Sexism in the Sky? JetBlue Crew Forces Passenger to Change Out of Short Shorts

BOSTON, MA — Who likes short shorts? Apparently no one on the JetBlue flight staff, which forced a passenger to cover up before boarding her flight.

A 26-year-old burlesque dancer who goes by the stage name Maggie McMuffin was stopped before boarding her flight at Logan International Airport on May 18. McMuffin was told that her shorts were too short and that she couldn't get on the plane unless she changed, according to posts on McMuffin's Twitter page.

McMuffin was then told it was the pilot's decision to deny her access to the flight and that she couldn't cover up by tying her sweater around her waist or by using a blanket. Eventually, McMuffin was forced to buy a new pair of shorts at the airport and wear them on the plane, she tweeted.

McMuffin's friend, Molly McIsaac, first shared the a photo of the shorts on Facebook. As of Tuesday, her post had more than 1,500 shares.

What do you think? Was the pilot right to not let her on the plane? Did the outfit offend you? Was this sexist? Let us know in the comments below.

In an emailed statement, JetBlue told Patch that the airline supports the "difficult decisions" made by the flight crew to "politely" force McMuffin to change. The statement also said that JetBlue would reimburse McMuffin for the new shorts and offer her a credit for a future flight.

Here's the full statement emailed to Patch:

"The gate and onboard crew discussed the customer’s clothing and determined that the burlesque shorts may offend other families on the flight. While the customer was not denied boarding, the crewmembers politely asked if she could change. The customer agreed and continued on the flight without interruption.

We support our crewmembers’ discretion to make these difficult decisions, and we decided to reimburse the customer for the cost of the new shorts and offered a credit for future flight as a good will gesture."

[Photo courtesy of Maggie McMuffin]