Who is the fairest of them all? (Picture: konkurs.imap.kz)
Who is the fairest of them all? (Picture: konkurs.imap.kz)

To succeed in the army you need big muscles, a clear head and an ability to control your fear.

However in Kazakhstan high cheekbones, good teeth and shiny hair will also help you fare well.

That’s because the Kazakh armed forces are trying to battle their all-time low enlistment levels by launching a beauty competition between female recruits.

The contest description confusingly  states: ‘Women in uniforms are not such a rare phenomenon in the modern world. However, there are few of those who are aware of the units where they serve and the way they manage to combine the beauty, grace, tenderness and vulnerability fortitude, courage and endurance (sic).’

They add that successful entrants should ‘harmoniously combine external beauty, moral and spiritual qualities’.

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Does she win your vote? (Picture: konkurs.imap.kz)
Does Maria Vlasov win your vote? (Picture: konkurs.imap.kz)
Or maybe her? (Picture: konkurs.imap.kz)
Or maybe Sadyrbaeva Dinara? (Picture: konkurs.imap.kz)

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123 women from all sections of the Kazakh military have been nominated for the competition, and you have until May 10 to vote for your favourite.

While we can’t possibly comment on the physical beauty of the women, the content does at least display the wide ethnic diversity within the Kazakh armed forces.

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The ‘Batyr Arular’ competition was ‘created to promote the military service popularization among women in Kazakhstan, as well as attract the attention of Internet users to military service’.

Still waiting for that Borat reference? Fine, here it is.

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