed these uniforms for Airwest between 1968-1971.

  Fashion designer, Oleg Cassini created a futuristic look for the flight attendants of Air West during the carrier’s brief existence prior to its purchase by Howard Hughes. The basic uniform consisted of a textured polyester dress and a jacket with an unconventional side-buttoning configuration. The pieces came in a selection of bright, solid colors inspired by the natural colors found at Air West’s destinations, including fern green, Pacific blue and canyon red.
  em
  Copyright Delta Airlines/em

• 1970s

  A United Airlines publicity shot in the early 1970s.
  em
  Copyright The Museum of Flight Collection.
  /em

• 1970s

  An American Airlines 747 lounge in the 1970s.

  emCopyright Ameican Airlines C.R.Smith Museum/em

• 1971-74

  American Airlines, “American Field Flowers Collection by Leonard Fisher” circa 1971-1974

  Leonard Fisher sought to invoke a pioneering spirit with his “American Field Flowers Collection” for American Airlines. The uniform consisted of a solid-color dress with either short sleeves or a shoulder-covering yoke across the top. The dress came in a choice of red, white or blue with contrasting colors along the border. A matching jacket could also be worn over the dress. Perhaps the most memorable component of this uniform was a flower-print smock worn over the dress during in-flight meal service. The frilly, white garment was decorated with prints of poppies, cornflowers, daisies and sprigs of wheat. The apron’s design evoked the image of resilient frontier women carving a life for themselves in the American West.
  em
  Copyright American Airlines C.R.Smith Museum/em

• 1971-4

  “American Field Flowers Collection by Leonard Fisher.”
  em
  Copyright American Airlines C.R.Smith Museum
  /em

• 1971-4

  American Airlines, “American Field Flowers Collection by Leonard Fisher.”

  Copyright American Airlines C.R.Smith Museum

• 1971-4

  “American Field Flowers Collection by Leonard Fisher.”
  em
  Copyright American Airlines C.R.Smith Museum
  /em

• 1972-77

  In the early 1970s, American artist and designer Mario Armond Zamparelli was contracted by Howard Hughes to create a new corporate image, as well as flight attendant uniforms for Hughes’ recently acquired airline. The most recognized of Hughes uniforms was the Sundance Yellow princess-line knit dress. A long, narrow sleeved turtleneck jacket with a zipper down the front was worn over the dress. For the outdoors, flight attendants had the choice of wearing a hooded cape or the princess-line coat with a narrow-brimmed hat. The cape and coat were both in Sundance Yellow and banded in Universe Blue. In the cabin, a blue-trimmed orange smock was worn over the dress while attending to passengers. Yellow square-heeled shoes or knee-length boots completed the uniform. Hughes Airwest flight attendants were affectionately referred to as the “Sundance Kids.”

  Uniform donated by Norman L. Whennett
  Bag donated by Northwest Airlines, Inc.

  em
  Photo: The Museum of Flight Collection/em

• 1972-77

  Mario Zamparelli designed these uniforms for Hughes Airwest between 1972-77.

  em
  Copyright The Museum of Flight Collection/em

• 1973-6

  United Airlines 1973 – 1976 Hawaii Uniform
  Tori Richard Ltd.

  In 1954, United Airlines steward, Matt Ah Chong, suggested the company could add an island atmosphere to flights between Hawaii and the mainland by dressing its flight attendants in aloha shirts. United President, William Patterson, agreed and the airline began a tradition of dressing cabin crews in Hawaiian prints on flights to and from the mainland. This 1974 United Airlines men’s uniform was created by Tori Richard Ltd, which had been creating Hawaiian resort-wear since 1956. The 100% polyester shirt was available in three color combinations – orange, pink and white; blue, green and white; or brown, green and white. White slacks accompanied the shirt and the outfit was often accessorized with kukui nut or puka shell necklaces. Female flight attendants wore muu muu-style dresses in a matching print. United Airlines dressed its Hawaii-bound crews in aloha print clothing for thirty years with specific uniforms rotating about every two years.

  Donated by
  The Museum of Flight Collection

  emPhoto: United Airlines
  /em

• 1973

  Flight attendants for Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) in 1973.
  em
  Copyright US Airways/em

• 1973

  Flight attendants for Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) in 1973.
  em
  Copyright US Airways/em

• 1973

  Flight attendants for Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) in 1973.
  em
  Copyright US Airways/em

• 1974-85

  In November 1974, Qantas Airways debuted a new flight attendant uniform by Emilio Pucci. The Italian designer had previously created the iconic “Air Strip” uniforms for American air carrier, Braniff. The outfit Pucci created for Qantas featured many of his signature elements -bright colors, bold prints and decorative borders on the outfit’s hems. The uniform included a polyester jersey shirt-dress, which incorporated a floral pattern in vivid orange, green and blue meant to evoke the colors of the Australian Outback. A jacket and pleated skirt made from pure Australian wool accompanied the dress along with a polyester/wool overcoat. These items came in orange or green colors. The uniform was designed to provide clothing combinations for the broad range of climates found at Qantas destinations. Pucci even created a special perfume to complete the ensemble.

  Donated by Suzanne de Monchaux
  The Museum of Flight Collection

  emPhoto: Qantas Airways/em

• Linda Caldwell, Delta Airlines, 1975

  a href=”http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/erincatherine”img style=”float:left;padding-right:6px !important;” src=”http://s.huffpost.com/images/profile/user_placeholder.gif” //aa href=”http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/erincatherine”erincatherine/a:br /Linda Caldwell started working for Delta in 1973. She worked her way through law school and graduated in 1978. She has been balancing her law practice and airline career for over thirty years now.

• 1974-85

  Emilio Pucci-designed uniforms for Quantas Airways, 1974-1985.
  em
  Copyright Quantas Airways/em

• Date unknown

  A Boeing 377 sleeping berth.

  emCopyright The Museum of Flight Collection/em

WATCH: A Former Flight Attendant Talks Fighting Discrimination At The Airlines