You might have heard about a quite controversial beauty contest in Russia: Miss Atom. Open only to the women working in the nuclear industry in Russia, the aim is to select the most beautiful one. Or according to the Ilya Platonov Nuclear.Ru’s general manager:

"The idea behind the contest is to demonstrate how many beautiful girls and young women work in nuclear, because this industry has been closed from public for a long time and the word "atom" evoked usually negative feelings”

There is all reason in the world to have negative feelings about the nuclear, but how exactly having “beautiful girls and young woman” working in the industry would solve all the problems associated with the nuclear energy. What kind of a logic is it: As long as we have beautiful young people working in the nuclear or toxics or arms manufacture; should we have positive feelings about them? Is it so easy to clean the image of 50 years of economical and environmental failures, by showing the pretty people working for the industry?

Mind you it is not a coincidence to select the Miss Atom on the evening before International Women’s Day (March 8th) which is a major holiday in Russia. Right that is how you should do it. To celebrate the economical, political and social achievements of woman you just go ahead and select the prettiest one of all.