Salon :: Tech & Business

Ask the pilot: Flight attendant, stewardess, trolley dolly. Whatever you call her, she was once a high-fashion sex symbol. At some airlines, the image lives on

Let's start with a letter, courtesy of reader Joanne Miller:

"Dear Mr. Smith," Miller begins. So far, so good. "I'm not sure what planet you've been living on for the past 30-odd years ..." Here we go. "... but you may want to take note of the following, in reference to your use of the word 'stewardess': By the end of the 1970s, the term 'stewardess' was generally replaced by the gender-neutral alternative, 'flight attendant.' Welcome to the next century."

Guilty as charged, and I readily confess to premeditation. Twice in the past month, actually, and on numerous occasions over the past few years, stewardesses have appeared in my columns. Sorry to irritate you further, but short of Salon's editors requesting otherwise, the tradition will continue. I am fully aware of the term's anachronistic bent and its rarity in present-day vernacular. My reasons for using it are practical and aesthetic. The words "flight attendant" and "cabin crew" not only are gender neutral but are artistically anemic and clunky, and they become repetitive over the course of a long article. Why not, from time to time, provided such occasions are judiciously selected and within the boundaries of good taste, reach for something more colorful? "Stewardess" is quaint and admittedly unsuitable in certain contexts. However, it is neither totally obsolete nor, I should think, offensive. Not any more than "actress" or "waitress." It's a useful option, and I like its throwbacky flavor.

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