Suzy Conn Musicals: January 2005 Archives

Who Am I? (...not 24601...)

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scream

I divide my time between Toronto, New York, and Chicago, where I am enrolled in the Theatre Building Chicago, Musical Theatre Writer's Workshop. I am also in the workshop and fundraising process with my musical Plane Crazy, which is a fun, upbeat musical about feminism set against the backdrop of glamour and innocent sex appeal of the swinging '60s jet age: A time when the stews were sexy and the world was sexist.


I was drawn to the stories of flight attendants in the early 1960s ("stewardesses" or "stews" in the parlance of the time).

I realized that these stewardesses were the first "lipstick feminists", and they represented the first wave in a changing world. This was an exclusive sorority of women who, for one of the first times in history, had freedom. Freedom to travel (transatlantic jet travel was introduced in 1958); freedom to have sex (the Pill was introduced in 1962); and the freedom to have a career without needing the support of a man.

At the same time, these women were portrayed as "mistresses" in the airline advertising of the time, with Braniff asking "Does your wife know you're flying with us?" and United proudly announcing "Every [passenger] gets warmth, friendliness and extra care. And someone may get a wife." They were dressed in mini-skirts and bodysuits. Daily weigh-ins were mandatory. It's no wonder that many of the leaders of the Women's Movement, including NOW President (1991 to 1997) Patricia Ireland, came from the ranks of stewardesses: It was an explosive combination of opportunity and exploitation.

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By Suzy Conn on January 3, 2005 7:01 AM | | Comments (0)

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