I am sure every single one of us has encountered many situations in which we have not been appropriately dressed for something or did not fit in with the majority of the crowd. Out of humiliation, discomfort, or condemnation we then seek to adhere to dress codes and cues from our friends, associates, and society.

This stringent behavior could be the result of our own insecurities and feeling the need to impress or hide a certain blemish or it could be our innate ability to follow the societal dress code that we have been conditioned to follow. I think it is a combination of both and they both contribute to a culture that emphasizes external appearance and image.

In the situation of flying on an airplane, leggings are extremely practical and comfortable. Sometimes there is no use of creating challenging or uncomfortable situations in order to maintain a quintessential model. In order to combat the gendered dress codes that are heavily biased towards feminine pursuits, our corporations need to be more diverse. Yes, we have made strides in 2017 but it is crucial for more women to be placed in these corporations to relate to the situations of other women and then work with both women and men to find resolutions. Perhaps if more women from United were able to make decisions about the response to the outrage exhibited on social media and understand the situation from their own social demographic, the controversy wouldn’t have escalated into a public relations nightmare for United Airlines.