Super SICK hosties
December 31st 2006 03:50
In my previous post I wrote about the potential for svelte hosties to morph into heifers. Today I will outline some other occupational hazards associated with the hostie profession.
While some hosties stack on the kilos, others go the opposite extreme and become obsessive about shedding kilos. Although there are plenty of porkers, there is still the expectation and pressure to be thin. The airline industry favours too thin over too fat. My old airline punished hosties they deemed too heavy by delaying promotions until the weight came down. I’ve never heard of a case where anorexic hosties were held back from being promoted for their unhealthy weight. Too many hosties pop pills that have a laxative or hunger suppressing effect.
People who travel are familiar with the havoc it wreaks on the ‘internal plumbing’ system. Being constantly on the move and lack of access to fresh fruit and vege can cause system ‘blockage’. Conversely, eating dodgy food on the plane or in countries with dubious hygiene standards can result in a dose of ‘the runs’. Imagine you spend years flying around and staying in overly exotic places. Sure, this life can be exciting, but it takes a toll on your body.
Hosties are more prone to getting sick than normal civilians. They are surrounded by germs and sick travellers. Also, international travel takes hosties from one extreme climate to the next eg.freezing snowy conditions in Moscow one day, and intense humidity in Bangkok a few days later. The body can’t adjust to severe weather changes in a short time so easily.
That goes for being in different time zones as well. Flying completely screws up the body clock. Hosties sleep, are awake, and eat at odd hours. I was ALWAYS tired, I think I spent the majority of my time as a hostie in a zombie-like state. I could never sleep well before flights that departed very early in the morning, which meant by the time the plane was landing at its destination I was nodding off in my jumpseat. Quite a few aircraft emergency evacuation slides were inadvertently inflated by exhausted hosties in my time (the aircraft door was opened after landing while the slide was in ‘armed’ instead of ‘disarmed’ mode). Thankfully I wasn’t one of those hosties, but I did once hallucinate there was a man in the onboard closet when in reality I was merely looking at a jacket on a coat hanger- I was so deprived of sleep.
Hosties suffer from dehydration. Getting caught up in attending to demanding passengers and answering non-stop call bells mean hosties neglect to keep their bodies hydrated, or sometimes they just forget to drink water. Of course, drinking lots of water presents one with the dilemma of having no choice but to use the aircraft toilets which a) are filthy b) usually have a horrendously long queue.
Not drinking enough water, lack of sleep, a poor diet and constantly being in an air-conditioned environment amount to visible signs of health deterioration, such as eyebags/shadows, bad skin and an overall haggardness, which expensive creams and potions can’t erase. For the vain hostie, this is a most unwelcome part of the job.
Finally, medical studies have shown that continual exposure to radiation damages internal organs in flight crew. My internal organs hadn’t shrivelled up according to my last medical test but my lung capacity had decreased and my heart rate was abnormally fast. I think I should be concerned…
While some hosties stack on the kilos, others go the opposite extreme and become obsessive about shedding kilos. Although there are plenty of porkers, there is still the expectation and pressure to be thin. The airline industry favours too thin over too fat. My old airline punished hosties they deemed too heavy by delaying promotions until the weight came down. I’ve never heard of a case where anorexic hosties were held back from being promoted for their unhealthy weight. Too many hosties pop pills that have a laxative or hunger suppressing effect.
People who travel are familiar with the havoc it wreaks on the ‘internal plumbing’ system. Being constantly on the move and lack of access to fresh fruit and vege can cause system ‘blockage’. Conversely, eating dodgy food on the plane or in countries with dubious hygiene standards can result in a dose of ‘the runs’. Imagine you spend years flying around and staying in overly exotic places. Sure, this life can be exciting, but it takes a toll on your body.
Hosties are more prone to getting sick than normal civilians. They are surrounded by germs and sick travellers. Also, international travel takes hosties from one extreme climate to the next eg.freezing snowy conditions in Moscow one day, and intense humidity in Bangkok a few days later. The body can’t adjust to severe weather changes in a short time so easily.
That goes for being in different time zones as well. Flying completely screws up the body clock. Hosties sleep, are awake, and eat at odd hours. I was ALWAYS tired, I think I spent the majority of my time as a hostie in a zombie-like state. I could never sleep well before flights that departed very early in the morning, which meant by the time the plane was landing at its destination I was nodding off in my jumpseat. Quite a few aircraft emergency evacuation slides were inadvertently inflated by exhausted hosties in my time (the aircraft door was opened after landing while the slide was in ‘armed’ instead of ‘disarmed’ mode). Thankfully I wasn’t one of those hosties, but I did once hallucinate there was a man in the onboard closet when in reality I was merely looking at a jacket on a coat hanger- I was so deprived of sleep.
Hosties suffer from dehydration. Getting caught up in attending to demanding passengers and answering non-stop call bells mean hosties neglect to keep their bodies hydrated, or sometimes they just forget to drink water. Of course, drinking lots of water presents one with the dilemma of having no choice but to use the aircraft toilets which a) are filthy b) usually have a horrendously long queue.
Not drinking enough water, lack of sleep, a poor diet and constantly being in an air-conditioned environment amount to visible signs of health deterioration, such as eyebags/shadows, bad skin and an overall haggardness, which expensive creams and potions can’t erase. For the vain hostie, this is a most unwelcome part of the job.
Finally, medical studies have shown that continual exposure to radiation damages internal organs in flight crew. My internal organs hadn’t shrivelled up according to my last medical test but my lung capacity had decreased and my heart rate was abnormally fast. I think I should be concerned…
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