Lift that skirt and lose a few pounds: This is what it took to be a 'stewardess' in the 1940s

It's 1940 and you want to be an airline stewardess. Are you prepared to test your balance on teeter boards and in conga lines? Can you make "Brother Tipsy" comfortable  enough to sleep through an inebriated flight? Are you willing to study up on the troposphere from 6 to 10 each evening, and lift your skirt just a bit as part of the interview? Are you between 5'2" and 5'9", and 105 to 135 lbs?

If you think you've got what it takes, then there's really just one thing left to say. "Better get that charm ready, baby!"

And hey, if you don't like the gig, there's an easy out. "Half of the 8,000 U.S. hostesses leave aviation for marriage each year." The airlines and their passengers, it would seem, had similar tastes. So long, Mary! Keep 'em smiling!

Check out our decade-in-review for more on the aviation industry in the high-flying 40s.