Who knew a beautiful smile could get you a spot in the Olympics?
In preparation for the Beijing Summer Olympics 2008, Chinese high school girls are going through a grooming process in which they're expected to wear painfully high heels and smile from ear-to-ear around the clock. They're in competition with each other in hopes of being selected as one of the few beauties who will be given the honor of presenting medals to qualifying Olympic athletes.
"I practice at home, and smile to the mirror for an hour every day," one young girl told Reuters in her training classes. "I want to present my smile to the world, and let them know that the Chinese smile is the warmest."
Along with perfecting their smiles, they take etiquette classes and in their "medal presentation rehearsal sessions" they need to walk in heels while balancing books on their heads as they present themselves with perfect posture.
Olympic Beauty Training
Chinese Award Girls Get Groomed
Trend Themes
1. Beauty Grooming - The grooming process for Chinese high school girls highlights the opportunity for innovative beauty techniques and products.
2. Smile Training - The emphasis on smiling in the Olympic beauty training presents a chance for disruptive innovation in smile enhancement technologies.
3. Etiquette Education - Etiquette classes and posture training provide an opening for innovative educational programs catering to personal development and social grace.
Industry Implications
1. Beauty Products - The grooming process for Chinese high school girls opens doors for the beauty industry to develop new products and services tailored to Olympic-level standards.
2. Cosmetic Dentistry - The emphasis on smile training in Olympic beauty training creates opportunities for disruptive innovation in the field of cosmetic dentistry and dental aesthetics.
3. Personal Development - The focus on etiquette education and posture training presents a market for innovative personal development programs and services.