The Chinese are making beauty a requirement for its female urban police force, the Chengguan.
In order to overcome a public image of a violent, brutal force that intimidates and abuses citizens and merchants living in its urban areas, the Chinese police are going through a series of major facelifts.
Some districts, like Guangdong, changed the police uniform from the traditional gray-green to a warmer blue, while places like Wuhan, located in the heart of China, have resorted to "staredowns" instead of physical action to enforce city rules.
Xindu, a district of Chengdu, has implemented the most serious change. Starting in 2003, the district has added a female-only segment to its police force – women chosen solely for their physical attractiveness.
In order to prevent the media and the public at large from viewing the police as a brutal force, the district has decided to only hire women between the ages of 18 and 22, above 5-feet-2-and a half inches, with a good body and "the five facial features in proper order." City officials have also mandated that all women in this special force retire by age 26.
The female police force seems to provide mainly an aesthetic presence, as they have no real power to take action against violators of the city rules and can only threaten to tell their male superiors or fellow officers about suspected violations.
It seems that the innate problem in a "looks" based criteria is that the police force is a public entity.
While private enterprises, like Hooters or clothing stores, can be selective in hiring people that fit a particular brand or image, a public service should not discriminate based on outward appearance.
While The Spectrum feels that it is not a bad idea in general to have height and weight requirements when it comes to ensuring that officers are agile and can effectively perform their duties, physical attractiveness should never be a consideration.
Certainly an extremely overweight or very petite officer is not an ideal public defender, and for these reasons he or she might rightfully not be considered for the job. But to discount a candidate for not having a beautiful face or a slender figure, characteristics that have no impact on job performance, is a grossly misconstrued take on job requirements.
In addition, it is blatant sexism to use this female police force in an attempt to distract the media from the truth behind the Chinese urban police.
As public servants, the Chengguan are supposed to maintain order within the district, not provide an attractive smokescreen to shield the brutality of the Chengguan.
We cannot indict the Chinese without acknowledging American superficiality. It is taken for granted in American culture that looks are a consideration in the job market and play a factor in college and professional school interviews.
However, while looks may be an element that determines professional success, it is comforting to know that our government is not actively enforcing exterior standards and that it does not automatically discount those that do not match or exemplify physical perfection.
