They had to meet several criteria.
The harems of the Ottoman Empire were known all over the world, and many girls dreamed of being among the sultan’s concubines. They were sure that they would definitely be able to win the heart of the ruler and live in luxury until the end of their days. However, it was very difficult to be among the slaves of the ruler.
The fact is that all the girls went through a very strict selection, which was carried out by eunuchs and midwives. First of all, they looked at hair color: brunettes were most valued, of which there were about 87% (therefore, fair-haired Russian women would definitely not be able to get into the harem), and they almost never took red-haired beauties as concubines, since they were considered unclean.
In addition, they paid attention to the figure. So, to get into the number of concubines, the hips and waist of the girl had to be in the ratio of 3/2. Otherwise, the eunuchs would not even look at the candidate.
After that, the girls were checked for virginity and sent to the harem. There they were trained and became official concubines, waiting for their audience with the Sultan.
