An American woman, Lisa Archbold, a 38-year-old DJ, recently faced the threat of being removed from a US Delta Air Lines flight simply because she chose not to wear a bra. In response to this incident, she and her attorney insisted on a meeting with the airline’s top executive to voice their opposition to what they perceive as a discriminatory policy. The incident occurred during a flight from Utah to San Francisco, as reported by AFP.
Lisa Archbold, dressed in baggy jeans and a loose white t-shirt, stepped onto the plane without a bra. However, within moments, a female gate agent ushered her off the flight, insisting she conceal herself, despite the fact that her breasts were not visible.
“It felt like a scarlet letter was being attached to me. I felt it was a spectacle aimed at punishing me for not being a woman in the way she thought I should be a woman as she scolded me outside of the plane,” said in a press conference with her attorney Gloria Allred.
According to Lisa Archbold, the Delta agent deemed her attire “revealing” and “offensive.” The airline’s policy allegedly prohibits passengers dressed in such a manner from traveling. Archbold’s experience sheds light on the ongoing debate about dress codes and gender expectations in air travel.
ALSO READ | Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Makes Emergency Landing After Engine Failure
The gate agent informed Lisa Archbold that if she covered her T-shirt with a jacket, she would be permitted to proceed with her journey. Attorney Gloria Allred, representing Archbold, has written to Delta’s president, urging a meeting to address the discriminatory policy.
“Male passengers are not required to cover up their t-shirts with a shirt or a jacket. They also do not have to wear a bra to board or remain on a plane and women should not have to wear one either. Last I checked, the Taliban are not in charge of Delta,” she said.
U.S. federal rules permit airlines to remove passengers who pose a safety or security risk to the plane or fellow passengers. However, in Archbold’s case, this rationale clearly did not apply, According to Attorney Gloria Allred.
Allred added, breasts—whether hers or any other woman’s—are not capable of hijacking an airplane. They are not instruments of war, and possessing them is not a criminal offense for women or girls.
Lisa Archbold and her attorney, Gloria Allred, have no immediate plans to file a lawsuit. Their sole objective is to secure a meeting with Delta Airlines’ president to seek assurances that the airline’s policies will be revised.
A company spokesperson confirmed that earlier this year, Delta representatives reached out to the customer and issued an apology, in reply to AFP’s inquiries.
