No sexy clothes for China civil servants

BEIJING – Female civil servants in eastern China have been banned from wearing sexy clothes such as slinky tops and tight leggings and told to not use “dirty” language in the office, state media said yesterday.

The Zhejiang provincial archives bureau announced a set of regulations – the first of their kind in the country – that also require female workers to refrain from wearing excess jewellery at work, the China News Service said. Women workers should “dress in a serious, proper, simple and natural way” and their clothes must not be “avant-garde and ostentatious,” the regulations reportedly say.They should neither be “too thin and tight or showing the under-garments”.Women should also ensure that their manners were commensurate with their professional positions.”They should use elegant language, avoid rude words and must not in any case use dirty or strange words,” the report said.”When they receive guests or speak on the phone, they must say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’,” the report said.”When they are dealing with people outside the office they must be mindful of the government’s image and their personal images.”Wu Ling, director of the women’s commission of the bureau, said her office formulated the rules because more than 70 workers in the bureau’s 90-strong office were women.”The reason why we see dressing as a priority is because it is the first impression that people get from the female civil servants,” she said.- Nampa-AFPWomen workers should “dress in a serious, proper, simple and natural way” and their clothes must not be “avant-garde and ostentatious,” the regulations reportedly say.They should neither be “too thin and tight or showing the under-garments”.Women should also ensure that their manners were commensurate with their professional positions.”They should use elegant language, avoid rude words and must not in any case use dirty or strange words,” the report said.”When they receive guests or speak on the phone, they must say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’,” the report said.”When they are dealing with people outside the office they must be mindful of the government’s image and their personal images.”Wu Ling, director of the women’s commission of the bureau, said her office formulated the rules because more than 70 workers in the bureau’s 90-strong office were women.”The reason why we see dressing as a priority is because it is the first impression that people get from the female civil servants,” she said.- Nampa-AFP

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