Comments on: Betel nut girls in the news http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/2007/03/betel-nut-girls-in-the-news/ commentary on all things Taiwanese -- Taichung, Taiwan Wed, 01 Sep 2010 07:20:03 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Josambro http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/2007/03/betel-nut-girls-in-the-news/comment-page-1/#comment-75025 Josambro Fri, 30 Nov 2007 09:28:59 +0000 http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/2007/03/betel-nut-girls-in-the-news/#comment-75025 I wanted to comment about the article above, but I didn't get past the images...and the words "beauty's black forest..." and the, um... yeah. Man, I really could go for some leaf-wrapped betel nut right now... ...I gotta run. Maybe I Should put my Betel Nut Girl story on my blog... Man, I miss Taiwan already.... I wanted to comment about the article above, but I didn’t get past the images…and the words “beauty’s black forest…” and the, um… yeah. Man, I really could go for some leaf-wrapped betel nut right now…

…I gotta run.

Maybe I Should put my Betel Nut Girl story on my blog…

Man, I miss Taiwan already….

]]> By: David Reid http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/2007/03/betel-nut-girls-in-the-news/comment-page-1/#comment-11008 David Reid Sun, 18 Mar 2007 07:13:54 +0000 http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/2007/03/betel-nut-girls-in-the-news/#comment-11008 ari, I don't think anyone denies these things happen. It is just that the media tends to focus on these things and distort people's perceptions of who betel nut girls are and what they do. That is the key point I am trying to get across in what I wrote above. Unfortunately pictures of naked women sell more newspapers than serious analysis of the issues. ari, I don’t think anyone denies these things happen. It is just that the media tends to focus on these things and distort people’s perceptions of who betel nut girls are and what they do. That is the key point I am trying to get across in what I wrote above. Unfortunately pictures of naked women sell more newspapers than serious analysis of the issues.

]]> By: ari jones http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/2007/03/betel-nut-girls-in-the-news/comment-page-1/#comment-10976 ari jones Sun, 18 Mar 2007 05:45:10 +0000 http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/2007/03/betel-nut-girls-in-the-news/#comment-10976 case you missed it, APPLE DAILY had a photo on Friday page 9 or so, of betel nut girl with open blouse exposing tits to driver in a car with secret camera shot. You guys who think betel nut bueaties are just salesgirl ought to get your heads examined. these girls are doing it. you don't know because you are 4inners. wake up and smell the red juice! case you missed it, APPLE DAILY had a photo on Friday page 9 or so, of betel nut girl with open blouse exposing tits to driver in a car with secret camera shot. You guys who think betel nut bueaties are just salesgirl ought to get your heads examined. these girls are doing it. you don’t know because you are 4inners. wake up and smell the red juice!

]]> By: Tobie Openshaw http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/2007/03/betel-nut-girls-in-the-news/comment-page-1/#comment-9200 Tobie Openshaw Mon, 05 Mar 2007 23:46:27 +0000 http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/2007/03/betel-nut-girls-in-the-news/#comment-9200 No problem, Michael. That button gets pressed a lot, (and I know that you know ... ) so it was good to get an opportunity to respond :) Cheers Tobie No problem, Michael. That button gets pressed a lot, (and I know that you know … ) so it was good to get an opportunity to respond :)
Cheers
Tobie

]]> By: Michael Turton http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/2007/03/betel-nut-girls-in-the-news/comment-page-1/#comment-9182 Michael Turton Mon, 05 Mar 2007 03:05:12 +0000 http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/2007/03/betel-nut-girls-in-the-news/#comment-9182 David, Tobie's Flickr link won't open because it has a comma on the end in the link. Can you fix that? David, Tobie’s Flickr link won’t open because it has a comma on the end in the link. Can you fix that?

]]> By: Michael Turton http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/2007/03/betel-nut-girls-in-the-news/comment-page-1/#comment-9181 Michael Turton Mon, 05 Mar 2007 03:04:01 +0000 http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/2007/03/betel-nut-girls-in-the-news/#comment-9181 Thanks, Tobie. Sorry to have pressed a button with some sloppy writing. Michael Thanks, Tobie. Sorry to have pressed a button with some sloppy writing.

Michael

]]> By: David Reid http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/2007/03/betel-nut-girls-in-the-news/comment-page-1/#comment-9172 David Reid Sun, 04 Mar 2007 23:46:16 +0000 http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/2007/03/betel-nut-girls-in-the-news/#comment-9172 Thanks for your comments Tobie. I agree wholeheartedly with what you say. Thanks for your comments Tobie. I agree wholeheartedly with what you say.

]]> By: Tobie Openshaw http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/2007/03/betel-nut-girls-in-the-news/comment-page-1/#comment-9166 Tobie Openshaw Sun, 04 Mar 2007 19:05:23 +0000 http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/2007/03/betel-nut-girls-in-the-news/#comment-9166 The point that I try to make in my interview and with my exhibition, is that the general impression that people have about betelnut girls (they\'re all prostitutes and they\'ll all let you cop a feel for x amount) is not the case, and very specifically not the case in the areas in which I operate. There are big regional differences in how the girls dress and act, that is true. Copping a feel does happen, I know (although interestingly enough, always to a friend\'s cousin\'s uncle). But while it does happen, I hope to show that you cannot tar every betelnut girl with the same brush. They get little enough respect as it is without the 90\'s stereotypes being perpetuated. I would invite anyone who thinks that \"betelnut girls are prostitutes\" and that \"most of them\" will let you feel whatever it is you get off on feeling, to come to Taoyuan and try. You are most likely to feel th ewrong end of the lao-ban\'s baseball bat. Secondly, I invite you to visit my flickr site at www.flickr.com/photos/tobie_openshaw , look into the eyes of girls like Ada, Amy and Hsiao Chin, and tell me to my face that these girls are all prostitutes. (And then next you might want to tell me how a girl, alone in a transparent glass booth, is going to service a client while still selling betelnut?) I\'ve been talking to these girls for 7 years, I think I have a pretty good handle on where they\'re at. The go-go days are over, is exactly my point. And you know, ultimately all I really want to say is, don\'t generalize, don\'t assume, and how about just showing a little respect? Tobie Openshaw The point that I try to make in my interview and with my exhibition, is that the general impression that people have about betelnut girls (they\’re all prostitutes and they\’ll all let you cop a feel for x amount) is not the case, and very specifically not the case in the areas in which I operate. There are big regional differences in how the girls dress and act, that is true. Copping a feel does happen, I know (although interestingly enough, always to a friend\’s cousin\’s uncle). But while it does happen, I hope to show that you cannot tar every betelnut girl with the same brush. They get little enough respect as it is without the 90\’s stereotypes being perpetuated. I would invite anyone who thinks that \”betelnut girls are prostitutes\” and that \”most of them\” will let you feel whatever it is you get off on feeling, to come to Taoyuan and try. You are most likely to feel th ewrong end of the lao-ban\’s baseball bat. Secondly, I invite you to visit my flickr site at http://www.flickr.com/photos/tobie_openshaw , look into the eyes of girls like Ada, Amy and Hsiao Chin, and tell me to my face that these girls are all prostitutes. (And then next you might want to tell me how a girl, alone in a transparent glass booth, is going to service a client while still selling betelnut?) I\’ve been talking to these girls for 7 years, I think I have a pretty good handle on where they\’re at. The go-go days are over, is exactly my point. And you know, ultimately all I really want to say is, don\’t generalize, don\’t assume, and how about just showing a little respect?
Tobie Openshaw

]]> By: Michael Turton http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/2007/03/betel-nut-girls-in-the-news/comment-page-1/#comment-9159 Michael Turton Sun, 04 Mar 2007 14:00:04 +0000 http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/2007/03/betel-nut-girls-in-the-news/#comment-9159 Yeah, I was a little surprised by Openshaw's claim that betel nut girls aren't prostitutes. Didn't anyone ever mention that you can feel two breasts for $100 at most of them? I think part of it is because he missed the go-go days of the '90s when the girls were young and naked, all gone after the crackdowns and the rise of wang3 jiao1. I totally agree with your comments and Openshaw's observations about pay. Betel nut girl pays relatively well, certainly better than schlepping drinks in a tea shop. let's not forget that preparing betel nuts for sale involves lots of dull repetitive fine motor work that young women traditionally do anyway, so there is no question that the industry would employ lots of young femmes even if they weren't half naked -- and the progression to half naked would become almost inevitable, given that in every culture sex sells. Betel nut girls are not a luxury, they're an inevitability. Michael Yeah, I was a little surprised by Openshaw’s claim that betel nut girls aren’t prostitutes. Didn’t anyone ever mention that you can feel two breasts for $100 at most of them? I think part of it is because he missed the go-go days of the ’90s when the girls were young and naked, all gone after the crackdowns and the rise of wang3 jiao1.

I totally agree with your comments and Openshaw’s observations about pay. Betel nut girl pays relatively well, certainly better than schlepping drinks in a tea shop. let’s not forget that preparing betel nuts for sale involves lots of dull repetitive fine motor work that young women traditionally do anyway, so there is no question that the industry would employ lots of young femmes even if they weren’t half naked — and the progression to half naked would become almost inevitable, given that in every culture sex sells. Betel nut girls are not a luxury, they’re an inevitability.

Michael

]]> By: 騷 http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/2007/03/betel-nut-girls-in-the-news/comment-page-1/#comment-9130 騷 Sat, 03 Mar 2007 03:15:09 +0000 http://blog.taiwan-guide.org/2007/03/betel-nut-girls-in-the-news/#comment-9130 http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1077043 source! http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1077043

source!

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