An etiquette expert who provides all kinds of courses on good manners is taking Netflix by storm with her new TV show.
Sara Jane Ho grew up across Papua New Guinea, Taiwan, the UK and US, before she founded her school Institute Sarita in 2012.
After graduating from Harvard Business School, she now offers courses on Introduction to Expensive Sports and British Afternoon Tea.
READ MORE: Travel pro shares 'golden rules' on flights that all passengers should follow
And her lessons are certainly going down a treat as she's landed her own TV show Mind Your Manners.
It was released on Netflix at the end of 2022 and now she's opened up about her views on good etiquette.
She told the New York Times: ''Wherever I go, I see myself as in the field. I'm observing: 'What are the codes of conduct here? How are people behaving?'."
Sara, who speaks four languages, was born in Hong Kong before moving around the world due to her dad's job in oil exploration.
It all happened for her when she was brought on business trips by her parents where they expected her to socialise with the adults they met.
In the US, she attended a boarding school before graduating from Georgetown University in 2007 aged 21.
She was working on Wall Street when the stock market crashed and then went on to attend Harvard Business School.
Woman's genius tip saves awkwardness when you forget someone's name
Her mum, who passed away from cancer in 2007, had an interest in etiquette which inspired Sara to attend the Institut Villa Pierrefeu in Switzerland.
Her institution described itself as "China's leading finishing school, bringing you first-hand experience to help you become more poised and polished, taking your social and professional success to the next level".
Students could pick two main types of course: the Debutante, for unmarried women aged 16 and above, or the Hostessing course for married women.
They went into detail on every possible scenario a woman may come across in social situations and even covered the pronunciations of luxury design houses.
The Debutante course lasted for 10 days and promised to teach single women "high-end social etiquette and protocol", including history, social, and business customs of different cultures and countries around the world, greetings and introductions, business card exchange, dress code, table manners, dining and entertaining, conversational dos and don'ts and gift giving.
Man's eggs on toast ridiculed as people think he 'poached them in Jacuzzi'
Other subjects included floral art and table decoration, public relations, psychology and personal presentation.
The Hostessing course, which took place over 14 full days, started at 9am and finished at 6pm each day which covered the "art of being a hostess".
It includes high-end social etiquette with the understanding the behaviour and customs of high society and dining around the world.
And after a Singapore-headquartered production company read about Sara's work, they pitched her story to Netflix.
But due to the coronavirus pandemic, her school in China was shut down, and instead the series, Mind Your Manners, was filmed in Australia.
On the show, she offers guidance on how to peel a banana with a knife and fork, as well as attending an archery lesson.
Her main advice is: "Come with me, and you'll know what to do anywhere, with anyone, in any situation." But her guidance can sometimes be a little questionable.
During one episode of Mind Your Manners, she told her students: "There are no ugly women in the world, just lazy ones."
On the topic of drinking tea, she advised: "Some people keep their pinkies out to keep balanced, but it looks really pretentious. Definitely pinkies in."
Another episode saw Sara telling a Chinese American woman who felt disconnected from her roots to break up with her boyfriend and try to meet someone from her origin instead.
She said: "Your boyfriend is Caucasian, he won't understand what I said."
Sara met her husband, a businessman 14 years younger than her, after filming her series. The couple married eight months later.
Want all the biggest Lifestyle news straight to your inbox? Sign up for our free Daily Star Hot Topics newsletter
READ NEXT:
- 'I'm a flight attendant and there are rules if you book seats with extra legroom'
- Passenger rages over 'outrageous' price of breakfast – and people agree it's 'abysmal'
- Travel expert reveals the time you should never recline your seat on a flight
Source: Read Full Article
