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British Airways made headlines this week in light of the British Airways manbun ‘scandal’. To put it bluntly, they fired a guy for wearing a ‘man bun’, the quintessential hipster hairstyle of choice for the twenty-teens. It’s caused a few giggles and a few more raised eyebrows, but is this something which should cause concern?

The British Airways manbun fiasco

BA, the beloved flag carrier of the UK, currently employees around 45,000 staff worldwide. This breaks down as 3,900+ pilots and 16,500+ cabin crew, the remaining being ground crew, booking, admin and management. All customer facing staff are expected to present a smart and professional appearance. But this wording could be open to interpretation.

While the in-flight attendants have previously made headlines for the impracticality of their standard uniform – with regulation red lipstick and nail varnish, plus a tight, red, pencil skirt – ground crew tend to escape our attention. But this week one chap in a British Airways manbun brought them to our websites.

British Airways hairstyle backlash

Londoner, Sid Ouared, lost his check-in job for refusing to chop off his manbun. He was hired to work the check-in at Terminal 5, undertook an initial training session of about three weeks and then dismissed. British Airways told him early on the style did not comply with their uniform policy. He told them they were being sexist. I’m sure we can imagine the rest.

His argument for keeping the manbun and his job was clear. He considered it smart and professional, it wasn’t a safety risk and women were allowed to wear buns so why shouldn’t he? He claims the company were just being sexist. Basically, if you don’t allow a man or woman to do something someone of the opposite sex may, purely based on their sex, it’s considered sexist. Many employees have landed compensation this way. And this could be the story behind the British Airways Manbun.

Having looked at the photos of him in his uniform, I feel I have to agree, it’s just a hairbun. When I compare it to the British Airways hairstyle for most female check in desk staff and flight attendants, I can see it’s the same. I honestly don’t see the issue.

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BA hair requirements need updating:

British Airways guidelines for male staff wearing uniforms, states hair must not fall over the face or touch the shirt collar. Female staff have their own requirements regarding hairstyles, including a ban on close-shaven hair. So we can see straight off the bat, they have different rules for men and women. Also, the British Airways Manbun adheres to the rules.

There are also skirt and uniform rules, which are pretty outdated. Female staff members traditionally wear the skirt, but can request to wear trousers. Men on the other hand are not allowed to choose the skirt option.

This issue also made the headlines last year when it was demonstrated that the female staff trained in trousers – as it was more practical. They showed how swimming, giving CPR and even maneuvering the trollies was impleaded by the pencil skirt. And I’m sure this doesn’t get easier at 30,000 feet while wearing heels.

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While every airline in the world has uniform and presentation standards these are designed to fit in with cultural norms. And like it or not, a manbun is now the accepted ‘office’ style for men with long hair. And let’s admit it, the check-in job is not for everyone and I personally think if BA can find people to do this, a man bun shouldn’t go against them.