Size discrimination in superyacht hiring is one of the industry’s worst-kept secrets. Crew are passed over, agents stay quiet and candidates are left guessing at a reason no one will say out loud. Here is what is actually happening — and what you can do about it.
In This Guide You’ll Learn
- Why crew agents stay silent on size discrimination — and what that silence really means
- What employment law in the UK, US and France actually says about appearance-based hiring
- Where the line sits between legitimate fitness requirements and unlawful discrimination
- How to strengthen your candidacy and find employers who hire on merit
- Where to get support if the industry’s appearance pressures are affecting your well-being
A crew member recently came to me after spending six months trying to secure a permanent position. Her day work references were strong and her feedback consistently positive. She suspected her size was the barrier, but every crew agent she approached was evasive. Nobody would confirm it. Nobody would deny it. She wanted to know whether she had to lose weight to have a career in this industry.
The answer is no. But the full picture is more complicated than that and the crew deserve to understand it clearly.
Why Do Crew Agents Stay Silent About Size Discrimination?
The silence from crew agents is not malicious. It is largely a legal and commercial problem. Agents are caught between two competing pressures: some yacht Owners and Captains specify physical criteria for candidates that go well beyond any operational requirement, and agents who refuse to comply risk losing the client relationship. At the same time, telling a candidate directly that their size is the reason they are not being put forward opens the agency to potential discrimination claims.
The result is evasion. Candidates receive vague feedback, are quietly passed over for roles, and are left to draw their own conclusions. It is a system that protects no one well, least of all the candidate trying to build a career.
What Does Employment Law Actually Say About Appearance-Based Hiring?
United Kingdom
I am not a lawyer, so don’t quote me on this, but based on my research, under UK law, it is unlawful to ask a candidate about their health or physical characteristics during the application or interview process. According to Gov.uk, physical requirements can only be raised where there are necessary job requirements that cannot be met with reasonable adjustments. Appearance alone does not meet that threshold.
The Gap Between Law and Reality
In practice, these laws provide limited protection in the superyacht context. An employer can cite almost any other reason for not hiring a candidate, and without a documented pattern of behaviour, a discrimination claim is nearly impossible to prove. Understanding your legal position still changes the power dynamic of any conversation you have with an agent or employer, even if you never take formal action.
→ Related: How to Get Hired as a Female Deckhand on a Superyacht
Where Fitness Requirements in Yachting Are Legitimate
There is a real distinction worth making here. Yachting is a physically demanding career. Long seasons, strenuous manual work, confined spaces and high-pressure service standards all require a genuine baseline of physical fitness and stamina. Captains who prioritise fitness in their hiring decisions are not always wrong to do so.
What is not legitimate is using clothing size as a proxy for fitness or applying appearance-based standards with no connection to operational performance. The two things are not the same, and conflating them is where the industry crosses a line.
Poor performance in yachting is not size-dependent. There are crews of every size who are outstanding, and crews of every size who are not. Attitude, professionalism and work ethic are consistently better predictors of performance than appearance.
A Direct Word on Body Image Pressure in This Industry
The pressure on women in yachting to be slim has become a cultural norm. It creates genuine risk for disordered eating and mental health difficulties, particularly for those early in their careers who are trying to secure their first permanent position.
Extreme measures to change your body in order to fit an industry standard are not something I would ever recommend. If improving your fitness is a goal, approach it as a long-term investment in your health — with proper support from a health professional — not as a strategy to pass a hiring filter. Being healthy and well in mind and body is not a trade-off for fitting a size. It is the whole point.
If the pressure is affecting you, please reach out for support. The Crew Coach counselling service is available confidentially and internationally, and is designed specifically for the context of working life at sea.
How Do You Strengthen Your Position as a Candidate?
There are yachts that hire on merit. Finding them requires a deliberate approach.
- Build your reputation through day work and temp roles — gather strong, specific references
- Invest in vocational training relevant to your department — qualifications signal seriousness
- Network directly with captains and chief stews, not only through crew agents
- Ask questions during any interview that reveal how the vessel is actually run — well-managed yachts value competence over appearance
- Present yourself with the professionalism and confidence of someone who knows their value
Professionalism, a can-do attitude and genuine skill make a lasting impression on good employers. Those are the things worth investing in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is size discrimination actually happening in superyacht hiring, or am I imagining it?
You are not imagining it. Multiple crew agents have confirmed that some owners and captains specify physical criteria that go beyond any reasonable operational requirement. The discrimination is real. What makes it difficult to address is that it is rarely stated explicitly, which is precisely why candidates receive no straight answers. Knowing it is structural, not personal, matters.
Do I have any legal recourse if I believe I was not hired because of my size?
In theory, yes. In practice, it is very difficult to prove. From a quick online search, it is apparent that UK law, US federal law via the EEOC and France’s Article L.122-45 all provide relevant protections — but because employers can cite almost any other reason for a hiring decision, successfully arguing a discrimination case is rare. Understanding your legal position is still worthwhile: it informs how you communicate with agents and employers and what questions you are entitled to ask.
Are physical fitness requirements in yachting legitimate?
Yes, within reason. Yachting is physically demanding and stamina genuinely matters. What is not legitimate is treating clothing size as a measure of fitness or applying appearance standards that are unrelated to the actual role. Fitness and appearance are not the same thing, and the industry often conflates the two in ways that are both unfair and legally questionable.
I am experiencing pressure to lose weight to get hired. What should I do?
Do not take extreme measures; it can cause serious harm. If you want to work on your fitness, do so as a long-term investment in your health with proper professional support — not as a response to a hiring filter. If the pressure is affecting your well-being, please speak to someone. The Crew Coach counselling service is confidential, international and designed for the specific context of life at sea.
How do I find employers in yachting who hire based on merit?
They exist, and they tend to be found through direct relationships rather than crew agents alone. Focus on building a strong reputation through day work, investing in your qualifications, and networking directly with captains and senior crew. Well-run vessels with experienced leadership care far more about reliability, skill and attitude than appearance. The questions you ask during an interview will tell you a great deal about which kind of vessel you are dealing with.
What you are describing is a team that has learned to perform under observation but has not built genuine psychological safety in its absence. This is common in departments where standards are enforced primarily through external evaluation — guest feedback, captain oversight, charter review scores — rather than through internal team investment in quality. The fix is to create genuine meaning in the non-observed work: acknowledge the quality of turnaround work as specifically as you acknowledge charter service, and run a briefing where you explicitly share guest feedback that mentioned crew by name.
Ready to Build a Career in Yachting on Your Own Terms?
The employers who are worth working for hire and retain crew based on capability, professionalism, and character. Getting in front of them starts with being the strongest possible candidate.
