The Jet Sex

Airline Stewardesses and the Making of an American Icon

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Gender Studies, History, Americas, United States, 20th Century
Cover of the book The Jet Sex by Victoria Vantoch, University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Victoria Vantoch ISBN: 9780812207743
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc. Publication: March 5, 2013
Imprint: University of Pennsylvania Press Language: English
Author: Victoria Vantoch
ISBN: 9780812207743
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc.
Publication: March 5, 2013
Imprint: University of Pennsylvania Press
Language: English

In the years after World War II, the airline stewardess became one of the most celebrated symbols of American womanhood. Stewardesses appeared on magazine covers, on lecture circuits, and in ad campaigns for everything from milk to cigarettes. Airlines enlisted them to pose for publicity shots, mingle with international dignitaries, and even serve (in sequined minidresses) as the official hostesses at Richard Nixon's inaugural ball. Embodying mainstream America's perfect woman, the stewardess was an ambassador of femininity and the American way both at home and abroad. Young, beautiful, unmarried, intelligent, charming, and nurturing, she inspired young girls everywhere to set their sights on the sky.

In The Jet Sex, Victoria Vantoch explores in rich detail how multiple forces—business strategy, advertising, race, sexuality, and Cold War politics—cultivated an image of the stewardess that reflected America's vision of itself, from the wholesome girl-next-door of the 1940s to the cosmopolitan glamour girl of the Jet Age to the sexy playmate of the 1960s. Though airlines marketed her as the consummate hostess—an expert at pampering her mostly male passengers, while mixing martinis and allaying their fears of flying—she bridged the gap between the idealized 1950s housewife and the emerging "working woman." On the international stage, this select cadre of women served as ambassadors of their nation in the propaganda clashes of the Cold War. The stylish Pucci-clad American stewardess represented the United States as middle class and consumer oriented—hallmarks of capitalism's success and a stark contrast to her counterpart at Aeroflot, the Soviet national airline. As the apotheosis of feminine charm and American careerism, the stewardess subtly bucked traditional gender roles and paved the way for the women's movement. Drawing on industry archives and hundreds of interviews, this vibrant cultural history offers a fresh perspective on the sweeping changes in twentieth-century American life.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In the years after World War II, the airline stewardess became one of the most celebrated symbols of American womanhood. Stewardesses appeared on magazine covers, on lecture circuits, and in ad campaigns for everything from milk to cigarettes. Airlines enlisted them to pose for publicity shots, mingle with international dignitaries, and even serve (in sequined minidresses) as the official hostesses at Richard Nixon's inaugural ball. Embodying mainstream America's perfect woman, the stewardess was an ambassador of femininity and the American way both at home and abroad. Young, beautiful, unmarried, intelligent, charming, and nurturing, she inspired young girls everywhere to set their sights on the sky.

In The Jet Sex, Victoria Vantoch explores in rich detail how multiple forces—business strategy, advertising, race, sexuality, and Cold War politics—cultivated an image of the stewardess that reflected America's vision of itself, from the wholesome girl-next-door of the 1940s to the cosmopolitan glamour girl of the Jet Age to the sexy playmate of the 1960s. Though airlines marketed her as the consummate hostess—an expert at pampering her mostly male passengers, while mixing martinis and allaying their fears of flying—she bridged the gap between the idealized 1950s housewife and the emerging "working woman." On the international stage, this select cadre of women served as ambassadors of their nation in the propaganda clashes of the Cold War. The stylish Pucci-clad American stewardess represented the United States as middle class and consumer oriented—hallmarks of capitalism's success and a stark contrast to her counterpart at Aeroflot, the Soviet national airline. As the apotheosis of feminine charm and American careerism, the stewardess subtly bucked traditional gender roles and paved the way for the women's movement. Drawing on industry archives and hundreds of interviews, this vibrant cultural history offers a fresh perspective on the sweeping changes in twentieth-century American life.

More books from University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc.

Cover of the book Monastic Bodies by Victoria Vantoch
Cover of the book Cutting Along the Color Line by Victoria Vantoch
Cover of the book Place and Memory in the Singing Crane Garden by Victoria Vantoch
Cover of the book Nietzsche in the Nineteenth Century by Victoria Vantoch
Cover of the book Holy Warriors by Victoria Vantoch
Cover of the book Town Born by Victoria Vantoch
Cover of the book Power Play by Victoria Vantoch
Cover of the book The Long Gilded Age by Victoria Vantoch
Cover of the book Lenape Country by Victoria Vantoch
Cover of the book Marriage, Sex, and Civic Culture in Late Medieval London by Victoria Vantoch
Cover of the book Banished by Victoria Vantoch
Cover of the book The American Revolution Reborn by Victoria Vantoch
Cover of the book Slaves and Englishmen by Victoria Vantoch
Cover of the book Surviving Slavery in the British Caribbean by Victoria Vantoch
Cover of the book Slavery's Borderland by Victoria Vantoch
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy