What is the name of this book that was about history of airline stewardess customer service training?

September 6, 2011 7:53 PM

I'm looking for a certain book written in the sixties or seventies about the sociological aspect of the training of airline hostesses/stewardesses. Don't remember if it was entirely about this topic, or just a notable part of it. Some part of it may have been about how stewardesses had to curb the outward expression of their personalities to match stringent requirements of communication with passengers that rendered them almost carbon copies of one another. It was somewhat famous. Suggestions?

I know this is really vague, so I'm grateful for any suggestions.

posted by jackfruit to society & culture (3 answers total)

The Managed Heart by Arlie Hochschild.
posted by Monsieur Caution at 8:02 PM on September 6, 2011 [1 favorite]

Coffee, Tea or Me?
posted by brujita at 9:05 PM on September 6, 2011 [1 favorite]

The book you're probably looking for is Hochschild's The Managed Heart as Monsieur Caution says. If you're looking at doing further reading, Hochschild's idea of 'emotional labour' has really caught on and there are some very interesting more recent articles about cabin crew (examples: this one and this one). You might also want to read Barry's very interesting Femininity in Flight which does an excellent job of covering the history and development of emotional labour in the airline industry.
posted by brambory at 2:02 AM on September 7, 2011