A recently published article details a school in China where women take classes to learn how to snag a rich man. The school, named the Beijing Moral Education Center for Women, has a class syllabi which includes makeup tips on making one look more attractive and how to tell if a man is lying (about their income?)
Photo credit: Trendhunter
As outlandish as it may sound to start a school whose sole purpose is to encourage women to find sugar daddies, I don’t necessarily feel like the entire idea is without its merits.
Think of it this way–one of the purposes of schools and education is to advance your social and economic stature in life. (It’s not the ONLY purpose — but it definitely is one of the purposes.) I know my parents definitely put me through school with the hopes that I will be able to mature into a responsible adult who can make a decent living. As much as we have come to realize that money might not necessarily equal happiness, we can’t argue with how much easier it often make things.
Going to a school that teaches you ways of enticing a richer man may just be another way that women hope to advance their social and economic stature in life. Women who look out for men that can financially provide for them have always– and will always– exist, school or no school.
You may not be able to tell by the awkward gesturing of my hands when I talk or by the ridiculous frequency for which I stumble, trip, bump into or fall at any given time of day, but I actually attended charm school when I was younger.
Now, a charm school might not really sound like this Beijing Moral Education Center but when I think about it, I also learned how to better apply makeup and straighten my posture. I also learned different etiquette techniques and how to conduct myself in social settings. I also learned how to improve my conversational skills.
Kinda sounds like the Beijing Moral Education Center now, huh?
I can’t speak for everyone, and I’m sure I would have grown up perfectly fine without it, but I can confidently say now that I am very glad I actually went through with charm and etiquette school. (I wasn’t glad at the time though, every week I kicked and screamed my way there.)
I walked away with little gold (heh heh, no pun) nuggets of knowledge– from how to introduce myself to others to how to carry a conversation. I learned the importance of making a great first impression and how to be innately confident without being cocky.
The most important thing I learned is a desire and willingness to try new things. I think because a 13-year-old in charm school is such an unusual thing nowadays, my upbringing actually made me enjoy not being like everyone else and opened up my otherwise sheltered world a little bit.
Nowadays, when I see my peers content with sitting at home playing video games or going out and getting drunk, I still love and accept them but I can’t help but think, “this is not what I want for my life.” Did my charm school upbringing help with that identity-shaping? Perhaps.
So yes, I agree that it is atrocious for a school to shamelessly publicize itself as an education center to help women snag rich husbands and I am fully aware of how much something like this can set the women’s movement back but I don’t believe the biggest crime that the Beijing Moral Education Center for Women committed is that it’s teaching women how to become gold diggers–it’s actually coming out in broad daylight advertising that it is.
After all, as any charm school will tell you, “tact” is a key etiquette trait for a lady to learn.
What are your thoughts on this Beijing Moral Education Center for Women?
Edit: Alright, alright, to set my morals straight, I’m linking you to a school actually promoting some good in the world: Asia’s First Plastic Bottle School
Related Articles
Nowadays, it’s no longer the homeless that stay in humble abodes made of recycled materials. In fact, buildings made out of recycled material are very hippie chic, like the first bottle school in San Pablo, Philippines completed this spring. The structure is made entirely of thousands of adobe and 1.5 liter plastic bottles collected by volunteers [...]
When Lianne Lin moved to Taiwan to study Chinese, she didn’t realize that she’d become a study in modern sociocultural relations. ISSUE: Winter 2010 DEPT: My Story STORY: Lianne Lin An Uncertain Education Earlier this year, I moved from Los Angeles to Taipei, Taiwan — my mother’s birthplace — to study Chinese and experience life [...]
High school: such a pivotal time in young women’s lives for college/career decisions, familial tension, first loves, first rejections, no-holds-barred attitude and unexpected self-discoveries. And when high school years are depicted on American film and television, extracurricular activities may involve solving murder mysteries (Pretty Little Liars), and unrequited love is sometimes best told through [...]
Did you know that March is Women’s History Month? Here at Audrey, we’re going to be celebrating the entire month (yes, you read that right) in honor of women’s history – but with our own twist, celebrating Asian women! Look forward to some top ten lists featuring Asian women across entertainment, fashion, business, education and more! [...]
A pair of 22-year olds took home the gold this past weekend at the ISU World Figure SKating Championships: Yuna Kim of South Korea and Patrick Chan of Canada. Kim, who took a year off from figure skating, made her return to the rink this past season and dominated in the Womens’ group, placing [...]
