When will people and corporations get tired of policing women’s bodies – especially Black women’s bodies?
American Airlines is under fire after forcing a Black doctor to cover up an outfit that they claimed was inappropriate, threatening not to let her on her flight unless she did.
Dr. Tisha Rowe, of Houston, tweeted that the incident, which occurred in June, left her feeling “disgusted” and “humiliated.”
“My shorts covered EVERYTHING but apparently was too distracting to enter the plane,” Dr. Rowe tweeted, with two photos of her in the matching strapless top and shorts set. “When defending my outfit I was threatened with not getting back on the flight unless I walked down the aisle wrapped in a blanket.”
Rowe was traveling from Jamaica back to the United States when she was targeted by American Airlines.
“We are policed for being black. Our bodies are over sexualized as women and we must ADJUST to make everyone around us comfortable,” Dr. Rowe tweeted. “I’ve seen white women with much shorter shorts board a plane without a blink of an eye. I guess if it’s a “nice ass” vs a @Serena Booty it’s okay…”
According to her tweets, her son, who was with her, was reduced to tears and hid under the blanket that she was told to wear.
“As a physician i know the negative impact of #racism on health and i am speaking up because i hope no one else has endure what i did because they don’t fit the mold,” Dr. Rowe said, according to USA Today. “We are policed for being black. Our bodies are over sexualized as women and we must ADJUST to make everyone around us comfortable. I’ve seen white women with much shorter shorts board a plane without a blink of an eye.”
Since tweeting about her experience, Dr. Rowe’s twitter has been flooded with support and people defending her.
American Airlines told USA Today that the airline was “concerned about Dr. Rowe’s comments” and had “reached out to her and our team at the Kingston airport to gather more information about what occurred.”
“We apologize to Dr. Rowe and her son for their experience, and have fully refunded their travel,” American Airlines representative Shannon Gilson said in a statement. “We are proud to serve customers of all backgrounds and are committed to providing a positive, safe travel experience for everyone who flies with us.”