What Do You Think?

You may have seen the news story today in which a young woman was asked to get off a Southwest Airlines flight because her skirt was too short.  You can watch the story here (watch it, and then come back so we can discuss).

Y'all, that is a SHORT skirt.  I'm pretty sure I've worn band-aids bigger than that.

I think it's such an interesting story I thought I'd throw it out to see what you all thought.  Honestly?  My first inclination is to applaud Southwest Airlines.  As the mother of sons, I'm really sick of overly-revealing outfits being paraded in front of my boys.  It feels like an invasion of my authority as a parent, frankly, for women to flaunt their, um, assets in front of my kids, when I'm working so hard to teach them the value of modesty.

I know, I know, freedom of expression and all that.  Of course, it's her consititutional right to wear what she wants.  But no one was arresting her, and no one was stripping her (no pun intended) of any civil rights.  They were simply saying, "this is our business, and we're entitled to enforce certain standards." 

I thought it was especially notable when she said that no one had ever complained about her outfits before.  Gee, I wonder why.  Maybe because they were afraid she'd sue and complain to the media, EXACTLY LIKE SHE'S DOING NOW?

It's an interesting question.  Y'all watch it, and weigh in.

*Edited to add:  Very interesting discussion going on in the comments section.

*Edited again to add:  I have looked for an e-mail address where I could write Southwest Airlines and express my support (if you have found one, please leave it in the comments section).  All I could find was this snail mail address:

Southwest Airlines
P.O. Box 36647 - 1 CR
Dallas, TX  75235 - 1647

Consider writing to them and expressing your thoughts on the subject.  It's a good thing when consumers make their voices heard!

*Last edit, seriously:  Thanks for a hearty discussion, y'all.  I've closed comments (not for any snarky reasons--the explanation is here.)

Comments

[Rachel]

Oh my. I'm proud of Southwest. I wouldn't want my husband to be seated next to someone dressed like that. She mentioned that no one had ever said anything to her before, maybe this will make her stop and think before she leaves the house looking like that. If I were her mother I'd be embarrassed. Where on earth is the rest of her skirt?? :)

[AprilMay]

Sooo...she was embarrassed and asked for a blanket to cover up with? Then WHY did she wear that skirt in the first place? Um; DUH lady!

When we were in Hawaii, my boys (ages 9 and 11 at the time) didn't want to go to the beach because they didn't like "all the ladies in their underwear!". If I ever have a daughter, I will push modesty, just as I do for my boys (no sagging pants, offending t-shirts, etc).

IMO, I think it's within Southwest's rights to establish whatever rules they want, although they will probably lose customers over it~!

[Stephanie]

I first heard about this on The Today show.

I watched in the midwest, a one hour delay from the original east coast feed.

A co-worker and I noticed that the web video of the segment did not include the "blurred" spot the network added on the midwest feed.

In case you are wondering the blurred spot was strategically located between her waist and her knees for about 1 1/2 seconds while she sat back down on the couch.

Now, if the network had to blur a spot while the girl was sitting on the couch . . . ?

Put some clothes on!

[SAHMmy Says]

Southwest is now my preferred airline! A Hooter's girl with an obvious boob job who wants to be apologized to because she was made to feel embarrassed about showing her um, assets? Her mother must be so proud.

[Shannon]

I agree with Southwest. I also saw this on the Today show this morning. I know that people will talk about their rights and all that....but I think her outfit was inappropriate. I'm glad that someone has finally said something about the immodest way that women dress. I wouldn't want my husband to sit next to someone dressed like that, I know that he wouldn't want to sit there either.

If I ever have a daughter, she will learn the way to dress feminine and modest.

We had issues at a church we used to attend, with the way some teen girls dressed...and the church wouldn't say a thing to them.

This gives me another reason to fly Southwest.

[Melinda]

Good for Southwest! I'm planning on flying them any time I can from now on!

Hugs,
Melinda

[Debby]

I just watched the CNN report, and frankly, I didn't see anything wrong with her outfit. Her boobs were covered and I couldn't see her "blurred spot". If I don't like what someone is wearing, I look the other way and teach my children the same thing. After taking note of the outfit to blog about, of course!

[Melinda]

Debby, I do believe that the CNN report is showing her after she had "adjusted."

[Lindsey]

This is the best and most encouraging thing I've seen all day, regarding the news. Major props to Southwest!!

[Kendra]

I didn't see this (and couldn't view, for some reason) but had to weigh in on this. I am the full time (step) mom to a teenage girl. Her father and I started with her at a very young age talking about appropriate dress for school, church, and other public places. This included, but has not been limited to bra straps showing, underwear popping out of the top of pants, dark bra/underwear under light clothing, skirt length, cleavage, belly shows, etc. WE HAVE ALWAYS HAD VETO POWER, AND WILL KEEP IT UNTIL SHE NO LONGER LIVES HERE. That being said, she is a fantastic child and now says that her peers that dress/look that way look 'slutty' (her words, not mine), and she's glad that we never allowed her to do any of that.

Similarly, when my mother talks about how good my daughter is with her friends (other grandmothers) they ask how we did it and she says "They say no." I think that the further question in this debate is why aren't more parents, businesses, etc. saying no anymore?

Not to toot our horn (Her goodness is truly and foremost from God,) but not giving in during the peer pressure years is beginning to pay off and we are truly blessed and thankful. Now I just hope there are more parents like us raising girls for my boys!

Sorry for the length-this is something that I obviously feel passionate about!

[Anne]

The 4 or so inches of white material made up a skirt? I've worn skirts for the last 10 years and I can tell you that does not consitute being a skirt. Modesty is important in this day and age and I agree with Southwest's decision. But of course the real issue here is not what's on the outside, but what's on the inside ~ the heart.

[Mel]

I say Kudos to SWA. I am flying with them next week and would not want to be sitting next to a gal dressed like that. Her claiming that no one has complained about her outfits before is funny - she works at Hooters for crying out loud. Don't you dine at Hooters partly for the scantily dressed waitresses???

[Sandra]

that's not a short skirt, that's a big belt and she just didn't realized it and wore it as a skirt...! and did i get it right, her m.o.t.h.e.r. called the airline complaining too? like, really? her mother approves that outfit? if the girl didn't saw any problem with her clothes why did she felt ashamed to be called aside because of it that she asked for a blanket to put on her lap?

[Emily]

Wow, that is SHORT. I don't know how she would sit down in it. Yay for Southwest protecting our eyes! :)

[Jeana]

You know, it's getting to the point that my sons don't have anywhere else to look! We do teach them to look away, but there are so many women showing off their parts now they are literally everywhere you look.

I don't see how she could sit down without showing everything in that "skirt".

[bon]

The folks who are trying to say this (requiring her to adjust her outfit) is about free-speech or sexism? Hoo boy! If a man walks around displaying his man-bits to the extent of needing a "network blur" on them... he wouldn't get booted from a flight, he'd get arrested.

And yet, I'm not really surprised that more men aren't complaining about the inequities here.

[Melissa]

It is a shame that women today seem to be dressing in less and less clothing to draw attention to themselves. Why do they feel like they need to show more to get a man's attention?

But, I disagree a bit with Southwest. If they don't have a dress code in place, they are standing on sandy soil with their request.

[Jamie]

Ok....I was wondering if the CNN add was showing her after she adjusted her outfit and someone previously mentioned that they think so. It is amazing what happens when businesses stand up for morality. If you can bend your mind to think like me (scary if you can), in a somewhat related personal story...I know of a video rental store owner who went to Promise Keepers (several years ago), came home and trashed all pornographic videos he had been renting out. His business loss from then on was $80,000 LESS per year. The world is so sexualized in this day and age, it is refreshing to see Southwest standing up for what they believe in. What world do I want my children to live in? It starts with a few standing up for something to get the pendulum to swing in the other direction. If it continues in the direction it is going....
Wow, I kinda got off on a tangent (aka soapbox of sorts)!
Anyway, I DO NOT want to see her outfit WITHOUT the adjustments she made!

[Megan (FriedOkra)]

Oh it's just all so silly. (Throws hands in air and sighs.) She wanted attention and now she's gotten it. And she'll probably make money off the priviledge. Seems to me like the airline got the short end of the stick and she'll make out like a bandit. It's sorta one of those things I just wish would GO. AWAY. But I do empathize about your plight with your boys. Makes your job as a parent even tougher. Like any of us need THAT. ;)

[Qtpies7]

That was her outfit after she pulled the skirt down!
I know there is the "freedom of expression" right, but your right ends where another's begins sister, and my family has the right NOT to see your butt hanging out of your skirt or your panties when you uncross your legs.
This is the kind of stuff that gets my goat. How are we supposed to keep our boys pure if this is "normal" and acceptable? It is not alright to show off my "assests" to someone else, they belong to my hubby, and I wouldn't infringe on some other woman's desire to have her husband only see her body. Even though I nurse uncovered in public, I NEVER expose myself. Nobody sees my private body parts.
Whew, I need to stop, lol. I think my view is clear.

[Crystal]

I am actually a flight attendant for Southwest, and I totally understand the action that was taken. It probably wasn't the result of what the crew thought. 10 to 1 there were probably complaints from other passengers that led to them taking some sort of action. As you can see by the statement by Southwest...she wasn't actually pulled from the flight. She was told to "adjust her clothing to be less revealing", and she still went on her scheduled flight. I would think that this was probably done as discreetly as possible...and now she is just blowing it out of proportion in hopes that she can get some cash.

[alison]

did you notice that she was tugging her skirt down to be lower on the Today show?

[D]

Yay Southwest! I'm not surprised, though, that this girl considers her outfit okay. After all, we see a picture of Britney Spears behind literally every day, so why not anyone elses? I too noticed her "sitting" position in the video. If her hands were not in her lap you would have seen much more. Of course, you know that she doesn't sit that way the ENTIRE time, so obviously some people got a free shot at some point. I agree that this attire is unacceptable and applaud Southwest for taking action. Now, if only parents would do the same!

[Kristy]

It's sad that in today's world I didn't think her outfit was THAT bad... I guess I was just expecting something outrageous and that looked like all the teenage girls out in CA that we moved AWAY from! I HATE that young girls feel that this way of dressing is okay. It really says a lot about our society. Thank Goodness there are still moms out there insisting on modesty. I also think that it is ridiculous to say that she was attacked because she was female, if a man had shown his private parts like she did he would not have been asked to leave, he would have been arrested for sexual harassment. It's sad that this is the world we have to raise our kids up in. But we can make our voice known and let Southwest Airlines know that we support their decision.

[Mrs. Pear]

To be brutally honest, I am sick and tired of all the skin I am seeing now - and I live in California, so it is entirely too much!

It is getting very hard to raise modest children when immodesty is the "fashion" and everywhere!

Frankly I find her outfit highly offensive, and hopefully as a paying customer I would have rights too.....