A Virgin Australia employee has revealed a rule that you may never have noticed but all cabin crew must obey.

It turns out Virgin ‘turns its nose up’ at cabin crew with nose studs.

The Virgin grooming guide stipulates that crew are forbidden to have nose, lip or eyebrow piercings. Visible facial piercings, not on the ears, are not to be worn.

Sydney-based air host Chelsea Dorricott, revealed this detail in the highly secretive document.

Although earrings are allowed, the guide stipulates that these must be simple - ideally studs or small pearls.

While few passengers would notice, the appearance of crew and airline employees is dictated by a very thorough grooming guide.

“As cabin crew, we do have a set of grooming requirements we need to adhere to,” she said on a post to social media.

The Look Book: Virgin Australia cabin crew appearance is carefully dictated. Photo / Supplied

“I’m sure every airline will have a slightly different version of these. But, for mine specifically, we can’t have any facial piercings - lip, nose, eyebrows - anything on your face is a big no-no.”

The “Look Book” is a document that the airline takes seriously. It outlines appearance standards for male and female crew, length and colour of hair when and stipulates that makeup must be worn for female crew.

Earlier this year the airline won an appeal against a flight crew member who was dismissed for coming to work without make-up.

In January DeVania Blackburn, who had 14 years experience as a flight attendant, had her contract terminated in March 2021 for failing to comply with the Look Book. The appeal for an “unfair dismissal ruling” was thrown out by the fair work commission after details of DeVania’s conduct were found to have breached her contract with her employer.

These included warnings on appearance through 2020 and 2021, such as: “not wearing make-up”, not wearing stockings, having hair that was “messy with visible fly-aways” nail polish being “visibly chipped”.

In 2013 a Virgin Australia male cabin crew successfully won his job back in an unfair dismissal ruling regarding the Look Book and his choice of hairstyle.

David Taleski was unfairly dismissed in 2011 for wearing a ponytail and refusing to get a haircut.

The trial revealed that sections of the company’s grooming guide were made public, which are normally a trade secret.

The grooming guide, which permits pony tails on female crew, describing it as “sleek, practical and shows off healthy hair to its full advantage” did not make provisions for male crewmembers.

Virgin Australia is not the only airline to have a grooming guide as terms of employment.

Qatar Airways Cabin Crew Grooming & Uniform Regulations is 64 pages long, however some are relaxing the suggestions on crew presentation.

In 2019, Virgin Australia’s sister airline Virgin Atlantic said it would drop requirements for crew to wear makeup.

While many airlines recommend a “natural” look, surprisingly few permit female cabin crew to attend work without foundation.

Air New Zealand is among those airlines which have guides against wearing too much or no makeup.

In May the carrier said it would be “revising grooming standards” as part of a crew uniform design due to be phased in at the end of 2024.