Why United Airline's dress code for girls sparked PR disaster
On a flight from Denver, Colorado, to Minneapolis, Minnesota, early Sunday morning, Shannon Watts observed a United Airlines gate agent refuse to allow two young girls on the plane because they were wearing leggings. Watts took to Twitter immediately to document the incident, decrying the apparent policing of girls’ clothing and regarding the dress code enforcement as “sexist and hypocritical.” Watts objected to the policy, saying that it sexualizes young girls who were simply wearing comfortable clothing. She questioned if boys were subjected to the same sort of policy. As the incident unfolded in real time on Twitter, United ’s own social media account began to chime in. But the airline’s responses seemed to only stir the pot and trigger more anger. This kind of gaff is increasingly making the case for the engagement of social media account managers with a Public Relations background or appreciation. Amid the reactions, chatter, questions, jokes, and the like -