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Virgin Atlantic scraps rule that required flight attendants to wear makeup, only dresses

Female flight attendants with Virgin Atlantic will no longer be required to wear makeup and can opt to wear pants rather than skirts, the airline announced.

Female flight attendants for Virgin Atlantic will no longer be required to wear makeup on the job and will be given the choice to wear pants or a skirt, the airline announced.

"Not only do the new guidelines offer an increased level of comfort, they also provide our team with more choice on how they want to express themselves at work," Mark Anderson, the airline's executive vice president of customer, told USA TODAY in a statement. "Helping people to be themselves is core to our desire to be the most loved travel company." 

For those who do choose to wear makeup, the airline says they're "welcome" to wear foundation, lipstick and several other makeup items approved in the Virgin Atlantic company guidelines. 

The airline will also begin to automatically provide female attendants with both skirt and pants options for uniforms. Previously, pants were available only by request. 

"Our world-famous red uniform is something all of us at Virgin Atlantic are incredibly proud of," Anderson continued. "As an airline, we have always stood out from the crowd and done things differently to the rest of the industry. We want our uniform to truly reflect who we are as individuals while maintaining that famous Virgin Atlantic style."

According to Anderson, the change came at the request of Virgin employees. USA TODAY has reached out for comment from Virgin Atlantic flight attendants. 

Employees of other airlines have also recently been vocal about uniforms. In December, American Airlines was hit with a lawsuit in which about 40 employees claimed they experienced rashes, headaches and respiratory issues from new company uniforms. 

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