Airlines / WN · Grooming
Southwest Airlines — Appearance & Grooming
The most casual look among the US majors and one of the more relaxed appearance policies: Southwest permits visible tattoos within limits and hires hard for personality.
Grooming · Southwest Airlines
- Hair
- Neat and clean in a conventional colour. The relaxed policy is about tidiness rather than a prescribed style.
- Make-up
- Not required. Southwest's published hiring requirements say nothing about make-up, and the casual uniform culture does not assume it.
- Facial hair
- Southwest does not publish its facial-hair rule with job postings. Neat and well-maintained is what the relaxed policy implies — confirm with the recruiter.
- Nails
- Clean, neat and short enough to work safely around cabin equipment.
- Glasses & contacts
- Yes. Corrective eyewear is unrestricted; the requirement is corrected vision to standard.
- Piercings
- Southwest publishes no piercing count with its job postings. The shape of its relaxed policy — nothing on the face or throat, nothing offensive — is the safe guide.
- Jewellery
- Discreet and safe for service; the culture is casual but the cabin is not.
- Tattoos in uniform
- Southwest is one of the friendlier US carriers here: visible tattoos are permitted within the relaxed appearance policy, but nothing on the face or throat and nothing offensive, and a large piece may still need covering. It is a limits policy, not an open door.
- Headscarf
- Southwest does not publish a headscarf option. Religious dress accommodation is a federal requirement in the US, so raise it with recruitment.
- Uniform
- A deliberately casual blue uniform with Southwest's red and yellow accents, including trousers and knit tops — closer to sportswear than to the tailored look of the legacy carriers.
Grooming rules change more often than any other requirement. Verify them on the airline's official careers page before you buy anything or book a hair appointment.
Frequently asked questions
Can Southwest flight attendants have tattoos?
Yes, within limits. Visible tattoos are permitted under the relaxed appearance policy, but nothing on the face or throat, nothing offensive, and large pieces may still need covering.
Does Southwest require flight attendants to wear make-up?
No. Nothing in the published hiring requirements asks for it, and the casual uniform culture does not assume it.
What do Southwest flight attendants wear?
A casual blue uniform with red and yellow accents, including trousers and knit tops — the least formal look among the US majors.