TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — An election campaign rally on Saturday (Aug. 5) for Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) has sparked controversy over performers' outfits.

A performance organized by former airline pilot and TPP Councilor Chang Chih-hao (張志豪) saw dancers dressed in tight tops and mini-skirts inspired by flight attendant uniforms. This has drawn the ire of the Taoyuan Flight Attendants Union (TFAU), which demanded an apology from the TPP over what it called the "objectification” of the industry workers.

Skirts are not suited for the work of female flight attendants due to safety and sexual harassment concerns, but many airlines still stick to skirt suits, TFAU said in a Facebook post. The union said it opposes such designs and last week petitioned the National Human Rights Commission to allow aircrews to have more say in what they can wear when working.

The dance itself also reinforced inaccurate stereotypes about female flight attendants, TFAU accused. It called for an apology from party leader Ko and city councilor Chang over the incident.

Pushing back against the accusations, Ko’s campaign spokeswoman Chen Chih-han (陳智菡) said the dance was performed by a professional dance group, and the party respected its choice of outfits because of airplane-related themes in the performance, wrote Liberty Times.

This is not the first time Ko has come under fire over gender-related issues. He has been criticized for his remarks about women and insensitivity to gender topics, including one that links unmarried women over 30 years of age to national security woes, which some say could estrange him from the female voter base.