A ruling by an Indian Supreme Court judge last week has echoes of an issue in Jamaica just over a decade ago when a British import as head of Air Jamaica sought to impose an age, weight and size regime for the women who would be stewardesses on the national airline.

In essence, this chief executive officer wanted young and sexy women in the cabins of Air Jamaica it was never quite put that way.

In the face of a public outcry, and the prudence of his board, the managing director backed down. At least, it didn't become formal policy at Air Jamaica.

However, the ruling by Justice Rekha Sharma, a female, in Delhi suggests that the Air Jamaica boss would have been in his rights to enforce his regulation as part of his employment practices, once he couched his intent in language such as the need for fitness and safety.

Which is what the judge has signalled to Air India, which a group of stewardesses had taken to court to challenge a demand by their employer that they lose weight.

It was not that the woman were obese and incapable of doing their jobs. One of the stewardesses had been flying with Air India for 25 years and was four and a half pounds over Air India's stipulated weight limit. She, like the others, argued that the demand was an attack on her womanhood.

There is, too, an unstated subtext to the issue: the assumption that Air India wants its hostesses to conform to western notions of beauty, that is, a streamlined, skinny look. Indeed, airlines in India have increasingly in recent years been moving away from the sari as a dress for their female cabin crew in favour of short dresses and pumps.

Justice Sharma did not address the issue of this assumed ideal of beauty in her ruling, but dealt with the controversy in the context of competition and safety, arguing that "no airline can afford to remain lax in any department whatsoever, be it the personality of the crew members or physical fitness".

Added the judge: "I do not understand how it is anyway unfair and unreasonable and insulting to their womanhood if they are asked to control their growth."

Unfortunately, no men were party to the case, so there is no record of the court's view on the expansion of their girth. However, we hope the women appeal this ruling. From this distance, it appears patently wrong.

Moreover, this is not solely an Indian issue, for as we have noted already we have flirted with such policies in Jamaica: the reinforcement of the notion that sex and sexuality sells and this resides in the young and nubile - especially if the functionaries are women.

In our view, this is a very constraining way of observing society that contributes to the nihilistic behaviour that threatens our and other communities.

It is indeed to give expression to youth, but always with appreciation of wisdom and experience of age. The emergence of wrinkles does not end contribution to life.