Bargirl

Bar girls work typically work as a bar hostess or bar dancer and often also provide sexual entertainment such as lap dancing.[1] Bikini bar girls, who provide entertainment by dancing on an elevated platform wearing a skimpy bikini or a two-piece see-through garment, are found in the Philippines[2] and other parts of Asia, usually in go-go bars. Bar dancing on stage also takes place in strip clubs in the United States. In some locations bar dancers may dance partially or fully nude.

Bargirls often receive a commission on drinks bought by their customers, either a percentage[3] or a fixed amount added to the drink's price. This is frequently a bargirl's main source of income,[4] but other sources of income can include a salary, tips (often the main source of earnings), and a percentage of any bar fine. They may also be given a periodic quota of drinks.[5] Salaries may be increased for bargirls who have more sexual encounters, as they are thought to attract more customers to the bar. Deductions are sometimes made from earnings if the bar provides food and accommodation for the bargirl.[6]

In Ethiopia in the 1970s, bargirls were common in drinking establishments. Those working in the larger bars were provided with board and lodging and a small salary, in return for their work attracting, serving and entertaining customers. Typically they also provided sexual services to their customers, the terms for which were negotiated separately with the customers. Some bargirls had many sexual encounters, while other restricted their sexual services for specific men.[6]

Screening carried out in the 1990s in Malawi indicated that about 80 per cent of bargirls carried the HIV virus. Research carried out at the time indicated that economic necessity was a major consideration in engaging and persisting in sex work.[7]

A United States Forces Korea poster, warning soldiers not to engage in prostitution or purchase a "bar fine", here referred to as a "night off"

In the popular cultures of East Asia in the twentieth century, the bar girl and teahouse girl became archetypical characters associated with prostitution, replacing the traditional courtesan in that role.[8] In postwar Japan, bar girls were to be found in the jazz clubs which provided a place for US servicemen and prostitues to meet.[9] During the Vietnam War, a system of military-endorsed prostitution allowed bar girls to provide sexual services to US servicemen.[10] Vietnamese bar girls wore western clothes, unlike most Vietnamese at the time.[11] In the Philippines, the role of bar girl has become stereotyped and stigmatised due to its association with prostitution and the US military.[12]

It is a common practice in Asia for bargirls to also act as prostitutes, either on-site (with the bar effectively acting as a brothel) or by being hired upon payment of a bar fine. In South Korea, "juicy bars" near the gates of United States military bases provide prostitutes for soldiers.[13] Prostitution has been illegal in South Korea since 2004, and since 2005 the Uniform Code of Military Justice has prohibited US military personnel from buying the services of prostitutes, with bars and clubs suspected of being venues for prostitution being declared "off-limits" for military personnel.[14]

In Japan an "entertainers visa" was introduced in 1981 allowing migrant Filipina women to work in Japanese nightclubs. The work included dancing in strip shows, socialising with male guests, and in some cases prostitution.[15]

In countries such as Thailand, where bargirl prostitution is common, it is technically illegal but widely tolerated.[16] Some bargirls in Thailand are employed by a bar[5] but most are self-employed, deriving their income from dancing, persuading bar customers to buy drinks, and prostitution. Where bargirls work as prostitutes, they may take multiple "short time" clients or accept "long-time" clients overnight or for a few days.[17]

Prostitution in China was eliminated during the period of Mao Zedong's leadership, but it subsequently returned. In the 21st century there are nightclubs where bargirls earn tips and solicit for prostitution.[18]

In the United States, B-girls (an abbreviation of bar girls) were women who were paid to converse with male patrons and encourage them to buy them both drinks.[23] The drinks were often watered down or non-alcoholic to minimize the effects of the alcohol on the B-girls and reduce the cost to the bar.[24] B-girls originated in nightclubs[25] and were employed by bars in the US during the 1940s and 1950s.[24] They were scantily clad[25] and often worked as female escorts rather than performers.[25] In her memoirs Maya Angelou describes working as a B-girl in a San Francisco strip club in the 1950s.[26]

B-girl activity has declined in the U.S.[27][lower-alpha 1] but it still occurs. Because prostitution is illegal in most parts of the U.S. and is restricted to licensed brothels in those parts of Nevada where it is legal, B-girls who act as prostitutes are breaking the law. The practice of accepting drinks for pay is specifically outlawed in many localities.[28]

Bars have been raided and closed down for "B-girl activity".[29] In one 1962 case, nightclub owners suspected of having ties to a Chicago crime syndicate were brought before the Senate Rackets Committee. The Boston Globe reported that "one of [the syndicate's] rackets, according to testimony, is the operation of cheap nightclubs which use B-girls to solicit watered-down drinks at high prices from customers, or even engage in prostitution with them."[30]

It was once common for modestly dressed B-girls to pose as secretaries who had stopped at the bar for a drink on their way home from work. The male customer, under the impression that he had found a "date" for the evening, would buy her one expensive drink after another, only to be jilted afterwards.[24]

A 1984 report by the US Internal Revenue Service described bar girls soliciting for prostitution in bars, hotels and restaurants. The report said that they earned more for sex work than streetwalkers and typically offered more varied services. Bar girls sometimes paid commission to the establishment where they worked. In some cases they used hotel rooms for sex, typically provided by the hotel management or by a client. The report suggested that police attempts to suppress the activity by arresting bar girls had rarely been successful.[31]

In 2014, city officials in Kenner, Louisiana (a suburb of New Orleans), where the practice is illegal, replaced the word "B-girl" with "B-drinker" in their liquor laws to avoid gender discrimination.[28]

• Jilt shop
• It girl
• Meshimori onna
• Prostitution in Thailand
• Table dance
• Taxi dancer

• Hope In Heaven documentary
• Painted Ladies of the Old West