Last month, Aer Lingus and Virgin Atlantic announced they would be modifying their dress codes and no longer require female flight attendants to wear makeup. Pants, which were once available only by special request, would be given to all as a standard uniform option. Virgin Atlantic, in a statement, called these moves "a significant change for the aviation industry." But just how significant are fresh faces and pants? The answer: It depends on where you are—and whom you’re asking.

In the U.S., flight attendant standards have evolved significantly since eligibility for the job was restricted by age, gender, and marital status in the 1940s and '50s. John Hill, Assistant Director of Aviation at San Francisco International Airport’s Museum, says that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 under Title VII helped women start challenging (and slowly overturning) restrictions based on gender discrimination.

“Through their efforts, the airline industry was placed at the forefront of many of the era’s social changes," says Hill, citing pay, gender, race, age, and weight equality as topics the industry was challenged over. But on the appearance and uniform front, the shift to functionality over sex appeal has been slow. "Requirements in grooming or appearance standards have remained in place but have been subject to legal challenge, particularly if they can be seen to have been imposed in a disparate manner between men and women,” he says.

All Virgin Atlantic flight attendants will now have the option to wear pants. Nick Ponty/Courtesy Virgin

Most U.S. carriers now have similar uniform and appearance requirements for male and female cabin crew. Southwest, which dressed its flight attendants in hot pants during the 1970s, now offers long pants as a uniform option. Makeup isn't required, but "should be professional, conservative, and complement the uniform and the employee's complexion" if worn. (Male flight attendants may only wear bronzer or concealer.) JetBlue doesn’t require makeup, either.

Delta, United, and American, too, all have similar “beauty” standards based on looking clean and presentable. “We do not have any makeup requirements. Overall, we just ask that our team members present themselves in a clean, well-groomed, neat, and professional manner,” says an American Airlines spokesperson. The messaging from United is the same, though their standards note that "extreme" hairstyles are not permitted. Delta does not require makeup, and says it allows men to wear a female uniform—and vice versa—so long as all of the items are from the same outfit kit.

Outside of the U.S., airlines like KLM, Ethiopian Airlines, Alitalia, Air India, and Bangkok Airways have introduced uniforms with pant options for all in the last five years; they can now be requested on British Airways, too. But despite this incremental change, several international airlines still have stricter beauty and grooming standards standards—whether they’re trying to sell a look and lifestyle or treading more carefully for cultural reasons.