Etiquette expert claims there are no ugly women in the world, just lazy ones

An etiquette expert claims there are 'no ugly woman, just lazy ones'.

Sara Jane Ho recently hit our screens with her reality series Mind Your Manners, which sees her work with a group of people from different backgrounds to help them improve their social skills:

The first season landed on Netflix late last year, and has taken the streaming service by storm, with viewers glued to their screens.

A Harvard Business School graduate, Ho founded her etiquette school, the Institute Sarita, back in 2012.

She offered people courses on a range of areas, such as British Afternoon Tea, Introduction to Expensive Sports, and Pronunciation of Foreign Luxury Brands.

Speaking about what she does, Ho, who has previously lived in Papua New Guinea, Taiwan, the UK and the US says she sees her role as bringing an international perspective to behavioural norms.

"I spent 10 years studying in the States, and the last 10 years living and working in China, so what I bring is an East-meets-West perspective," she said.

Netflix

"Things are contextual. Wherever I go, I see myself as in the field. I'm observing, 'What are the codes of conduct here? How are people behaving?'"

At her school, which has since closed following the pandemic, students could choose from two different courses: the Debutant, for unmarried women over the age of 16; or the Hostessing course, which was for married women.

For the princely sum of 100,000 yuan (£10,411), both, it was promised, would help those who enrol to take their 'social and professional success to the next level'.

But now, Ho has moved from the classroom to the studio, and is letting Netflix customers in on her secrets.

"Come with me, and you'll know what to do anywhere, with anyone, in any situation," claims Ho.

Netflix

In episode one, she covers dinner table etiquette and even shows the contestants the correct way to peel a banana with a knife and fork.

Discussing how a persons should drink tea, she says: "Some people keep their pinkies out to keep balanced, but it looks really pretentious. Definitely pinkies in."

And paraphrasing the cosmetic entrepreneur Helena Rubinstein, she tells her students that there is no such thing as an 'ugly' woman.

"There are no ugly women in the world, just lazy ones," she says.

And if that's piqued your interest, she's previously discussed the politest way to spit in the street,

So yeah, she's got all the bases covered.

Mind Your Manners is available to watch on Netflix now.