Photo: Tobie Openshaw
Photo: Tobie Openshaw
The Betel nut girls’ main clientele consists of male taxi or truck drivers, who stop for a quick fix of the natural stimulant while on the road. These men are naturally attracted to the skimpy outfits, but the addictive nut keeps them awake for long driving shifts. Ten betel snacks are sold for about $2.
Photo: Tobie Openshaw
The Betel nut girl tradition began in the late 1960s at the Shuangdong Betel Nut Stand, where glamorous ‘Shuangdong Girls’ were employed. The phenomenon was at its peak in the 1990s, and competition was so high that women wore increasingly revealing outfits.
Photo: Tobie Openshaw
But in 2002, officials blamed the trade for damaging the nation’s moral code and also causing the most car accidents. Betel nut use also causes up to 80 percent of oral cancers in Taiwan, which was another cause for concern. Since then, national debates have raged over the issue. The betel-nut beauties were banned from Taipei City in 2007, and a strict dress code was enforced in other areas. The girls are now required to follow the ‘Three B’s’ rule – cover their breasts, buttocks, and bellies at all times.
Photo: Tobie Openshaw
“Girls used to be able to wear hardly anything, but it’s better now because customers show more respect,” said 22-year-old Sha Tang, a Betel nut girl in Taoyuan City. She manages to earn about $TW26,000 (about $800) a month, and is actually grateful for the stricter conditions now. Her manager and 10-year veteran betel girl Chou Chou, however, has a different view.
Photo: Tobie Openshaw
“It used to be easier to make a living,” she said. “The dress code has an effect.” She admitted that betel nut use is declining, but she still manages to make a living by employing about eight girls in three 24×7 kiosks.
Photo: Tobie Openshaw
According to Taipei-based photographer and filmmaker Tobie Openshaw the betel-nut beauties aren’t well-accepted by Taiwanese society. “There’s certainly a degree of class discrimination in Taiwanese attitudes to betel-nut beauties who often drop out of school and are from poorer country areas,” he said. “Most girls I speak to just ask for a little more tolerance and respect from their countrymen.”Chou agrees that the industry is highly misunderstood. “The girls would earn much more as prostitutes,” she said. “But they choose to work here.”
Sources: Sydney Morning Herald, Daily Mail
