v :formulas>v :f eqn="sum @0 1 0">v :f eqn="sum 0 0 @1">v :f eqn="prod @2 1 2">v :f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth">v :f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight">v :f eqn="sum @0 0 1">v :f eqn="prod @6 1 2">v :f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth">v :f eqn="sum @8 21600 0">v :f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight">v :f eqn="sum @10 21600 0">/v :formulas>o :lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit">/v :shapetype>w :wrap type="square">/v :shape>v :formulas>v :f eqn="sum @0 1 0">v :f eqn="sum 0 0 @1">v :f eqn="prod @2 1 2">v :f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth">v :f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight">v :f eqn="sum @0 0 1">v :f eqn="prod @6 1 2">v :f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth">v :f eqn="sum @8 21600 0">v :f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight">v :f eqn="sum @10 21600 0">/v :formulas>o :lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit">v :shape id="_x0000_s1026" style="margin-top: 60pt; z-index: 1; margin-left: 0px; width: 131.25pt; position: absolute; height: 102.75pt; mso-wrap-distance-left: 1.5pt; mso-wrap-distance-top: .75pt; mso-wrap-distance-right: 1.5pt; mso-wrap-distance-bottom: .75pt; mso-position-horizontal: left; mso-position-horizontal-relative: text; mso-position-vertical-relative: line" alt="" o:allowoverlap="f" type="#_x0000_t75">w :wrap type="square">/v :shape>v :formulas>v :f eqn="sum @0 1 0">v :f eqn="sum 0 0 @1">v :f eqn="prod @2 1 2">v :f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth">v :f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight">v :f eqn="sum @0 0 1">v :f eqn="prod @6 1 2">v :f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth">v :f eqn="sum @8 21600 0">v :f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight">v :f eqn="sum @10 21600 0">/v :formulas>o :lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit">v :shape id="_x0000_s1026" style="margin-top: 60pt; z-index: 1; margin-left: 0px; width: 131.25pt; position: absolute; height: 102.75pt; mso-wrap-distance-left: 1.5pt; mso-wrap-distance-top: .75pt; mso-wrap-distance-right: 1.5pt; mso-wrap-distance-bottom: .75pt; mso-position-horizontal: left; mso-position-horizontal-relative: text; mso-position-vertical-relative: line" alt="" o:allowoverlap="f" type="#_x0000_t75">w :wrap type="square">/v :shape>While athletes took center stage at much of the televised Olympic coverage, the Olympic hostesses faced some of the stiffest competition behind the scenes. Finding the right Olympic hostesses was fairly comparable to choosing the Rockettes in their prime, except Chinas population tops the U.S./st1 :country-region> by over a billion people./span>
Hostesses had to be university students between 18 and 24 years old, and between 5'5" and 5'8" tall. Their eyes had to be exactly 30% down the length of their faces, which also had to have clear skin and the proper proportions. Not surprisingly, only 297 out of 5,000 applicants made the final cut. /span>
Though the Olympics are over, the job prospects for these girls are looking good. According to Xinhua News, two major Chinese airlines plan to hire 250 of these volunteers to serve as "stewardesses." One executive from China/st1 :place> Southern, which plans to hire 100 of them, told Xinhua, "Our recruitment is meant to thank them for their contribution" since they made such a positive international impression with their "good service." /span>
I encountered many thousands of volunteers, both male and female, who would love to be thanked for their good service, too, but some had acne, less-than-perfect smiles, and their eyes might have been 27% or 34% down the length of their faces. I wonder why they're not recruited, if "good service" is what impresses the airlines. /span>
Of course, anyone who's flown on a Chinese airline realizes this isn't the case. The flight attendants, who are between 18 and 24 and 5'4" and 5'7 tall, are every bit as attractive as the volunteer hostesses. While these types of appearance-based hiring practices might seem harsh, they're the norm./span>
Last year China/st1 :country-region> Southern hosted a Reality TV series on picking the perfect flight attendants, and the six-month application process was a huge hit, complete with a swimsuit competition. While this type of hiring process might cause most feminists to cringe, many airlines see these standards as necessary for business. /span>
Luo Manspan style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Arial">, China/span>span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Arial"> Southern's media director told the L.A. Times, "A lot of Chinese passengers judge the quality of airlines based on the quality of their flight attendants, meaning are they pretty or not pretty." Therefore, picking from a pool of applicants who have been pre-screened and groomed to perfection is a wise business move./span>
Since China/st1 :country-region>'s airline industry is growing tremendously, and more flight crews will be needed, it's possible that they'll hire more diverse flight attendants. Furthermore, as more citizens have an opportunity to fly, it's possible that some of the glamour associated with the airline industry might fade.
Whether or not Chinese airlines change their appearance-based hiring practices, I sincerely hope they don't lose their high standard of customer service./span>
