Newsflash #3- (the hardest one i've ever had to write)

Feminism fights to create equality for women so women can hold power roles in all facets of life such as business, the house, and especially in terms of their sex lives. “Where the Boys Are” by Molly Simms reveals problems of exploitation and contradictions for all parties involved not just the men who are selling their “services” to women. I feel as though I must preference firstly, the fact that this article is talking about a “cultural phenomenon” in Japan and I am critiquing it based on an American viewpoint and using American feminist theories that we have learned about in class. Secondly, I have to say that I found the article presenting such a multifaceted array of issues, each that I found to be problematic.

At first I found the article, which was published in Bust April/May issue, to be extremely interesting and problematic for the boys whose career choice was being addressed and given new attention to a new circle of people. This again, I realized was coming from an American standpoint, so while rereading I tried to put my immediate judgment to the side, but quickly realized that I could not. The article, whether intentionally or not, reveals that this line of work, not only hurts the men who choose to “sell their bodies” but also the women who chose to buy it.

At first glance this article describes a world of flashing lights where women seem to be in control. Simms is appropriate in saying, “In a fascinating twist on the centuries-old geisha tradition, Japanese women are shelling out big bucks for a night’s worth of attention from beautiful ‘host boys’.” Essentially what these young men’s job entails is to make women feel good. On the surface it is not the equivalent to what we would call prostitution or even escort service here in the US. In Japan there is a whole industry based on this line of work. Perhaps the seemingly acceptance of this work, comes from a long tradition in the form of geisha, yet it has transformed over the years. This industry evolved from geisha into a world of hostess at first and then eventually included hosts. A host does the exact same thing as hostess. “Hostesses cater to deep-pocketed businessmen who attend kyabakura, a Japanglish term that’s a blend of ‘cabaret’ and ‘club’. There are approximately 13,000 of these establishments in Tokyo alone, where men pay through the nose for top-shelf booze and the company of women who pour them drinks, listen to their corny jokes and offer hot hand towels as they leave the restroom. Modern hostesses can, and often must, boost their salaries with dohan, paid dinner dates that occur outside the club…it’s common for them to receive lavish gifts for sleeping with customers during off hours.” This is what the industry grew into and now the gender roles have been switched. Now instead, or more appropriately now there are both hostess and host. Women now are in some ways subordinating men.

The question on whether it is right for women to subordinate men as being right or wrong is a whole other question that I would have gone into, however, I found the article moved away from this and presented another problem-both sexes are being used. Again, I am not sure if the author recognized this problem or not; for she did not come right out and say these men are being treated badly and these women are not actually in control. Simms just lays out the picture of what is occurring leaving the questioning and investigation up to the reader. Yet, her use of language allows for the reader to really devolve into this multifaceted predicament of “hosting”.

Firstly I want to focus on why choosing to be a “host boy” is problematic for men. I already stated that some might find these men are being kept in a position where they lack the ability to express themselves. They are in some ways inferior; their feelings do not matter. Clearly the men who choose to do this line of work need the money (one would assume). Who knows if they have any other outlets and this job in some ways keeps them in an inferior position. Is this what feminism wants? I happen to think it is not the ideals of feminism, I believe feminism stands for equality for all. Women should not acquire power by keeping men down.

Yet, this is not the real issue of the article. Women are not keeping down these men; other men subordinate them. At these clubs there is a clear class distinction, the more time you serve the more you are respected. “Newbies have to pay their dues before ranking in the big bucks, by doing gruntwork around the club-scrubbing toilets, washing dishes, taking out the trash-and ‘catching’ new customers on the street.” There are many episodes where newer host suffer violence from senior host. The article provides first hand accounts from different men in the business. “One time, one got so mad at me that he almost hit me in the head with a bottle of Jack Daniels. It was for some very minor reason…I was too nervous to even speak…” Besides physical and demeaning demands placed by other men, these men are suffering from serious health problems. “The number of hosts who stay in the business more than a year is about 1 in 100, and the reason for the high turnover is most likely the booze.” These men’s’ job is to get their clients trashed and in doing that they themselves end up getting hammered. This is a requirement by the clubs. “Drinking such mass quantities of booze necessitates that they force themselves to vomit, sometimes a few times a night, so they can stay upright until closing.” This is a serious issue; alcohol poison results in death and these men are walking a very thin line. Based on these issues, it is clear that host boys are not necessarily being subordinated by women, but by the establishment with which they work. In the article, it appeared as though men own most of these clubs. Thus, men are subordinating other men.

Secondly, the other problem I found was women are not actually in control. They are given the illusion that they are, but in fact are being taken advantage of themselves. The language of the article had a huge influence on my conclusion of this issue. First of all, it appears as though host boys are preying on women. They are required to stand outside and look for women to bring into the clubs. “When a girl in a thigh-length skirt totters unsteadily around the corner, the hosts walk toward her with a smile.” Also, these institutions, in some way, make women dependent on the host. It is explained as a drug.
“Much like drug dealers who give potential customers the initial hit for free, first-timers can expect to pay only about $35 for a night of drinks and flirty banter. Once she is hooked (italicized not included in the article) on the doting, however, to come back in the door she’ll pony up around $300 for a night of male attention and a couple of rounds of drinks, and that’s without any of the extras like private time or bottles of champagne, which can easily push her bill to four or five digits.…The girl who’s dropping the cash becomes the center of attention, with host circling her, changing her name on microphones and music pounds, and holding a damp towel under her chin while she downs alcohol. Host make a 50 percent commission on whatever their customers pay for in the club, so it’s in their best interest (not italicized in article) to keep the booze flowing and the ladies spending.”
I cannot read this and not think that these women are not being taken advantage of. Yes, they choose to go to these clubs, but they are being exploited. They are given individual attention and then pushed to intoxication levels that make their level judgment and competence questionable.

Thirdly, These clubs and relationship are based on lies. Hosts spend the majority of their time perfecting the ideal man. “The hosts style themselves to resemble their clients’ ultimate male fantasy. After that he is expected to understand and sympathize, to an extent, the women’s plight. “He has to understand how she is not being satisfied in her daily life and satisfy her.” Sociology professor Kyle Cleveland, at Tempel University in Japan stays, “What is being bought is a form of companionship.” Since it is being bought it is not genuine or real. It is a lie. Again, first hand accounts reveal the truth this truth, “I got so tired of lying to the customers… I had to praise them… everything was based on lies.”

Fourthly, another point that I had contention with is “70 to 80 percent of the host’s earnings come from prostitute clients.” The vast majority of women going to these clubs are prostitutes themselves! They are already involved in a business, which keeps them at a disadvantage. These social circles are playing off of each other.

This article revealed so many different issues it was hard to figure out what I was arguing for and against. I spent a lot of time to map out all of the problems and still feel as though I am not doing this article justice. And at the same time, I wonder if I am imposing my own ideas onto a culture that may not see an issue. I have to wonder if that is why Simms does not clearly articulate the problems, but uses strong words to depict that there is a problem.

April Levy, was the first theorist that came to mind when evaluating all the problems of hosting. I thought of her chapter pigs in training, and how she argues that these women are being lied to. Young girls believe that sex equates power. This on one level works directly due to sex being the issue in question, but on a deeper level it insinuates that both these men and women who participate in hosting, whether by selling or buying, believe that they are in control- they are buying into a system that actually gives them no power and instead keeps them inferior.

One more time, I have to wonder if I bit off more than I could chew. I tried to reveal my issues of contempt while realizing that I know nothing about this culture. Then I tried to support my argument with American theorists, who know nothing about Japanese culture. I have to admit that I feel as though I am being Eurocentric in my viewing of hosting in Japan.