IndiGo Airlines has sparked online controversy once again with its latest advertisement promoting "girl power." While the ad attempts to highlight how female cabin crew members are "escaping patriarchy," many have pointed out a disconnect between this message and the airline's actual policies. The ad features a female flight attendant performing her usual duties inside an aircraft, accompanied by the slogan: "Escaping patriarchy at 800 kmph.
" I'm sorry,forcing young women to wear heavy makeup& high heeled footwear,in a job which entails being on one’s feet for long durations does NOTHING to "smash patriarchy". If anything, it's quite the opposite. Ridiculous of #Indigo to gaslight women by calling this "girl power" pic.
twitter.com/UbK7Wj9Lcr — bithika (@bithika11) September 19, 2024 Upon its release, the advertisement received mixed reactions on social media. Many questioned the airline's true commitment to gender equality, criticizing its hiring policy, which only recruits female cabin crew, as well as the enforced weight and appearance standards.
One user accused IndiGo of "gaslighting" women by misrepresenting "girl power" and wrote, "Forcing young women to wear heavy makeup and high heels, in a job that requires long hours on their feet, does nothing to 'smash patriarchy.' If anything, it reinforces it. It's absurd for #Indigo to claim this is 'girl power.
'" One of the users wrote on X, “Nothing screams escaping patriarchy louder than when – You clean toilets, ser.