I am not a flight attendant!!

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-01-2005
I am not a flight attendant!!
13
Mon, 02-13-2006 - 8:10pm
My profile says that I work in aviation (just that, no specifics), and about 70% of men who initiate contact ask if I am a flight attendant - and it really bugs me. Not to mention it's a total turnoff, because I'm not used to people making assumptions like that. Is it ok for me to be turned off by their assumptions? How do I get them to stop asking? Do I really need to change my profile?







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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-09-2003
Mon, 02-13-2006 - 8:32pm
Either mention your actual profession in your profile or remove the airline reference. It is normal to be bothered by people asking the same question over and over. Also Flight Attendents tend to have a certain stereotype so I understand why you would be annoyed. For me a flight attendent is a slim, silly, and pretty young woman eventhough I fly a lot and most of the times the flight attendent is a old fat woman who sounds like a man :~)
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-01-2005
Tue, 02-14-2006 - 10:58am

That is annoying. I would change your profile to read "other" for profession - that way, they have to ask and not assume.

I think it happens with all professions. I am an editor, but I listed it as "corporate communications" on one site. I had one guy write to me and say: "So, is that just writing a bunch of press releases, or something more complicated??" That really annoyed me - he implied that my job was simple and mindless. He didn't get a reply.

AJ, enjoying life with C.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-14-2003
Tue, 02-14-2006 - 1:42pm

I think these men have a fantasy that you will always be in perfect make-up and quite perky.

I would just say you are an engineer or something else other than aviation.

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-31-2005
Tue, 02-14-2006 - 1:46pm
Maybe they're thinking about an in-air fantasy? If it bugs you, remove the reference and let them ask what you do. So I am curious (if you don't mind sharing)--what do you do in the aviation field?

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-01-2005
Tue, 02-14-2006 - 9:02pm
I'm a powerplant engineer. I work with the maintenance guys, mostly. I put aviation in there because it's very important to me and I want to get that out before they even ask me what I do, you know?







iVillage Member
Registered: 05-31-2005
Tue, 02-14-2006 - 9:19pm
Yeah I do... hmmm how about switching it to engineer? This way you won't get the mile high stuff and it may generate less stupid questions...

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-01-2005
Tue, 02-14-2006 - 9:30pm

See, "engineer" to me, sounds like a computer geek with no social skills. :-)

Oh, well. Maybe I just deal with it.







iVillage Member
Registered: 05-31-2005
Tue, 02-14-2006 - 9:34pm
Well, you are a geek... but a cute geek. :o)

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-01-2005
Wed, 02-15-2006 - 10:36am

Engineer to me sounds *smart* - not geeky. I think it shows your intelligence right away if you list engineer as your profession, and then you can avoid the airhead stereotype that goes along with the flight attendant question.

(Apologies to any flight attendants out there reading this thread - I KNOW you are not airheards. It's an unfair stereotype).

AJ, enjoying life with C.

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-01-2006
Wed, 02-15-2006 - 12:21pm
Thanks for that last post because I can assure majority of flight attendants are not airheads or easy (and you know what I mean by that). The job requires more than just serving beverages. It's a shame this particular industry has such a bad reputation. The training (security, hazardous material, CPR, emergency procedures, medical emergency) that's required to be a flight attendant is tough. You have to know each aircraft style (737, DC80, J41, every kind of regional jet) your company uses inside and out, the company's procedures, plus offer excellent customer service to passengers, which includes again more than a beverage service. Yes, I'm a flight attendant! and am honored to be called one.
I take my job seriously and in my opinion, we are as important as the pilot, co-pilots. We're there for the passengers.
I'm sorry for those individuals who have judged flight attendants by the one or two who have been airheads or easy. But the next time you go on an airplane, really look at the individual called flight attendant and view him/her as doing an important job because he/she could be the one that helps save your life in the event of an accident.

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