Mexico: Help-wanted ad for young, slim, “beautiful” police draws fire
Women pose during a protest rally called “March of Whores” on June 12, 2011 in Mexico City, to protest against sexual harassment and violence against women.
A help-wanted ad for women to join an all-female tourist police force is drawing flak from women's rights groups — it specifies that applicants be aged 18 to 26, 5-foot-5 with weight proportional to height, and in good physical and mental health.
The chief of police in the state, home to some of Mexico's most-popular vacation destinations, including Acapulco, would also prefer the "beautiful ones."
The ad, put out by the Mexican Pacific state of Guerrero, also considers knowledge of English a plus, CNN reports.
"The idea is to have a police force comprised of only women, preferably beautiful ones," said Ramon Almonte Borja, head of the state's public security secretariat said, CNN reports.
In addition, he said the tourist police would wear attractive uniforms to distinguish themselves.
"We are designing a gorgeous uniform that can distinguish us like the police in London, for example, so that Acapulco can have an additional visual attraction to what we already have," Almonte said.
The tourist police would not not be armed, and their function would be mostly to act as a guide for visitors; therefore, the force was looking for women without tattoos and piercings.
Blanca Rico, executive director of Semillas in Mexico City, described the position of her a women's rights group as "indignant."
"Once again women are put in the stereotype of being decorations," she reportedly said. "One would never imagine male police officers being selected for their looks."