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When beauty is the beast for university recruitments [Global Times](Global Times Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Good-looking girls are now being used by universities in their recruitment drives. Some universities' recruitment offices have been talking about their "beauty resources" as if merely attending these universities will make a young woman more attractive. This year on Weibo Tsinghua University told everyone that "girls will become baifumei (fair skinned, rich and pretty) by studying here in Tsinghua University." This was accompanied by before and after shots of female students purportedly first as undergraduates and then as (beautiful) graduates. Netizens did not take kindly to this and many suggested views of Tsinghua's laboratories, libraries and study lounges would be far more convincing for people looking for a place to study and learn. They said that the university was risking its fine reputation by indulging in cheap popular advertising gimmicks. Others said they were more interested in the successful alumni than in the beauties portrayed. Tsinghua is not alone in using glamour to promote itself. On Renmin University of China's recruiting section on its official website most of the pictures of graduates feature attractive women.Attractive and intelligent women have been popular figures for some time. The Internet in China was quite besotted with Zhang Zetian who was first seen as an attractive young Tsinghua University graduate clutching a bottle of milk tea. When Liu Qiangdong, founder and CEO of the e-commerce site, JD.com, expressed a romantic interest in her in April this year, the Internet went crazy. She became known as "Milk Tea Sister" and thousands of her pictures spread over the Web.Images of beautiful women associated with university study are a double-edged sword, perhaps. Images of attractive and intelligent women might help lure some to advance their education, believing that an academic environment will encourage beauty and the appreciation of beauty. But many sensible people are concerned at this approach and fear the accent on good looks could drive people away from these universities. Universities should be prized, above all, for their academic achievements and records, for their resources and facilities, not how attractive their teaching staff or students are. The work of the staff, the researchers, the scientists and experts, is much more than skin-deep.There is a curious side effect to this over attention to beauty. Some attractive young women students are now worried whether their good grades have been achieved by their own hard work and intelligence or whether they were given extra "consideration" because of their appearance. While they appreciate that others admire their good looks, they also hope that most people understand the hard work and efforts they have put into achieving their academic successes.Beauty and intelligence can go hand in hand. Some argue that it is stereotyping to talk about "dumb blondes" and suggestions that beauty does not belong in academia are not just sexist but antediluvian. But for universities to promote themselves on these old-fashioned concepts of attractiveness is misguided and misguiding. The important things students and parents want to learn about universities do not include the "beauty resources." (c) 2014 Global Times. All rights reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info). |