Her annoyance at the behaviour of Qantas airline Qantas employees has been made public by 44-year-old Australian radio producer Nikki Osborne, describing how she was asked to button her jacket and hide her neckline “so as not to offend other cultures”

According to what she wrote in her magazine column, she was wearing white shorts, a pink bodysuit and a white knit cardigan for a business trip when she was approached by a lounge employee.

“He grabbed my hand and said: ‘First, I have long been a fan of yours, but you need to button up your cardigan to cover yourself to protect the other cultures in the lounge. All I saw in the lounge were some workers and a mom! I was suddenly overwhelmed with a mixture of shock, shame, humiliation, anger, and frustration. It was really hard to realize that I was being made to feel like a whore in my own town,” Osborne wrote.

“To be told by a woman that my choice of dress was inappropriate hurt me a lot,” the 44-year-old confessed, insisting her cleavage was covered by her cardiga,n but that was not enough for airline staff.

“I have cleavage? Yes. I had the top covered? Yes. Was that enough? Apparently not!” she wrote in her article.

She also said she was surprised by the reaction she received when she disclosed the incident, as some claimed she should have been banned from the venue.

Osborne made it clear, however, that she had not launched a “campaign against Qantas”, disclosing that the airline had contacted her with assurances that the incident would not happen again. However, she admitted that the subsequent phone call made her feel even more criticised after staff reportedly examined every piece of her clothing.

According to the Qantas website, the airline denies entry to its lounge if “certain clothing is too casual or inappropriate”. Among the prohibited clothing are thongs, bare legs, head-to-toe gym clothes, beachwear (such as boardshorts), sleepwear (such as Ugg boots), clothing with offensive images or slogans, and revealing, unclean, or torn clothing.

“These guidelines are intended to create an environment that can be enjoyed by all, so please take care with your choice of clothing and footwear when visiting Qantas Clubs and Business Lounges in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney,” the Qantas website states.