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{{Short description|Female roadside sellers of betel nuts and cigarettes in Taiwan}}
{{About||the Taiwanese film|Betelnut Beauty (film)}}
{{More citations needed|date=July 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}
[[File:Betel Nut Beauty Stand.jpg|thumb|300px|A highly decorated betel nut kiosk along the main street near a freeway intersection]]
{{Infobox Chinese|t=檳榔西施|s=槟榔西施|p=bīnláng xīshī|w=pin<sup>1</sup>-lang<sup>2</sup> hsi<sup>1</sup>-shih<sup>1</sup>|poj=pin-nn̂g se-si/pin-nn̂g sai-si}}
In [[Taiwan]], a '''betel nut beauty''' or '''binlang girl''' ({{zh|t=檳榔西施|p=bīnláng xīshī|poj=pin-nn̂g se-si}}) is a young woman selling [[Areca nut|betel nut]]s and cigarettes from a brightly lit glass enclosure while wearing revealing clothing. The term in Chinese comes from [[Xi Shi]], the legendary beauty of imperial China's [[Spring and Autumn period]]. Though betel nuts are chewed in many regions in Southeast Asia, the betel nut beauty phenomenon is distinctly Taiwanese.
The original betel nut beauties were the "Shuangdong Girls" who, in the 1960s, brought glamour to the opening of the Shuangdong Betel Nut Stand in [[Guoxing, Nantou|Guoxing]], [[Nantou County|Nantou]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2007/03/12/2003351976 |last=Huang |first=Wan-tran |title=Why Pick on Betel-nut Beauties? |work=Taipei Times |date=12 March 2007 |access-date=13 November 2012}}</ref> The success of the marketing strategy led competitors to follow suit, and by the end of the century, betel nut stands topped with [[neon sign]]s became a common feature of Taiwan. The stands appear in urban, suburban and rural settings alike.
As icons of Taiwanese culture, betel nut beauties appear frequently in art and film, notably the 2001 movie ''[[Betelnut Beauty (film)|Betelnut Beauty]]''<ref>{{cite web |title=Ai ni ai wo |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0275902/ |publisher=IMDb |access-date=5 June 2009}}</ref> and the 2007 art film ''[[Help Me Eros|Help Me, Eros]]''.<ref>{{cite web| title=Bang bang wo ai shen |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1076251/ |publisher=IMDb |access-date=5 June 2009}}</ref> In 2016, director [[Tony Xue]] released ''Betelnut Girls'', with lead actors [[Peggy Tseng]] and [[Paul Hsu]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.chinapost.com.tw/movie/films/2016/12/02/485584/Back-to.htm |title=Back to basics - the China Post |access-date=1 December 2016 |archive-date=1 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001044806/http://www.chinapost.com.tw/movie/films/2016/12/02/485584/back-to.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Definition and distribution==
In a general sense, betel nut beauty refers to any female betel nut saleswoman wearing seductive clothing.
Flamboyant betel nut stands decorated with flashing [[neon sign]]s are a common sight on many major roads in Taiwan.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Tacon|first=Dave|date=2012-03-10|title=They're dressed to thrill but it's betel nut that stimulates|url=https://www.smh.com.au/world/theyre-dressed-to-thrill-but-its-betel-nut-that-stimulates-20120310-1urcf.html|access-date=2021-12-21|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|language=en}}</ref> Their primary target consumers are mostly truckers and other working-class people.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Magnier|first=Mark|date=2009-01-22|title=They're spicing up the betel nut|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jan-22-fg-betel-beauty22-story.html|url-status=live|access-date=2021-12-21|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200824130946/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jan-22-fg-betel-beauty22-story.html |archive-date=24 August 2020 }}</ref> Some shop owners started to hire girls dressed in sexy outfits to grab customers' attention, and rivals followed suit.<ref name=":0" />
Apart from being scantily clothed, some betel nut beauties also offered "drive-through" sex services for their customers. For an extra charge, a betel nut beauty would enter a customer's car and perform [[oral sex]] on them.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2007-01-24|title=Crackdown on drive-through sex with betel nut beauties|url=https://chinapost.nownews.com/20070124-132800|access-date=2021-12-21|website=The China Post, Taiwan|language=en-US}}</ref>
Aside from the fear that these practices would generate crime, the presence of betel nut beauties is said to also distract drivers and cause more car accidents.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Betel nut beauties told to cover up - Oct. 8, 2002|url=https://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/southeast/10/08/offbeat.taiwan.betel/index.html|access-date=2021-12-16|publisher=CNN}}</ref>
==Taiwanese betel nut culture==
Betel nut refers to [[Areca nut|the seed]] of ''[[Areca catechu]]'', or betel palm, which, like ''[[Cocos nucifera]]'' (coconut palm), belongs to family [[Arecaceae]]. It is an evergreen tree whose trunk can grow as tall as twenty meters. The word ''binlan'' originated from [[Indonesian language|Indonesian]]. Betel nut was initially used as a herbal plant, although in modern times it is mostly taken for its stimulating properties.
Betel nut chewing is a widespread practice in Taiwan, first introduced to the majority [[Han Chinese|Han]] population by the native [[Taiwanese indigenous peoples]]. It is estimated that over a hundred billion [[New Taiwan dollar]]s are spent annually on this product which has the colloquial name of "Taiwanese chewing gum". Frequent users are often called the "red-lip clan", since the residue often stains the lips and gums. According to the government's [[Council of Agriculture]], as many as seventy farms have joined this lucrative pursuit by planting betel nut trees, which makes betel nut the most important economic crop in Taiwan since the 1990s. However, the upsurge of betel nut planting causes problems with soil and water conservation on the hillside land. It was also found that the Taiwanese way of consuming betel nut significantly enhances its potential to cause cancer.
==Controversy==
[[File:Betel girl01.JPG|thumb|A betel nut beauty]]
Controversy surrounding betel nut beauties generally centers on two questions:
# the propriety of their revealing dress in public places
# whether their dress marks them as victims of exploitation
Betel nut beauties often come from agricultural and working-class sectors of Taiwanese society. This has led some critics to regard their revealing dress as a sign of exploitation.<ref>[http://www.attimes.com ''Asia Times Online''.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160430155433/http://attimes.com/ |date=30 April 2016 }} [https://web.archive.org/web/20021020172902/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/DJ09Ad01.html Betel nut brouhaha exposes disagreement] Retrieved 1 December 2012</ref> Other observers, such as [[Josephine Ho]], coordinator of the Center for the Study of Sexuality at [[National Central University]], see betel nut beauties as self-empowering: young women with few resources who better their economic situation by employing a marketing technique that requires confidence.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2005/05/22/2003256122|title=Betel-nut girls focus of exhibit|work=Taipei Times|last=Mo |first=Yan-chih|date=2005-05-22|access-date=2013-10-22}}</ref>
==Suppression==
In 2002, local governments in Taiwan started to impose laws or regulations covering the dress code of betel nut beauties, prohibiting the wearing of over-revealing clothes. [[Taipei]] was the first to initiate the change.
On 17 September 2002, [[Taoyuan City|Taoyuan County]] (now Taoyuan City) implemented a "three nos" policy which prevented betel nut beauties from wearing outfits which exposed their bellies, breasts, and buttocks. The policy sparked backlash from those operating in the industry and resulted in groups protesting in front of the Taoyuan County Hall.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2002-09-19|title='Betel-nut beauties\' bare their anger over new rules - Taipei Times|url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2002/09/19/0000168618|access-date=2021-12-16|website=taipeitimes.com}}</ref>
Regulations were also imposed in [[Taichung]], [[Tainan City|Tainan]], and [[Kaohsiung]].{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}
Some betel nut beauties are high school dropouts and their jobs represent the principal source of income for their families. Most have difficulty finding a job in a convenience store because they lack an educational qualification or because of age restrictions; some choose to enter this profession for its higher pay.
==See also==
*[[Areca nut]]
*''[[Areca catechu]]''
*[[Bikini barista]]
*[[Café con piernas]]
*[[Hooters]]
*[[Paan]]
*[[Red Envelope Club]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
* Translated from [[:zh:檳榔西施|the equivalent article]] on the Chinese Wikipedia on 27 March 2008.
==Further reading==
*{{cite news |url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-betel-beauty22-2009jan22,0,780835.story |title=Taiwan's 'betel nut beauties' drum up business, and debate |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=22 January 2009 |first=Mark |last=Magnier |access-date=13 November 2012}}
*{{cite news |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2007/03/01/2003350589 |title=Bird-watching in Taiwan |work=[[Taipei Times]] |date=1 March 2007 |first=Jules |last=Quartly |access-date=13 November 2012}}
*{{cite news |url=http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1077043 |first=Venkatesan |last=Vembu |title=The 'betel-nut beauties' of Taiwan |work=[[Daily News and Analysis]] |location=India |date=30 January 2007 |access-date=13 November 2012}}
*{{cite news |url=http://taiwanreview.nat.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=25619&CtNode=128 |first=Audrey |last=Wang |title=Betelnut Culture Turns Over a New Leaf |work=[[Taiwan Review]] |date=1 February 2008 |access-date=13 November 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209070202/http://taiwanreview.nat.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=25619&CtNode=128 |archive-date=9 February 2012 }}
== External links==
{{commons category|Betel nut beauties}}
* [https://flickr.com/photos/tobie_openshaw/sets/72157594581621891/ Betelnut Beauties], An extensive Flickr photo set and discussion by Tobie Openshaw, who has been researching and documenting the girls for many years.
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REGny16o8X0 TEDxMonga - Tobie Openshaw 歐陽峰 - Taiwan's Betelnut Girl Culture], Illustrated TEDx talk on eight years of documenting the subject
{{DEFAULTSORT:Betel Nut Beauty}}
[[Category:Culture of Taiwan]]
[[Category:Slang terms for women]]