Nicole Kidman isn’t quite rich enough – she’s got millions, by why stop there when you can have… billions! (Insert Dr. Evil face here.) She recently picked up an endorsement gig for the elite Etihad Airways, the most popular airline of the United Arab Emirates, and you can probably safely assume that she’s making BANK on the deal. You know who’s not making bank in the worker’s rights area? The women who work for the airline. Rut roh.
The Association of Professional Flight Attendants wrote Nicole an open letter on Monday, asking her to end her involvement with Etihad since they’re well known for some messed up gender-discriminatory labour practices. The association’s national president, Laura R. Gading, talked about the “abusive” practices of the company, like firing women who became pregnant and making their female flight attendants “live in confinement in secure compounds”.
“We urge you, on behalf of the women and girls that you spoke of so eloquently, not to play a part in promoting Etihad Airways, a company that imposes abusive labor practices on its female employees and whose sole owner is a government that stands against the very world that you imagine.
“Using your profile and stature for such a noble endeavor is commendable. However, we believe those efforts are at odds with your prominent role in an advertising campaign for Etihad Airways.”
The letter is actually much longer than that and worth reading, but unfortunately, I doubt it’ll make any difference to what Nicole Kidman does or doesn’t do. The check is written, the endorsement has been made. And let’s be honest – you know she didn’t look into anything before deciding to take the job. Her agent arranged it and told her how much she’d make and she signed on the dotted line. Done deal.