Miss Universe Canada 2023 Madison Kvaltin was hired by Emirates as a flight attendant. As part of her onboarding she was asked to complete a health history, and it included the question ‘have you ever struggled with an eating disorder?’
Kvaltin “struggled in [her] youth” with a severe eating disorder that led to her hospitalizion. She says she’s recovered. Her philanthropy focuses on eating disorders in young girls. She didn’t want to lie on the form, and she was released from her employment as a result before she even started.
She’s taken to TikTok to express her frustration, because her childhood eating disorder has nothing to do with her ability to work as cabin crew. She’d already received her tickets to fly and move to Dubai.
I am disgusted that they are discriminating against me for struggling with an eating disorder that has nothing to do with completing the job of being a flight attendant. I don’t understand why they would even ask an intrusive question like that.
She concludes: “screw Emirates.”
@madisonkvetlana Imagine being denied a job because you struggled with an eating disorder? Especially in a job that has NOTHING to do with it, or has any effect (especially since Im certifiably recovered and well from my past).
Emirates must be a more attractive place to work than I’d have thought. I certainly understand why someone becomes a flight attendant, and why someone does so with a global carrier. And for many people the world over it’s a better opportunity than they have at home. But for… the reigning Miss Universe Canada? Surely she has better options?
The airline likely flagged prior hospitalization for an emotional or mental issue as disqualifying, rather than digging further into the specifics. And this is perfectly permissible for a state enterprise in the United Arab Emirates. In the U.S. we have a hard time imagining a company making an adverse employment decision explicitly based on a medical condition. The liability there is extreme! Not so in Dubai.
This strikes me as an instance where a broader policy might even make sense, from Emirates’ perspective, but where they’re making a poor decision in the particular instance. But it’s also one where Madison Kvaltin should get a wakeup call, what on earth are you moving to Dubai to become a flight attendant for when you’re literally the current Miss Universe Canada? That high profile signal alone should be worth several times the income potential. There’d be no need to travel the world on someone else’s dime, at least not an airline’s.
(HT: Paddle Your Own Kanoo)
Despite the clickbait headlines, I didn’t see anything from Emirates to indicate her eating disorder was the sole reason for her not being hired.
She was “hired” on a contingent basis so not like she had a firm offer that was pulled.
Considering how fast she took to Tik Tok, they may have dodged a look at me type.
She likely wanted the job because she would very quickly meet some extremely wealthy, international men. A marriage to such a man is worth more financially than any gig she’d get as a beauty pageant star.
To clarify she didn’t win Miss Universe only Ms Canada,not a big deal. And most of these people who win a country level pageant from small countries by population don’t have many work options after winning other than to marry a rich guy, so Emirates probably looms enticing at that point.
J Smith: your sexist Amerika-centrism is showing. Canada is far from a “small country”.
Wait Canada is a country?!?!? I thought it was just some Eskimos and polar bears that lived up north of us.
You’re reeeeeeeally overestimating the “power” of a Miss Universe title.
@Patti. I guess the obvious is not clear to you. You are stalking every post on this subject with the same two sentences. I assume either HR or a publicist with EK. Or, even worse, just ignorant.
@antwerp
I bring out facts. Not running frantically website to website to make accusations that cannot be proved because I have a personal, albeit tangential, connection to the issue at hand.
Now, if you have PROOF of what EK did, bring it.
I remember an airline (not named) that used to ask flight attendant candidates,
if they ever had an abortion. None of their business as far as a job interview.
Like asking a congressman if he had ever paid for an abortion for his mistress.
Oopsies must have offended a kanadian. I think she was offended I didn’t use a k. My bad you have 40 million people over a huge land mass. If I had to guess bc i read, lowest population per square inch. Let alone overall, you’re like 40th,a non issue.
Guessing this rocket scientist pageant Queen forgot the airline is owned by a culture condoning human rights violations; read atrocities toward women.
Starbucks needs a barista With her IQ,