Qatar Airways draws bizarre dresscode

The Qatar Airways dress code is one of the strictest airline appearance policies in the world. From mandatory makeup and hairstyle rules to restrictions on jewelry and even body hair, the requirements have sparked criticism for years. In this article, I take a closer look at these controversial grooming standards.

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This week I discovered that Qatar Airways, once again named the best airline in the world this year, also thought it was time to make even higher demands on staff appearance. But what do you do when the requirements are already so strict? That’s right, people come up with bizarre dress codes…

Qatar Airways dress code

Swissport, a company that provides ground staff for several airlines at Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands, received a memo from Qatar Airways on 6 July. In the document, Qatar Airways stated that employees were not following the existing dress code correctly and announced that new rules would take effect on 1 August.

The memo listed what Qatar Airways described as the most important changes. The most controversial rule required female staff to remove all facial and arm hair from 1 August onwards. The company also instructed women to dye any gray hair, while the same requirement did not apply to male employees.

Stijn Jansen, who works for the FNV trade union, obtained the memo shortly afterwards. He shared the document on Twitter and asked Schiphol Airport to respond.

Hallo @Schiphol,

Wat vinden jullie van de nieuwe voorschriften die @qatarairwaysstelt aan de grondstewardessen op #Schipholdie ongeveer een tientje per uur verdienen.
Vrouwen met grijs haar worden oa verplicht om hun haren te verven. Schiphol is toch een modern vliegveld? pic.twitter.com/DrSLmDEtpb

— Stijn Jansen (@StijnJansen90) 10 juli 2019

Schiphol explained that these requirements do not apply to their staff and referred to Qatar for a response.

The construction

At first I did not understand why Jansen asked Schiphol the question. That is why I have delved a little further.

Swissport is one of the four companies that provide ground staff at Schiphol for airlines that do not have this. Together with D-Nata, Menzies Aviation and AviaPartner, they handle approximately 30% of flights at Schiphol. The rest is done by KLM. In fact, Schiphol has outsourced part of their work. This means that Swissport employees can work for TUI Fly one moment and for Qatar the next.

Four companies competing with each other in this field, weakens the position of Swissport. Especially when it comes to treatment of the staff. If Swissport goes against Qatar’s policy, they will lose them as customers. As a result, the stewardesses earn a lousy ten euros per hour and are not reimbursed for expenses for their appearances. Such as make-up, nails and hair products. But when you are forced to make more and more concessions, such as removing hair on the face and arms, you will have less and less money left as an employee. 

And keep in mind that the ground staff of Aviapartner, Menzies Aviation and Swissport organized a strike last year to raise awareness of, among other things, the high workload and low wages …

Qatar Airways dress code for flight attendants

But back to the dress code. The rules concerning appearance were already quite strict in 2018. Below I have listed the rules. ​It is such a long list, I have divided ​it into three categories: ladies, gentlemen and rules that apply to both.

Qatar Airways dress code for women

Make-up:

• Foundation: must match your skin color in terms of shade.
• Mascara: you can only wear black.
• Nail polish: all nails must be the same length and always painted. The color of your nail polish must be the same as that of your lips. In terms of color, you can choose from clear varnish, French manicure (these can be combined with all colored lipsticks), light pink, dark pink, burgundy and dark red. Henna on the hands or nail art is not permitted.
• Blush: only the colors peach, pink or dark pink are allowed.
• Lipstick: only the colors burgundy, light pink, dark pink and red may be worn.
• Lipliners: are only allowed if the color matches that of the lipstick.

If you want to wear eye shadow, this must meet the following criteria:

• Not too much and applied with care
• Only the following colors are allowed: plum, burgundy, brown, beige and pastel shades in pink, lilac, blue and gray. (I don’t think gray is pastel, but apparently at Qatar Airways they think so).
• Only managers may wear pastel green as eye shadow.
• Eyeliners can only be black, brown or gray. The line must not be applied too thickly. Eyelash extensions or tattooed eyebrows are not allowed.

Qatar Airways hairstyle

• Ladies with long hair must tighten this up so that it is out of sight and there should be no loose, small hairs visible in the neck. In terms of hairstyle you can choose a bun or a French twist.
• If you have short hair, it must be cut to one length and out of sight. You must also always style it. In terms of length, it should not be shorter than the top of your collar and no longer than the bottom of your collar. Otherwise you have “medium hair” according to the rules and this must be worn in a ponytail, which may not be longer than 6 inches long. A little longer hair is categorized as “medium hair” and this must be worn in a ponytail… Is your hair longer than that? Then you have officially long hair and you have to meet the rules of the ​first point above.
• Hair accessories must always have the same color as your hair. That may be hair nets, sliders, rubber bands, diadem or a donut to wear your hair up. You can wear a maximum of three items in your hair.
• Extensions may only be worn by people who have frizzy hair, provided this is approved by management.
• Hairstyles that are not allowed include unmanageable, curly hair, braids and short hair that is not styled.
• Your hair may not contain much oil.
• When you color your hair, no outgrown roots may be visible.
• Gray hair must be dyed in a natural hair color.
• Even if you choose to color without gray hair, you can only choose a natural shade. Colors like black, brown, auburn or blonde.
• Highlights or lowlights are not allowed.

Qatar Airways jewelry and accessories

• Ladies who have holes must always wear earrings.
• You may only wear earrings in the bottom hole of your ears.
• You can choose simple pearls or yellow gold earrings with a diameter of up to 1 centimeter.

Qatar Airways dress code for men

• No form of makeup is allowed.
• Men must shave their faces, but may wear a short and well-groomed mustache.
• Both nails and hands must be clean and cared for.
• The hair must be combed out of sight and must not extend beyond the top of the collar in terms of length. They must use as few styling products as possible.
• When they turn gray, the gentlemen do not have to dye their hair. If they do choose to do this, then this must be done in a natural color.

Qatar Airways grooming rules

• ​Neither ladies nor gentlemen are allowed to wear braces in the mouth.
• You must always wear a watch that meets the following requirements: a modern, simple model without diamonds or colored stones. In terms of strap you can choose between black, brown, silver, yellow gold or a combination between gold and silver. The dial may be white, black, silver, brown or yellow gold. Watches with rose gold details are not allowed.
• Rings may not be wider than 1/2 centimeter and you may wear a only one ring on each hand. These must be silver or yellow gold. It should not be worn on your thumb or forefinger. If you have a wedding ring, it can be worn as a third ring. It must be made of silver or yellow gold and may have only of one small stone.
• Sunglasses must have a simple modern shape. The frame must be black, brown, silver or gold. You cannot wear it indoors, not even on a neck or head strap. It must not have any logos.
• Except for the rule not to wear them indoors, the same rules apply to glasses that must be worn because of the vision. If you choose contact lenses, they must not be colored and they must be made of plastic.

Prior to each flight there is a special “grooming officer” who checks whether you meet all the above requirements. If this is not the case and the “problem” cannot be solved immediately, you will be sent home and you will receive a letter with an official warning. In addition to non-compliance with these rules, there are a number of reasons why you can be sent home anyway:

• Allergy rash on your face, forearm or hands.
• Burns or acne
• Damage to your face such as bruising

Why the Qatar Airways dress code is controversial

I can only conclude that this story raises concerns on many levels.

First of all, it is striking how far the Qatar Airways dress code goes. Long hair and makeup are common appearance standards for flight attendants, but requiring women to remove facial and arm hair takes those standards much further. After all, body hair is a natural part of the human body and serves a protective function. Yet these expectations apply only to women, while men are even allowed to wear a mustache.

The same pattern appears in the rules on gray hair. Female employees must dye their gray hair in a natural shade, whereas male employees can simply keep theirs. The policy reflects a different standard for men and women, with youthfulness appearing to be a requirement only for female staff.

The dress code also raises questions about diversity and inclusion. Many of the hairstyle requirements clearly reflect a Western beauty ideal. Employees with naturally frizzy or curly hair face restrictions that effectively leave them with only a few acceptable styling options, while braids and natural hairstyles are prohibited. At a time when legislation in places such as California specifically protects natural hairstyles from discrimination, these rules seem increasingly out of step with broader developments.

Prefer a Barbie doll?

Taken together, the Qatar Airways dress code leaves little room for individuality or diversity. Instead, it promotes a highly standardized image in which personal characteristics must be hidden or altered to fit a narrow appearance ideal. If uniformity is the ultimate goal, robots might be easier to manage than people. Fortunately, real employees bring far more value than a perfectly identical appearance.

Want to read more about airline dress codes?

Also check:

• Japan Airlines sneakers dress code⁠
• Airlines allow hijab cabin crew⁠
• China Airlines gives in to pressure: women can now wear pants⁠

Greetings,

Aileen

Last update: 20-06-2026