In order to increase their job chances after college, Chinese students are turning to a special practice—Eiffel Tower nose jobs (鼻整形手术). The latest trend in plastic surgery promises to create a nose that is similar to the curve of the Eiffel Tower.

    Surgeon Wang Xuming said:  “We are influenced by the beauty of the Eiffel Tower. We are not content to just add something to the nose; we reconstruct it.” The surgery costs about US$ 10,000 and involves the enlarging of the nose using tissue from the forehead.

    Hundreds of posters advertising the procedure are put up all over Chongqing city, where surgeon Xuming runs his private practice. They show a western-looking woman with an almost-to o-perfect nose, against an outline of the Eiffel Tower.

    Interestingly, many young women in China are eager to achieve a western appearance, as they believe it will give them an advantage in the highly competitive job market. “Some students face a lot of employment pressure after graduation. If their facial features are good, they'll have more chances of finding a job,” said surgeon Xuming. “We've had students getting the Eiffel Tower nose; it's helped them a lot.”

    Apparently, Chinese employers are quite particular about appearances and prefer attractive candidates. Some of them even go as far as putting height and weight requirements in their employment ads. Plastic surgeons across the country are reporting an increase in the number of students choosing beauty “improvement”.

    According to a Mr. Li, hospital manager at surgeon Xuming's clinic, most of their customers are female and the bill is taken care of by the family. “They usually come in with their mothers, and tend to be from well-off backgrounds.” he said.

    Personally, I don't think it so important to “improve” our appearance as long as we are skilled at our jobs. We can't decide how we look, but we can decide how well we live and work.

    One Saturday morning in September I        (go) to a local music festival. I left it early       I had an appointment later that day. My friends walked me to the bus stop and waited with        (I) until the bus arrived. I got on the bus and found a seat near the back, and then I noticed a man        (sit) at the front. He pretended that a tiger toy was real and giving it a voice. He must be        (mental) disabled.

    Behind him        (be) other people to whom he was trying to talk, but after some        (minute) he walked away and sat near me, looking annoyed. I didn't want 3       (laugh) at for talking to him but I didn't like leaving him on his own either. After a while I rose from my seat and walked to the front of the bus. I sat next        the man and introduced myself. We had        amazing conversation. He got off the bus before me and I felt very happy the rest of the way home.

    I'm glad I made the choice. It made both of us feel good.