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SNCF Withdraws Unauthorized 'Elegance' Guide After Union Outcry

The 40-page brochure prescribed makeup guidance with body-type-based clothing advice for non-uniformed TGV staff.

Overview

  • Long-distance chief Alain Krakovitch disowned the guide on X, ordered its withdrawal and opened an internal investigation.
  • SNCF said the document had been circulated without authorization inside the company.
  • Sud-Rail condemned the so-called TGV Elegance guide as sexist and fatphobic, arguing contracts require uniforms for some roles but not aesthetic compliance.
  • Excerpts reported by BFMTV advised a woman with a triangular body shape to avoid tight skirts and a rounder man to choose dark tops to appear slimmer.
  • The guide sought to have staff embody “Élégance à la Française,” prompting criticism that its beauty tips felt dated, evoking the 1960s.