Betelnut beauty exhibition opening
Tobie Openshaw and Xiao Juan (小娟) at the opening of the exhibition
This afternoon I went to the opening of an exhibition of photos by Tobie Openshaw. The exhibition entitled "Betelnut Beauty" features photos by Tobie of betel nut girls in Taoyuan and Xinzhu. You can see some of Tobie's photos at flickr, however I suggest visiting the exhibition if you get the chance. The photos look much brighter and detailed as large prints and make a much greater impact.
Tobie spoke about his reasons for putting on the exhibition. He has been photographing betel nut girls for about seven years and sees it is a unique part of life in Taiwan that couldn't exist anywhere else in the world. He originally tried to produce a documentary about the girls. He pitched it to National Geographic twice and they knocked it back. The reason? Because there weren't any unhappy betel nut girls!
Tobie also said that most people in Taiwan have already made up their minds about betel nut girls. Many people think of them as "bad girls". Through his photos he hopes to show the character and personality of the girls.
Ada, the betel nut girl in one of Tobie's photos on the left, was unable to attend the exhibition because of a motorcycle accident. Her friend Xiao Juan (in the photo at the top) attended in her place. I tried to talk to her, but she was very shy. I didn't learn much about her except that she was from Taoyuan and had worked as a betel nut girl for five or six years.
* * * * *
The exhibition runs until 8 March. Full details of when and where are below.
Hung Chong Gallery
396-1 Ren-ai Road Section 4 Taipei
10:00am — 6:00pm
February 24 — March 8, 2007
恆昶藝廊
台北市仁愛路四段396-1號一樓
十點至十八點
二月24日至三月8日
X-cup, Poagao and foreign creators in Taiwan
Betel nut girls in the news
Adoration of Shepherds exhibition opening
Betel nut girls galore
The power of the nut
Posted: February 24th, 2007 under Museums & galleries, Photos, Taipei City, Taiwan.
Comments
Comment from clay0529
Time 25 February 2007 at 10:57 am
I am a student in Hsinchu. Some betel nut girls photos looks familiar, maybe near Kuang-Fu Road?^^
Comment from Shi-ru
Time 27 February 2007 at 5:14 pm
“He originally tried to produce a documentary about the girls. He pitched it to National Geographic twice and they knocked it back. The reason? Because there weren’t any unhappy betel nut girls!” IS this the real reason why he was knocked back? Unbelievable!!!
Pingback from David on Formosa » Betel nut girls in the news
Time 1 March 2007 at 5:46 pm
[...] There is an article in today\’s Taipei Times by Jules Quartly about Tobie Openshaw\’s Betelnut Beauty photo exhibition. It is well worth a read and makes a number of interesting points. [...]
Comment from Leo
Time 6 March 2007 at 2:11 pm
The girl in the picture is not a real betelnut beauty in Taipei. A real one will dress more fewer, even only underware. 
Comment from Tobie Openshaw
Time 9 March 2007 at 1:40 pm
Leo – you need to get out more. There ARE no betelnut girls in Taipei city (well – hardly any) they were banned there. They way they dress is very different in different parts of the country. Down South you will see girls dressed in underwear only, but in the Taoyuan/Nankan area (where these pictures were taken) the girls have a dress code. Come and see for yourself anytime.
Tobie Openshaw
Comment from Tobie Openshaw
Time 9 March 2007 at 1:44 pm
Well – that’s a great oversimplification, of course … but yes, the majority of the girls we interviewed were no more discontented with their job that the average office worker. And on the face iof it, a bunch of happy workers doesn’t sound like they would make for “good television”. But – we are still pursuing funding to complete our film. And we WILL make it interesting
Tobie Openshaw
Pingback from 到台湾找槟榔 | 到台湾找我玩,同志!–站长BLOG
Time 25 July 2007 at 4:35 pm
[...] 详见…Betelnut beauty exhibition opening [...]
Comment from Prince Roy
Time 24 February 2007 at 7:15 pm
It was good to see you there. I notice you keyed in on the National Geographic bit too. That is just priceless!