What happens when Japanese women rise in the corporate ranks and start raking in the dough? Well, aside from reaching greater professional parity and personal power … they start hiring geisha guys, naturally.
CNN reports today on the growing industry of male entertainers, so-dubbed geisha guys, who earn $1,000 to $50,000 a night for keeping women company. They reportedly dress to the nines, dye and blow-dry their hair, lavish their clients with compliments and … that’s allegedly it. As CNN puts it, “The industry says only compliments” — meaning no bodily fluids — “are exchanged.” Yunosuke, a 24-year-old entertainer, says: “I give women things that men normally don’t do, like complimenting their appearance.” Jeez, considering the potential $50,000 price tag, I hate to think what stimulating conversation or a compliment of any depth would cost.
CNN reports that this trend signifies “a dizzying reversal of traditional gender roles in a country long known for geishas pampering male clients with conversation, singing and dancing.” Of course, this taps into a larger cross-cultural truth: Regardless of their sex, for some high-powered business people money isn’t an issue when it comes to companionship. Or, perhaps it is the issue.
