Organizers of a beauty contest who require a contestant's nipples to be a certain distance apart are feeling the wrath of netizens who say the prerequisite is humiliating, disrespectful and ridiculous.
The contest to select the 10 most beautiful university students in Hubei Province requires applicants to prove the distance between their nipples is greater than 20 centimeters, reported Changjiang Times.
Organized by the website Campus Model, applicants will also need to meet standards for the size of their bust, waist and hips. The distance between their pupils should be 46 percent of the distance between each pupil and an ear, according to the report.
"We want the winners to be extremely good-looking," a staffer with the website who refused to be named, told the Global Times. "We have based our criteria both on the traditional Chinese and more modern Western aesthetic values."
The person, however, could not explain how ancient Chinese culture defined beautiful breasts.
When asked whether the website had consulted any expert in establishing the criteria, he said that the contest organizer had simply done some Internet research.
Gong Qi, a fourth-year student from Beijing Contemporary Music Academy, who was the runner-up in a nationwide pageant last year called this contest ridiculous.
"I don't see any point in measuring the nipple distance, or setting up standards for body proportions. I would never accept such a rude requirement," she said.
The article produced a lot of online comments, many from outraged women. One asked how men might feel if a contest required them to measure their private parts.
The website, which began to enroll applicants Wednesday, listed about 65 colleges in Hubei. A handful of young women have filed application.
"I don't think any normal student from my school would take part in such a contest. They would be ridiculed and laughed at," said Yin Li, a teacher from Wuhan University.
"The winner will be given a gift worth about 10,000 yuan ($1,577), and the chance to act in online dramas," said the staffer.