If you think unwed Western women feel pressure to marry, spare a thought for our sisters in China, where the stigma is so bad women are actually starting to rent boyfriends. As might you, if the state media in your country blithely referred to single ladies over 27 as sheng nu, or "leftover women".
The term is widespread in China, and the generally accepted theory goes like this: Hoards of women born in the 70s were too picky when it came to choosing a mate, and now they sit on the shelf getting old and even more unmarried as the months go by. It's their own fault for thinking too highly of themselves, and therefore they deserve their fate, and to read astonishing headlines such as: 'Do Leftover Women Really Deserve Our Sympathy?'
Hence the rentals. According to ABC news, Chinese shopping website Taobao.com has witnessed an 884 per cent rise from this time last year in searches that translate as "Rent a boyfriend". More than 2000 results come up, with rental options and a sliding scale of prices:
"Those prices depend on what the customer wants," says the ABC. "For instance, just going to a movie can cost 50 RMB (about $8) an hour, but that price doubles if it's a horror movie. Different rates apply for simple conversation, a dinner party, going out for drinks or meeting the parents."
Some other services are wakeup calls (US $1.45); shopping expeditions (US $6.42 per hour); party going; dinners; "just chatting" and/or "drinking partner". All-inclusive deals sit at around US$128 a day. And "Handshakes, hugs and goodbye kisses on the cheeks or forehead" are complimentary. Which, inexplicably, I find quite sweet.
