IndiGo Faces Backlash Over 'Escaping Patriarchy' Ad. Internet Says 'It Is Quite The Opposite'

IndiGo Airlines has once again become a subject of scrutiny across the internet over its latest advertisement that promotes “girl power”. While the airline’s ad aims to depict how the female cabin crew has been “escaping patriarchy,” users have pointed out the stark contrast between the message and the airline’s actual practices. The advertisement in question shows a female flight attendant inside the aircraft, carrying out her regular duties. The attached message reads, “Escaping patriarchy at 800 kmph.”

As soon as the ad came out, it left social media users divided, with many raising questions about the airline’s actual practices. They even called out IndiGo’s policy of only hiring female cabin crew, along with the existing weight and beauty standards’ restrictions.

A user slammed the airline over “gaslighting” women by defining “girl power” and wrote, “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.”

Another wrote, “Nothing screams escaping patriarchy louder than when – You clean toilets, serve food, handle tantrums for little pay while maintaining specific appearance for strangers over family. Oh wait… psyop efficacy to manipulate women never ceases to amaze.”

A user called the only-female cabin crew policy and wrote, “Unsure about how a role for women-only is deemed escaping the patriarchy. Seems to be reinforcing it more. Pandering to the ‘woke’ audience would feel a better title.”

“Yes, escaping patriarchy by posting a job profile (air hostess) where said job is strictly reserved for females along with certain weight and beauty standards + the said employees (females) are implicitly forced to put on heaps of make-up to appeal to the male passengers,” another comment read.

Users even questioned why the female staff are not employed in better posts, like a pilot. “Why not a pilot? This really doesn’t speak to me as a woman and not what should be sold as aspirational to young girls either,” a user asked.

Amid all the criticism and backlash, a user found something good about the ad and he went on to praise the curator. “This copy… Give that writer a raise,” the user wrote.

Additionally, users even compared IndiGo to Akasa Air, explaining how the latter hires both men and women in their cabin crew, thus prioritising comfort and inclusivity.