Can you be too sexy to fly?

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Angie is co-founder of YLF and its resident fashion stylist.

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Can you be too sexy to fly?

— by Angie

on September 12, 2007

Apparently so. A college student who was on her way from San Diego to Tuscon for a doctors’ appointment was asked to get off her flight because her outfit was too revealing. Kyla Ebbert sat down in her seat and just as the flight was about to take off, a flight attendant asked her to come to the front of the plane and (in front of the other passengers) told her that she would have to catch a later flight, in a different outfit. According to Kyla, he told her that Southwest was a family airline and she was “too provocative to fly on this flight”.

Embarrassed and desperate, Kyla asked what she could do to stay on board so that she could make her medical appointment (it was a day trip and she didn’t have any spare clothing). She asked for a blanket, covered herself up and managed to stay on what became a rather miserable flight.

There is no dress code policy on Southwest Airlines and Kyla is asking for a formal apology. Things were different when she flew back to San Diego a few hours later and a different flight attendant actually complimented on her outfit. Take a look at Kyla’s outfit on the MSNBC video and let us know what you think. Did Kyla cross a line? Should there be a line at all? And if so, how should it be enforced?

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28 comments · Add a comment

Vildy

I don’t see anything wrong with the top but the skirt is quite short and fitted.
To me, it isn’t tasteful but no one is going to get the vapors from seeing her thighs.
A more practical consideration is that if there were an emergency evacuation it would probably burn the backs of her thighs going down the emergency chute. Understandably, the airlines don’t want to approach a dress code that way, since it reinforces the idea that occasionally something does go wrong with a flight.

September 12, 2007 at 7:40 am

Lisa

It’s kind of a funny situation. We’ve all sat next to someone who should have used stronger deodorant or put on clean clothes but wasn’t thrown off the flight.
I’m not too sure I would have been comfortable being squeezed in to a seat next to her. Let alone if she had to put a bag in the overhead storage!!

September 12, 2007 at 8:08 am

Marlene

I live in San Diego and this is a standard uniform! At least half the moms at my son’s school dress like this…although the top appears to be quite conservative compared to what I see on a daily basis. I think the outfit is very sexy but no lines have been crossed. My only issue is that when wearing this outfit, she needs to spend her time making sure her panties don’t show. She does present a sexy frivolous image.

September 12, 2007 at 8:10 am

Amethyst

The top is fine, however I think the skirt IS WAY TOO SHORT. Besides, why would someone dress in a micro mini to go to a DOCTOR’S appointment, unless she’s having a fling with the doctor? That is not even a mini skirt – it’s a MICRO mini (I worked in fashion) and I don’t think anything that short is appropriate to wear anywhere except perhaps a nightclub. She was asking for trouble so she should just stop with the ditzy innocent girl act.

September 12, 2007 at 8:11 am

Sihaya

I think that while a private airline probably has rights as to who they will or won’t admit, they need to have a posted dress code if they’re going to do that. Also, I don’t see her outfit as wildly outrageous – and where and how do you draw the line anyhow? And no matter what, I think it’s really reprehensible that the flight attendant talked to her about it so publicly. And, this morning, I see that someone else got a similar message on a Southwest flight from Vegas.

One of the things that was said in the news coverage rings true for me: if Paris Hilton had dressed similarly (or more barely), they would have welcomed her with open arms and offered her a drink.

September 12, 2007 at 8:16 am

Rhonda

I watched the video and read some of the posts regarding Kyla’s dress. My husband had already told me her underwear showed when she sat down, and yes, it definitely does. Kyla mentioned that no cleavage was showing, but yes, there is a a bit. It seems that “anything goes” these days, but if that were really true, would we have sites such as youlookfab? I think not. While the majority of college students might wear this type of clothing, it is not appropriate in public settings. It’s a sad testimony — the image that these girls are protraying, even though many of them may be innocent. If “sexy” is what they are going after, then they need to learn that it is not showing skin, but how you clothe your body to its advantage and leave something to a man’s imagination.

September 12, 2007 at 8:21 am

Meredith

I think her skirt is a wee bit short for my tastes, but as long as she wasn’t trying pull a Sharon Stone (or I guess Britney Spears for the younger set), I see no reason to throw her off the plane.

As far as dress codes go, I would love to see airlines implement a dress code that forbids men with extra hairy armpits wearing sleeveless shirts. You know, the guy we’ve all had to sit next to at least once? He’s typically on his way home from spending a week on the beach in Mexico and smells of cigarette smoke, beer, and BO? Gag.

And now that I think about it, I’d rather have a smell code than a dress code on planes. One can certainly avert one’s eyes if someone’s outfit distasteful, but it’s awfully hard to be subtle about plugging one’s nose for entire flight.

September 12, 2007 at 8:34 am

Nicole

No I don’t think it’s right for an airline to tell a passenger their outfit is too revealing to fly. That is just opening up a can of worms. I can think of several things that could offend other flyers besides too short skirts. (religious symbols around one’s neck, heavy perfume, stale cigarette or body odor, big hair, bad breath, bad taste in clothes, ugly children, obesity, anorexia, politically charged tee shirts…where does it end ?) I got the impression that another passenger complained to the flight attendant and the flight attendant felt the complaint warranted action. If you don’t like the way someone looks, then don’t look at them. And if you’re going to dress like a tramp, don’t complain when people treat you like one.

I also beleive the girl is just trying to get some exposure and hopefully be “discovered”. Maybe Stacy and Clinton can discover her and help her out. The short skirt was the least of her bad taste infractions.

September 12, 2007 at 9:00 am

Morgan

(website)

The skirt was definitely way too short to be considered appropriate for a doctor’s appointment and airline flight–I saw the panty flash when she sat down in the news interview, too. However, I don’t think it was short enough to warrant being tossed off a plane. And I didn’t see a thing wrong with her shirt.

In my opinion, this was more a matter of poor taste and lack of class on the girl’s part, rather than a real display of indecency.

Frankly, if any business is going to enforce a dress code, I believe it should be publicly posted. (Just like the standard “No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service” signs.)

September 12, 2007 at 9:46 am

Ana Ortiz

The skirt is way too short for my taste but more than tasteless and lacking of class, it seems to me that it must be very unconfortable to be seating in the small airplane sits and on top you need to be carefull not to show your underwear. I don’t agree with the manner the flight attendant approched the situation anyway. She (the flight attendant) is supposed to be professional on dealing with customers and this girl was her customer at that moment. I think the statement from the airline does not apply in this case or that specific flight attendant needs more training.

September 12, 2007 at 12:21 pm

Crick

I personally wouldn’t be caught dead in that outfit, however that is her choice. What she was wearing would not make me uncomfortable..if anything a tad bit jealous. Perhaps that is the reason for the complaints?!

September 12, 2007 at 12:30 pm

Jessa

I don’t think it’s anyone’s business about what someone else is wearing as long as it isn’t physically harming anyone, and I DEFINITELY don’t think this outfit should have gotten someone thrown off a plane. I would never wear it, but it IS a free country! The U.S. makes such a HUGE deal about nudity but is ok with showing horribly violent acts on public television. I think we need to look at our priorities a little closer!

September 12, 2007 at 12:50 pm

Carrie

No matter what she is wearing, if the airline has no dress code then there is no way they can tell her she can’t fly! Yes, the skirt is a little short, and yes it may be uncomfortable for someone sitting next to her, but put a blanket over her lap and the outfit is fine. I fly quite a bit and I love the casual, homey feel of Southwest, but without a dress code they are way out of line.

September 12, 2007 at 2:17 pm

Lynette

Bravo Southwest! I for one am sick of seeing everyone’s skin. Just because you’ve got it doesn’t mean you should flaunt it. I think the airline is perfectly within their right to toss her bare booty off the plane if they want. They are not a government entity and therefore have the right to set certain standards for attire on their flights. I for one would not want to sit to someone who was half naked. There actually is an airline specifically for nudists. Next time I suggest she take that.

September 12, 2007 at 4:12 pm

Meg

(website)

The skirt that I saw on the t.v. shot was too short as was, and probably way shorter before she pulled it down for the t.v. shot (pay close attention to her hip bones and where the waist of the skit is under her tank top and you’ll see what I mean). I don’t see how she could have sat down in that skirt WITHOUT doing a Sharon Stone and then some.

While, I don’t want airlines to have to be the fashion police, I do think there is a time when people cross the line. I don’t think that an airplane flight is the appropriate place to wear something like that. Actually kicking her off the plane might have been a bit harsh considering that she wasn’t exactly given a dress code when she bought the ticket, but she wasn’t kicked off in the end, just warned and a bit embarrassed. Of course, I still wish that we didn’t have to give people dress codes for work, travel, school, … etc., but unless we as a society send a clear message in other ways, then the rules must be written up it seems. I just hope that she got the message.

September 12, 2007 at 6:06 pm

Icy

(website)

Without a dress code, they have no leg to stand on. If they did have a dress code, she would be able to choose a different flight, or dress to suit. If the airline pride themselves on being a “family airline” then they should implement one imediately.

I think she looks fine. Not something I would wear, but it’s certainly not offensive.

September 12, 2007 at 6:07 pm

Maya

This woman is a paying customer, and unless this nonsense was published in their terms of use, she has every right to wear whatever she wants. Yes, it was tasteless, but so is wearing socks and sandals if you ask me. It’s nobody else’s business whether she is dressed appropriately for a doctor’s appointment. When did we Americans become so stodgy and uptight? I imagine it was probably uncomfortable for some passengers to experience pantyflash, but where else in the world could this possibly be grounds for throwing a paying customer off the flight and publicly humiliating them? Why couldn’t this guy just tell her discreetly to please just be mindful of her attire? People have been getting thrown off flights for all kinds of crazy reasons lately. I guess it makes a good story on slow news days.

September 12, 2007 at 8:13 pm

Jane

It sounds to me like they treated her very unkindly. I may not like the way she dressed but it doesn’t give me license to be rude or unkind. If it’s this important to the airline then they need to post their dress policies so that passengers have advanced notice and can make informed choices. Then they can enforce them consistently across the entire fleet. This sounds like the random judgment call of one person…an isolated opinion. Perhaps there was a complaint from another passenger.

I spent my High School years at a place that dictated modesty to the point of telling us how many inches below our collar bone our necklines could go. It became a bit ridiculous mandating modesty. I’d rather live in a freer society where some people push the edges of propriety than a very controlled society where people are afraid to take a risk in personal expression.

Jane

September 12, 2007 at 11:00 pm

Vanessa

While I may agree that her outfit was a little slutty, Southwest dealt with the matter in very poor taste. Instead of correcting a situation, they have now only encouraged more young people to make the same statement that Kyla made.

September 13, 2007 at 6:15 am

Fran

Geez. I have studied the outfit to see what could POSSIBLY offend, and I find nothing. She just looks like the typical 20 year old from Los Angeles. (Yes, that’s the norm in Los Angeles–with so many actors reproducing here, 75% of the population is drop dead gorgeous.) She has great legs. Sure wish I could wear that outfit, but I don’t have the body for it. So the problem was, what? Someone got too turned on? No one’s going to see a “panty flash” on a plane where there’s a seat in front of her blocking the view of her panty area.

September 13, 2007 at 6:36 am

Debbie M

There are probably laws about wearing too little clothing. If she’s not breaking those and there’s no policy that she’s breaking, then she should not have been told to leave the plane. The flight attendant should be reprimanded. (Lightly! Not fired!)

I would like to point out that this woman was wearing underwear. She has on more clothes than most people at beaches do.

I have a problem whoever complained to a flight attendant. If you have a problem with someone, you should approach the person directly unless there is a safety issue, in which you should notify the appropriate authorities. Or the person could have asked someone to switch seats. Or the obvious choice, just get over it. It’s not hurting anyone, and I still like to think that in America we have some freedoms. What is with this weird tattling behavior?

Now as to whether there should be policies like this, I suppose that’s up to the market. If some airline wants to market itself as a family airline and have a dress code, they can certainly try it. Then you send out notification about the dress code the same way you do about what luggage is allowed, etc. Then you enforce it when someone checks in, not after they are already on the plane. You could disallow them from flying, pointing out your no-refund policy. Or you could have extra bathrobe-type things around the way some restaurants have extra ties. Or you could try to get them a seat on another airline.

(In case you’re wondering, I never dress like this and have even been accused of dressing as unsexily as possible. My bias is more along the lines of wanting to maximize people’s freedom in general than in wanting to not be harassed myself for this particular behavior.)

September 13, 2007 at 7:39 am

Edward

First of all she looks HOT. I mean seriously hot and slutty. I like it.

Having said that, I read several articles that say they agreed to let her back on the plane after she adjusted sweater and her shirt to cover her stomach.

So what you saw is NOT how she presented herself on the plane. She had her shirt adjusted to show her stomach and her skirt didn’t cover much either.

So picture her in the same outfit with the shirt up revealing her midriff, no bra and her sweater undone. Then you have a better idea of what she looked like. To abate the situation she buttoned her sweater over her breasts to hide her nipples, pulled her shirt down and covered up with a blanket.

Bully for them.

September 13, 2007 at 8:40 am

Kathleen

Personally, I’m on the rather conservative side as far as dress goes. I don’t wear anything that shows cleavage (yes, hers did a little, but not much), is quite that tight (and I am also well endowed in that area, as is she), nor do I wear skirts more than about 3 inches above my knees.

That said, I don’t think her outfit was that bad. I wouldn’t wear it, nor would I let any daughter of mine wear it, but I see MUCH worse on a daily basis. I’m a frequent flyer and the way airplane seats are, between the armrest and the proximity of the back of the seat in front, I don’t see that the skirt would have been a big deal, especially with her legs crossed and a magazine on top. Even if it was, it would be easy to cover with someone handing her a sweater to drape over her knees. The top…I don’t see how that could be a problem. There’s worse cleavage in Disney cartoons, for crying out loud. I’ve seen girls wearing worse going out of the Little Rock airport (rather conservative area- much more so than San Diego) with no one making a fuss. Maybe if her top had been a noodle strap that low and that tight, but even then, I’d see it as a stretch. There was no major exposure. If no dress code is stated, given today’s society, no fuss should be made by the airlines unless it violates the very lax laws we have on that subject.

In my opinion, it’s not weird that she wore that to see a doctor. Likely, it’s what she was wearing all day, and even if not, if that’s a part of her normal wardrobe, there’s no reason she wouldn’t wear it there. Furthermore, I don’t think her attitude or bearing indicated at all that she’s a “slut” type. If she had that kind of bearing, it would make her outfit appear to be more indecent. She did not strike me as the type who is trying to provoke every man she encounters, and I see PLENTY of girls around me every day who wear more but come across as being much more indecent and seductive.

It was also inappropriate for it to be dealt with by a male attendant. It should have been a woman.

September 13, 2007 at 4:41 pm

Rachel

I think Southwest’s position is ridiculous. First of all, if they don’t have a dress code, then they have no right to not allow her to take the flight. And second, what gives them the right to set themselves up as some sort of morality police? It’s transportation, for pete’s sake.

As a poster above said, if they want to market themselves as a family airline, and provide written, obvious dress code rules, that’s their business, but what happened here is just embarassing. For them.

September 13, 2007 at 4:46 pm

Stephanie

It seems to me that this girl was thrown off the plane for being attractive and they wanted to punish her. If she was less attractive, they would have left her alone. I think they were being petty. And with no dress code, they don’t have a leg to stand on.

If the staff was seriously concerned about the outfit, they could have discreetly offered her a blanket on the flight, which she would have used because flights are freezing cold, and all would be fine. Instead, they chose to make an example of her. Lame.

All of this is in the eye of the beholder. If I was thrown off a plane for wearing a V-neck because holier-than-thou jerk caught a glimpse of my cleavage and thus wanted to shame me as a whore in front of the whole plane, I would be just as angry. As they say, it’s all fun and games until it happens to you.

September 13, 2007 at 11:45 pm

Dawn McGatney

In all honesty, I have often dressed less appropriately on a SW flight (e.g., hot pants), and I have never been reprimanded by an attendant for my dress.

-Dawn McGatney

April 6, 2008 at 4:15 pm

Megan ♥

Are there any pictures of her?

April 20, 2008 at 9:50 am

Happy Second Anniversary!

(website)

[…] The posts that generated the most controversy were “Dressing your age” and “Are you too sexy to fly?“. […]

November 25, 2009 at 9:16 am

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