Effect of Body Image Perception on Flight Attendants’ Mental Health and Well-being

As the popularity of travel and tourism significantly increasing in today’s world, the demand for customer facing jobs such as airlines scouting competitive flight attendants have also been surging in numbers. Together with this surge in demand, the competitiveness and appeal of flight attendants is crucially related to their physical appearance and outward attractiveness which dependent on individual perception of body image, may have positive or negative effect on flight attendants’ mental health and well-being. However, majority of current literature focuses only on the effects of the job to flight attendants themselves and limited research is conducted on the possible effects of body image perception. The study follows a secondary research method based on existing and current literature to examine the effects of body image perception on flight attendants’ well-being and mental health. Results of the study shows that positive body image perception results to the generation of positive emotions, increased self-confidence and risk-taking behavior, encourages actions of self-compassion and increase in job motivation and social skills while negative perception of body image results to poor social skills, instigates harmful body behavior, promotes body disturbance thoughts and distorted body image. This study helps to bring awareness on the importance of body image perception to flight attendants’ mental health and well-being and therefore help mitigate negative effects in the future