A Lithuanian company set to open a luxury resort in the Maldive Islands is under fire for growing what they call a “Blonde Business Empire.” This resort is to be staffed exclusively by blonde women and the company also has plans to offer direct flights to the island crewed and piloted entirely by blondes. A fantasy for some, this resort is being lauded as racist by others.
In the Maldives, a tourist destination in the Indian Ocean, law stipulates that 50% of hired staff must be local, which may pose a problem for this resort, as the majority of native islanders are of Indian and Sinhalese descent- two ethnicities that are inherently non-blonde.
The company, Olialia, (pronounced “ooh-la-la”) is staffed by blonde women, and operates in over 75 different business sectors, including computer engineering, food product manufacturing, and pop music management, according to BBC Europe. The company claims to be breaking down stereotypes about “dumb blondes,” yet they use sex appeal to their advantage, as all of the company’s products are advertised using provocative images of blonde women.
The company has been heavily criticized for potentially discriminating against job applicants, and as BBC Europe points out, “there is a question about whether stipulating blonde hair as a criterion for a job applicant contravenes EU employment laws.”
Giedre Pukiene, Olialia’s managing director, insists her company does not discriminate, but notes that non-blonde women quickly dye their hair blonde after being hired.
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