A memo from Turkish Airlines' media relations department circulated last week telling flight attendants they were no longer allowed to wear red lipstick, according to Fox.
But "lipstick-gate," as it has been called, did not last long.
The statement said that flight attendants for the airline could no longer wear red or dark pink lipstick or nail polish and claimed that it hurt the "visual integrity" and professionalism of their look.
Turkish Airlines has made a number of changes in flight crew code lately, which has led to widespread criticism from secular Turks for what they see as Islamisation. The airline no longer serves alcohol on its flights and has banned bleached hair for the crew.
The airline initially defended the lipstick ban, saying that muted colors were more appropriate for the "staff working in the service sector."
But the airline's president, Temel Kotil, is backing down on the ban. Kotil said the original decision had never been approved, and that the statement had been prepared by "low-level" managers.
"Staff can use the color they want. This measure was not approved by the hierarchy," Kotil told teh Bangkok Post.
