Women in China Compete for Flight Attendant Jobs in Bikinis
Recent high school graduates compete in bikinis to be selected as models or flight attendants in China. (Photo: Xinhua/Xinhua Press/Corbis)
A job interview should require the applicant to wear a suit and bring a resume. What it shouldn’t involve, under any circumstances, is a bikini.
Surprisingly, that was the case in Qingdao, China, where a modeling agency required wannabe flight attendants to wear bikinis in a competition that would make Gloria Steinem’s head explode.
More than 1,000 female recent high school graduates showed up on Dec. 28 at the pseudo beauty pageant hosted by Oriental Beauty. The audience was filled with recruiters from the aviation and fashion industry, who watched in hopes of handing out contracts to the girls they found most desirable.
So what made a candidate stand out in the crowd?
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In addition to the bikinis, contestants also had to wear conservative uniforms to show what they might look like while on the job. (Photo: Xinhua/Xinhua Press/Corbis)
The women were required to be 5’6” tall, and it was suggested that they be elegant, slim, and have a sweet voice. It was also suggested that they have no scars on the exposed part of their skin.
If a woman was only 5’5”, but exceptionally beautiful, she could still apply.
Those selected will be sent to air hostess school.
In 2013, nearly 41% of Air China’s employees were women, even though just 1.1% of all Chinese pilots were female. According to the site Women in Aviation, 6.61 percent of pilots in the U.S. are women.
Over the years, the airline industry has been accused of sexism and inequality in its treatment of women. Many U.S. airlines have attempted to level the playing field, but it seems that China has been slower to adjust.
Much slower.
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