Virgin Atlantic Gets Backlash After Announcing New Dress Code And Pronoun Badges For Employees

On Wednesday, British airline Virgin Atlantic received major backlash as they announced a new dress code that eliminates gender-specific apparel restrictions for its employees and replaces pronoun badges with distinct clothing identifiers.

Starting today, all airline employees will be able to choose between two Vivienne Westwood-designed uniforms in burgundy or red, regardless of their gender identity or expression.

Virgin Atlantic stated that it wants its employees to be able to wear clothing that "expresses how they identify or present themselves," in order to “champion their individuality.”

The airline also introduced optional pronoun badges for its employees and customers, describing itself as "the most inclusive airline in the world."

Virgin Atlantic's new, more inclusive policy also includes a shift in its ticketing systems to allow customers who have passports with gender-neutral gender markers to choose "U" or "X" gender codes, as well as gender-neutral titles such as "Mx," instead of the traditional "Ms," "Mr," or "Mrs."

“This move enables everyone to clearly communicate and be addressed by their pronouns,” the airline stated.

Social media had a field day with the announcement, here are some response from Twitter