It appears as if a People's Liberation Army recruitment move in 2009 - one that emphasized a potential recruit's beauty over ability - may have backfired. A silky soft voice, refined dance moves, or other signs of talent under the spotlights will not give potential female recruits that extra edge this year. The move appears to have had a boomerang effect after stirring public controversy last year.
| Somebody forgot their cultural equity: Western women are sexy, Middle Eastern women are sultry (that's why they have to be controlled), Asian women are modest. Aim your message at the wrong target, and the very best you can hope for is nothing. Let's just hope (or not, depending on how seriously you take this, dear Reader) the PLA didn't persuade their target market that anything else is now seen as better than the choice they're trying to sell. |
The controversial policy started in October 2009 - not long after female soldiers, looking smart in their special military skirts and boots, joined the 60th anniversary parade - when the ministry rolled out a trial recruitment practice for females. As such, the interview evaluation process was based on the person's character, language skills and special talent, which were placed on a par with her health and education.
The talent show and interview process was quietly dropped this year, according to a recruiter at the Beijing recruitment office, who spoke to China Daily on Thursday on condition of anonymity. Although the talent show has been dropped, it's still not an easy path. Sichuan province literally raised the recruitment bar this year, by requiring female candidates to be 1.62 meters tall or above - 2 cm taller than in 2009.
| Height as a proxy for good health, like the tall South Korean and American troops facing the child-sized North Koreans? |
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