Do you know whether or not you are a prostitute? asks a Shanghai sign

Rerun because I am on the road and because this is a favourite. Do you know whether or not you are a prostitute is the question raised by a sign seen at Zapata’s Mexican Cantina in Shanghai.Most of the heat in conversations about commercial sex goes to the idea of prostitution – whether it can ever be a normalised profession called sex work or whether it is by definition violence against women. Some people think marriage is prostitution; others think all paid work is. For myself, I wonder how people imagine there to be a clear line between commercial and non-commercial sexual transactions, since all of life seems saturated with both.

My curiosity was piqued when I saw the above photo from Zapata’s, a middle-class bar-restaurant located in Tongren Lu, a popular Shanghai nightlife area. It’s not the kind of place where I expected to see a sign about prostitution. Trying to figure this one out led me into the expat world, where only insiders— most of the vocal ones men—  understand what’s going on. I hung around Internet forums where this sign made the rounds and explanations ranged from it was the bar manager’s private joke to the place is filthy with prostitutes; decent girls won’t go there.

There are discussions of the many types of predatory women loose in the city. ISpyShanghai mentions entertainers,Tiger girls, bar girls, butterflies, hostesses, chickens, and those girls on Tongren Lu who will literally jump into the taxi with you if you don’t shut the door quickly enough.

Discussants at forums like Shanghaiexpat say too many pros (professionals) get past bar bouncers and warn each other about falling into the clutches of girls who try to get you inside talk-talk bars, where they will only flirt and promote your buying of drinks.

Some call such bars fronts for prostitution. Others make a class distinction between talk-talk bars and hostess bars, the latter being more upscale. There are also warnings about ladyboys, transvestites and other non-real women, who are even said to form the majority of female-looking customers in some places.

Could Zapata’s managers be trying to keep single women out? Certainly not; Ladies’ Nights are common in Shanghai, where each time the door opens, hundreds of eyes fix on the arriving guests, hoping that they have breasts.

So, what have we got? A commercial bar scene where men with money want females to be available to them for picking up, flirting, and perhaps going somewhere to have sex. Those women may accept gifts of drinks, food, taxis and flowers without losing their shine. In another popular, mainstream, local example, KTV (karaoke television) venues invite men to come in groups and hire the services of women to drink and sing with them in small private rooms.

The taint comes when women do exactly the same things with the addition of asking for cash.

It’s subtle and confusing, isn’t it? When is it legitimate for women to take money or accept drinks? What about the customers— why is there no distinction amongst them? They take out their wallets in all kinds of situations— and that’s considered fine— except when they position themselves as victims of predators. On the other hand, they discuss which KTV place has the hottest/most fun girls.

Zapata’s managers and bouncers are male, so maybe it makes sense that they would put up such a blunt, sexist sign telling prostitutes to keep out. But what does it mean to say If you are unsure whether or not you’re a prostitute, please ask one of our friendly security guards to sort it out for you?

Presumably a professional knows that the sign refers to her or him-self and has no need to consult anyone about it. Which leaves whom?

What if I go to Shanghai alone, get dressed up, and appear alone at Zapata’s bar? Is it okay as long as I don’t talk to any men or am seen to be paying for my own drinks? What happens if the barman brings me a parasol-decorated margarita on behalf of the guy across the bar, who’s already paid for it? Should I now feel worried about being bounced? In case anyone thinks this is unlikely, one of the expat discussions involved a woman who was asked to leave Zapata’s although she was there with girlfriends.

She was said to be Taiwanese. Some of the participants in expat forums specify that they are Chinese. Bouncers might or might not understand different kinds of regional Chinese languages. Someone said prostitutes don’t have to look Asian. Since ho-style is in fashion, clothes aren’t the key to this conundrum. I think I’m better off not going out, or sticking to an old-fashioned hotel bar where I’m allowed to accept a drink from a stranger— or offer one to someone else.

Originally published at Susie Bright’s Journal .

– Laura Agustín, the Naked Anthropologist

16 thoughts on “Do you know whether or not you are a prostitute? asks a Shanghai sign

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  4. Bianca

    I live and work in Shanghai, and I have seen this sign before. I have always interpreted as the manager’s joking way to deal with the fact that there are a lot of sex workers in the bar. I thought the sign was meant to reassure the other guests, albeit in a questionable way, that the management and bouncers are aware of this and that you may complain to them about any issues.

    Out of interest, I asked a Chinese colleague to give his interpretation. While the translation seems to be correct, he thinks the purpose is to humiliate the sex worker. As losing face is a big issue in Chinese culture, the Chinese version seems to anticipate any excuses assumed sex workers might make when asked to leave and thus ridiculing these.

    However you interpret it though, Zapata’s should be avoided completely anyway… The sex workers there have a bad reputation because they accomodate to their potential clients.

    Reply
    1. Lilly

      This makes the most sense. Could you really feel comfortable doing business here after reading the sign? Sometimes pointing out the obvious is the easiest way to enforce the rules.

      Reply
  5. Programs

    Who needs a psychologist or sex therapist? Just stop by this Cantina and get diagnosed by the bouncers and security guards. Seems a little sexist to me.

    Reply
  6. Auto Dialer Software Guy

    Fascinating post. Knowing that the Chinese culture is relatively reserved compared to ours, I am amazed that any establishment in China would actually put up a sign like this which would draw attention. Wow.

    Reply
    1. Jack Jones

      I think saying Chinese culture is relatively reserved is just playing to a stereotype. China is so vast and diverse, there are many different cultures and even sub-cultures. I don’t think the sign is that surprising.

      Reply
  7. ben coach

    Your comment here is actually deeper than it appears at first glance

    “Presumably a professional knows that the sign refers to her or him-self and has no need to consult anyone about it. Which leaves whom?”

    What would they expect to gain out of that? The sign being effective to only honest prostitutes with a conscience? Or just the really dumb ones?

    Lots of insights here on cultural anthropology, especially what makes the difference in an action- taking money for it being the defining factor.

    Reply
  8. Kathy Anderson

    This is really funny! To ask the bouncers of a restaurant whether you are prostitute or not is the best joke I’ve ever heard! I suppose everybody have a different opinion about prostitution though.

    Kathy

    Reply
  9. Sofia Thresher

    I don’t think the sign funny at all. It’s indeed quite cynical. Why can’t one be sure whether or not she’s a prostitute or not? And that the security guard should sort it out for her, way too offend.

    Reply
  10. Jason Sikes

    Is this sign serious? Can someone not know if they are a prostitute or not? Why would security guards need to sort out such ambiguity? Isn’t that the role of a counsellor? I think that this is a prank…

    Reply

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