Indian flight attendants told to lose weight

An Indian judge has ruled against several female flight attendants, stating that the airline had the right to impose the weight requirement to compete with other lines.

The requirements began last year when the state-owned airline began measuring women on their height and weight--they claimed that the new rules were interest of safety. The women affected by the implementation argued that it was demeaning and had absolutely nothing to do with safety. The judge presiding over the case, however, disagreed.

"No airline can afford to remain lax in any department whatsoever, be it the personality of the crew members of their physical fitness," Justice Rekha Sharma said.

The kicker? The judge was also a woman. In her ruling, she stated that she did not "understand how it is any way unfair, unreasonable and insulting to their womanhood if they are asked to control their [weight]." These new rules have come after other airlines began hiring young, slim air hostesses, often dressed in short skirts and high heels. The rules were obviously more of a response to the sex-appeal of the other airlines...not a response to growing air-safety concerns.