Here’s a skeevy trend for you. In Hong Kong, teenage girls are going on “compensated dates” after school. Basically, they go out with older men in exchange for money, but they don’t see this as prostitution, because in their minds they’re in control of whether or not sex is involved … even though sex is usually involved. These girls are using the money to buy fancy-schmancy designer goods, which are increasingly a big deal in Asia. Total side note: When I studied in Tokyo, my Japanese friend told me that she wanted the brands that Americans like Britney Spears wore. When I tried to explain that teenage girls can’t often afford the same things as celebrities, she looked legitimately confused.
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