Taiwan's betel nut girl culture | Tobie Openshaw | TEDxMonga
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0:00 - 0:03A female colleague asked me the other day,
-
0:03 - 0:06"What dose it feel like to know
that people think you are a weirdo?" -
0:06 - 0:07(Laughter)
-
0:08 - 0:12And not wanting to admit that I didn't
know people thought I was a weirdo, -
0:12 - 0:15I said: "Well, I think that weirdos
look at the world in a different way, -
0:15 - 0:19and they try to see a little bit behind
that which everybody accepts." -
0:19 - 0:23So if that's the definition of a weirdo,
then I'm happy to be called one. -
0:23 - 0:27So, I arrived in Taiwan 12 years ago,
-
0:27 - 0:31and I learned about
the thing called "betel nut." -
0:31 - 0:34And I was really surprised
and interested in this -
0:34 - 0:37because I'd never come
across anything like this before. -
0:37 - 0:42And, for the uninitiated, betel nut
is in fact a fruit, it's not a nut. -
0:42 - 0:46It grows on the areca palm tree.
-
0:46 - 0:51And it actually is chewed all over Asia.
-
0:51 - 0:54It's very popular and very
common all over Asia. -
0:55 - 0:56It is a stimulant.
-
0:56 - 1:00It contains something called arecoline,
which gives you a little bit of a rush. -
1:00 - 1:02Chewing a betel nut is little bit like
-
1:02 - 1:06drinking three cups of espresso coffee
immediately after each other. -
1:06 - 1:07It needs to be activated,
-
1:07 - 1:11so it gets wrapped in a leaf
which gives it some taste, -
1:11 - 1:15and then on the inside of the leaf
they put some paste - -
1:15 - 1:19a white lime paste which actually
activates the active ingredients. -
1:20 - 1:25So, this then is a product
which doesn't look like very much. -
1:25 - 1:31So how do you sell this product
to people who are driving by your store? -
1:32 - 1:33Right?
-
1:33 - 1:35You could stand out there
and wave your betel nut -
1:35 - 1:37but I don't think that
is going to work, all right? -
1:37 - 1:38(Laughter)
-
1:38 - 1:41You could put some
bright lights on your store, -
1:41 - 1:44but hey, every store in Taiwan
has bright lights on it, -
1:44 - 1:46so that's not going to
help very much either. -
1:46 - 1:50So, then somebody about
somewhere around the 1980s, -
1:50 - 1:55hit on the idea of getting a pretty girl
wearing a skimpy outfit -
1:55 - 1:58to sit by the roadside
in your store with the bright lights -
1:58 - 2:04and entice passing drivers to come into -
and stop, and buy your betel nut. -
2:05 - 2:08So, when I arrived in Taiwan,
-
2:08 - 2:10and I saw these glass boxes
by the side of the road -
2:10 - 2:12with pretty girls sitting inside,
-
2:12 - 2:13what did I think?
-
2:13 - 2:14"Are they prostitutes?"
-
2:14 - 2:15(Laughter)
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2:15 - 2:17"Is it so open here in Taiwan?"
-
2:17 - 2:18(Laughter)
-
2:18 - 2:21That was - Obviously everybody
has that thought at first. -
2:21 - 2:24But I asked my foreigner friends:
"What is the story here?" -
2:24 - 2:26They say, "No, no,
they just sell betel nut, -
2:26 - 2:30they sell drinks, and they sell
cigarettes, and nothing else." -
2:30 - 2:32I'm like, "Oh yeah, really. Right."
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2:32 - 2:33(Laughter) OK.
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2:34 - 2:36And when I asked the locals,
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2:36 - 2:38they all said: "Oh, bad girls, bad girls.
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2:38 - 2:40Don't even think about it.
Don't even talk about it. OK? -
2:40 - 2:45No. They will do all kinds of things
in those betel nut stores of theirs." -
2:45 - 2:47But then I started looking
at this, and I thought, -
2:47 - 2:49"How does it work? I don't understand.
-
2:49 - 2:53How can a girl sitting in a glass box
by the side of the road brightly lit -
2:53 - 2:55actually engage in sexual activity?"
-
2:55 - 2:57It doesn't actually make sense.
-
2:57 - 3:01And so I thought I wanted
to find out more about this. -
3:01 - 3:05Being a documentary filmmaker,
I'm interested in how things work -
3:05 - 3:07and how people think
and how people operate -
3:07 - 3:08what's going on in the world.
-
3:08 - 3:14And so I decided I'm going
to look at this subject, research it, -
3:14 - 3:15find out more about it,
-
3:15 - 3:20and try and tell this interesting
and fascinating and totally unique story. -
3:20 - 3:23But, as any filmmaker will tell you,
-
3:23 - 3:27access to your subject
is the most important thing. -
3:27 - 3:34And I found it very, very difficult
to connect up with the betel nut girls. -
3:34 - 3:36They did not want to talk to me.
-
3:36 - 3:37They would generally -
-
3:37 - 3:40They actually don't want to
talk to anybody. -
3:40 - 3:41They don't want to be photographed.
-
3:42 - 3:45They say things like:
"It's a shameful job." -
3:45 - 3:49They say things like: "My boss won't
let you take photos of me or talk to me." -
3:49 - 3:53Or they say: "My parents or my family
doesn't know that I do this job." -
3:53 - 3:57But finally I met one girl
by the name of Jane. -
3:57 - 3:59At that time she was called Ada,
-
3:59 - 4:03as Taiwanese girls sometimes do,
they change their names. -
4:03 - 4:08And she was the first girl to agree
for me to take her photo, -
4:08 - 4:11to interview her,
to tape her, to record her. -
4:11 - 4:13And it was really a breakthrough for me.
-
4:13 - 4:17And I found that she was,
in many ways, a typical betel nut girl - -
4:17 - 4:21dropped out of school; was doing
this job for several years already, -
4:21 - 4:24complained about being
harassed by men, things like that. -
4:24 - 4:26But in many ways she was also
against expectations. -
4:26 - 4:29She was very smart,
and she spoke really well. -
4:29 - 4:31And she had a very good unstanding
-
4:31 - 4:34about exactly what it is that she's doing.
-
4:34 - 4:38And in that way she helped
to introduce me to this business. -
4:38 - 4:42And that, in fact, is one of
the very first photos I ever took -
4:42 - 4:44of a betel nut girl with her consent.
-
4:44 - 4:45So,
(Laughter) -
4:45 - 4:49and that's about 2003 or 2004.
-
4:50 - 4:54So I managed to work out a strategy
-
4:54 - 4:57for dealing with the betel nut girls,
getting them to talk to me. -
4:57 - 4:59I would become a customer first.
-
4:59 - 5:03I would buy coffee and cigarettes
from them, chit-chat, -
5:03 - 5:06and then if I'd get a feeling
that they would be interested to talk, -
5:06 - 5:09I'd get a female, Chinese-speaking
assistant to go with me, -
5:09 - 5:12and we go and chat to them
and explain to them what I do. -
5:12 - 5:15And I found that when you
approach them in that way, -
5:15 - 5:18that all of us, everyone here
has a story to tell. -
5:18 - 5:21that's why we are here today, right?
because we have a story to tell. -
5:21 - 5:24And if you show a genuine
interest in someone's story, -
5:24 - 5:27they will generally
be happy to tell it to you. -
5:27 - 5:30So I wanted to make a film.
I couldn't get funding for it. -
5:31 - 5:33The government wouldn't
give money for a film -
5:33 - 5:36that promotes this part
of the Taiwanese culture. -
5:37 - 5:41But eventually it sort of transformed
itself into a photography project. -
5:41 - 5:442007, I had my first photo exhibition.
-
5:45 - 5:50And for some reason, that photo
exhibition just sort of hit a nerve. -
5:50 - 5:54And the media picked it up
and went crazy about it. -
5:54 - 5:58This foreigner, being in Taiwan,
and looking at betel nut girls, -
5:58 - 6:01and showing Taiwanese people
something about their culture, -
6:01 - 6:03and looking at it in a different way,
-
6:03 - 6:05the girls became very famous,
-
6:05 - 6:09and the stores down the road complained
that I hadn't photographed their girls, -
6:09 - 6:11because these ones are getting more money.
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6:11 - 6:12(Laughter)
-
6:12 - 6:14And so it went.
-
6:15 - 6:17Discovery did a program on them,
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6:17 - 6:20and National Geographic did some stuff,
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6:20 - 6:22and some of them ended up on TV shows.
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6:23 - 6:25And it was really just interesting.
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6:25 - 6:28As I say, it really just hit a nerve.
-
6:28 - 6:31I started to get a very good idea
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6:31 - 6:35about what people in general
think betel nut girls are, -
6:35 - 6:37and what the realities are.
-
6:37 - 6:39And I found that
they are different things. -
6:39 - 6:44And I found that the betel nut girl issue
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6:44 - 6:46has many, many layers;
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6:46 - 6:47it has many, many sides;
-
6:47 - 6:50there are no simple and clear answers.
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6:50 - 6:53And those are the kinds of things
that I enjoy dealing with, -
6:53 - 6:55and having conversations about.
-
6:55 - 6:56It's all about the conversation.
-
6:56 - 7:00So let's see, what is
the betel nut girls business in? -
7:00 - 7:02Is it prostitution?
-
7:03 - 7:05Is it girls who actually
are just prostitutes? -
7:05 - 7:07Is the business run by gangsters?
-
7:07 - 7:10The girls are all exhibitionists?
They all like to show off? -
7:11 - 7:12Or not?
-
7:12 - 7:17Is it some deep-seated and long-running
culture expression in Taiwan? -
7:18 - 7:19How about female exploitation?
-
7:19 - 7:22Are these girls exploited or are they not?
-
7:22 - 7:26On the scale of exploitation
that perhaps all of us have to deal with, -
7:26 - 7:28where do they fall?
-
7:28 - 7:31Is it maybe a form of female
empowerment? Who knows? -
7:31 - 7:35Is it just a blight on the landscape
and a heath issue, a health problem? -
7:35 - 7:37Is it just a job like any other?
-
7:37 - 7:40Or is it actually a form of urban art?
-
7:41 - 7:46So, the answer lies somewhere
along in that whole spectrum. -
7:46 - 7:48So let's take the first one, prostitution.
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7:48 - 7:49As I mentioned,
-
7:49 - 7:52doing business in a glass cage
is probably not going to actually happen. -
7:52 - 7:56But I do believe that, in general,
-
7:56 - 7:58the business is not, in fact,
around prostitution. -
7:58 - 8:01The business is around a pretty girl
sitting in a glass cage -
8:01 - 8:05and selling betel nuts girls -
betel nut, um - -
8:05 - 8:06(Laughter)
-
8:07 - 8:09Freudian slip there -
-
8:09 - 8:10(Laughter)
-
8:10 - 8:13etc., to passing motorists.
-
8:13 - 8:15Is it a business run by gangsters?
-
8:15 - 8:19Well, if you asked to take
some of those bosses' photos, -
8:19 - 8:21they'll say: "Yeah,
but just don't show my face." -
8:21 - 8:23So yes, there are certain elements.
-
8:23 - 8:28But I find these days, more and more,
the stores are actually run by women. -
8:28 - 8:33So this woman in red is Ada's former boss.
-
8:33 - 8:36And she runs the business
completely by herself -
8:36 - 8:41together with their Indonesian maid
who helps to prepare the betel nut there. -
8:41 - 8:46Some of the other women like May,
for instance, manages the store. -
8:46 - 8:48She manages three other girls
and the store. -
8:48 - 8:50The boss almost never comes there.
-
8:50 - 8:52She's totally in charge
of the place there. -
8:52 - 8:59Do the girls have some
element of exhibitionism to them? -
8:59 - 9:03So, for sure, girls like to dress sexy.
-
9:03 - 9:05They have competitions
with each other to be sexy. -
9:05 - 9:09So sometimes, in some places,
in some areas they will look like this, -
9:09 - 9:11or they would look like this.
-
9:11 - 9:13And then all the girls
in the street complain -
9:13 - 9:16because they have to compete against that.
-
9:16 - 9:18And they don't like it, all right?
-
9:20 - 9:22This, for instance, was quite
an interesting incident. -
9:22 - 9:24One of the few times that I saw
-
9:24 - 9:27really sort of overt behavior
from a betel nut girl, -
9:27 - 9:28because normally they're very prim.
-
9:28 - 9:31They're sexily dressed
but their behavior is very prim. -
9:31 - 9:34This was during a typhoon
about three or four years ago. -
9:34 - 9:37The girls were actually working
in the middle of it. -
9:37 - 9:39I stopped and took photos.
It was amazing. -
9:39 - 9:41This girl was like jumping
up and down all the time, -
9:41 - 9:43and the wind's catching
her dress, lifting it up. -
9:43 - 9:45After two or three times I'm like,
-
9:45 - 9:48"You're doing it on purpose,
aren't you? I could tell." -
9:48 - 9:49(Laughter)
-
9:49 - 9:53But, generally speaking, as I say,
the manner is actually quite prim. -
9:53 - 9:57It's that balance between being sexy
and yet being somehow innocent -
9:57 - 10:00that I think men find interesting too.
-
10:00 - 10:01How about culture?
-
10:01 - 10:02So Taiwan,
-
10:02 - 10:05or betel nut haa been used
in Taiwan for hundreds of years -
10:05 - 10:07by the Aboriginal people,
-
10:07 - 10:13it's a part of their love rituals,
marriage rituals, -
10:13 - 10:17and also just simply
hospitality, you know. -
10:17 - 10:21When somebody visits your home,
you are supposed to give them betel nut. -
10:22 - 10:25And there has been some research done.
-
10:25 - 10:30My friend Daniel did his PhD.
-
10:30 - 10:34And he had some really
interesting information about -
10:34 - 10:36during the Japanese period, for instance,
-
10:36 - 10:38betel nut was completely
eradicated in Taiwan. -
10:38 - 10:43Only the Aboriginal people
could have one or two trees in their area -
10:43 - 10:45to keep going
-
10:45 - 10:48because the Japanese
wanted to stamp out this habit. -
10:48 - 10:54But after the Japanese left,
there was a resurgence in betel nut. -
10:54 - 10:59And it became, to some extent, a very
Taiwanese thing to chew betel nut. -
10:59 - 11:02It became part of the Taiwanese culture.
-
11:02 - 11:05And even more recently, we have
this idea of "Tai-Ke," right? -
11:05 - 11:07which is very Taiwanese.
-
11:07 - 11:11It's very earthy; it's very down-to-earth.
-
11:11 - 11:15Of course, there's a large group
of people who call it low class. -
11:15 - 11:18But people like this guy, for instance,
-
11:18 - 11:24he's the chairman of the betel nut
business association in Taoyuan area. -
11:25 - 11:27I interviewed him, also from my phone.
-
11:27 - 11:32And yeah, he's very typical of that very
go-getter, businessman kind of guy, -
11:32 - 11:34and who's prompting
his business in everything -
11:34 - 11:36and very proud of being Taiwanese.
-
11:36 - 11:40The girls themselves have a certain
manner which I find quite interesting. -
11:42 - 11:48Just a little bit of idea from the way
they talk, and the way they react. -
11:48 - 11:51(Video) (Chatter)
-
12:01 - 12:03(Video ends)
-
12:03 - 12:05This is just to show again
-
12:05 - 12:08that the betel nut girls can sometimes
wear very little clothes -
12:08 - 12:10but can actually be shy.
-
12:10 - 12:14And it's also about the boundaries
that they set up for themselves. -
12:14 - 12:17I found that these girls
very strict, very clear -
12:17 - 12:20about what they're prepared to show,
-
12:20 - 12:22and what they're prepared to do,
-
12:22 - 12:23and what they're not.
-
12:23 - 12:26And for instance,
-
12:26 - 12:29Ada, one day, came out
of her store when I stopped, -
12:29 - 12:32and she was wearing her usual
pretty see-through top, -
12:32 - 12:35so you could see her bra,
but with a short skirt. -
12:35 - 12:38And when she stepped out, the wind
caught her skirt and sort of blew it up. -
12:38 - 12:41And I thought, you know, nothing of it,
-
12:41 - 12:43but she was so ashamed,
-
12:43 - 12:47she crouched down
with her face in her hands -
12:47 - 12:49because she was so embarrassed.
-
12:49 - 12:50I was really surprised by this,
-
12:50 - 12:54but I realized that there was
a boundary that had been crossed -
12:54 - 12:56in that moment being I stopped there,
-
12:56 - 12:59and her skirt blew up
so that one could see her underwear. -
12:59 - 13:02And so I found that really interesting.
-
13:02 - 13:06The girls have to deal with things like
harassment from customers, for sure. -
13:07 - 13:10The guys will talk to them, they'll
try to get them to go out with them, -
13:10 - 13:11things like that,
-
13:11 - 13:13or will try to touch them sometimes.
-
13:13 - 13:17And also, occasionally,
some of the girls complain -
13:17 - 13:21that guys will stop their cars and will
actually expose themselves to the girls. -
13:21 - 13:26So one of the girls, Shao Wen,
has this board on her wall, -
13:26 - 13:28so she will write the registration number
-
13:28 - 13:30of any cars of any guys
that give her trouble -
13:30 - 13:34so that next time when they come,
she just doesn't go out of her stand. -
13:34 - 13:36Most of the stores
also have security cameras. -
13:36 - 13:37And the word on the street is,
-
13:37 - 13:42if you give a betel nut girl trouble,
her boss will see to you. -
13:42 - 13:43(Laughter) And then -
-
13:44 - 13:47Shao Wen, who actually
also owns her own store, -
13:47 - 13:52also has something else that she can use
in case anybody gets frisky, -
13:52 - 13:54though she does say
she's never had to use it. -
13:55 - 14:00But then I also like to show
a little bit more closely sometimes, -
14:00 - 14:07show the girl and give you
the opportunity to stop and look, -
14:07 - 14:09because normally
you'd just drive past, right? -
14:09 - 14:12All your interactions
with betel nut girl would be fleeting, -
14:12 - 14:13would be just driving past -
-
14:13 - 14:16those of you who don't buy betel nuts
from betel nut girls. -
14:17 - 14:20So just looking at her
and seeing this girl, -
14:20 - 14:22this is like two o'clock in the morning,
-
14:22 - 14:24and you can see
the hours are getting long. -
14:25 - 14:28It tells you something, it shows you
something about the person. -
14:28 - 14:30Then, others, for instance,
-
14:30 - 14:33you can see there's a friendliness,
there's a happiness - -
14:33 - 14:35I have not met any betel nut girls
-
14:35 - 14:38who complain about
being coerced into doing this job -
14:38 - 14:42or coerced into wearing
clothes in a particular way. -
14:42 - 14:44The turnover in the stores is very high.
-
14:44 - 14:48If she doesn't like what her boss
wants her to do, then she just goes. -
14:48 - 14:49She goes to the next store.
-
14:49 - 14:51There's not a problem with that.
-
14:51 - 14:52OK, about the health issue,
-
14:52 - 14:54I would just like to say very clearly
-
14:54 - 14:56that chewing betel nut
is not good for your health. -
14:56 - 15:00It's a very strong part
-
15:00 - 15:04of getting esophageal and mouth cancer
-
15:04 - 15:05for people who use it a lot.
-
15:05 - 15:06You do have to chew it a lot.
-
15:06 - 15:10It's not like you chew one and you
are going to have cancer tomorrow. -
15:10 - 15:14And especially when combined with
cigarettes, it's definitely a major issue. -
15:16 - 15:19So in that part I want to say very clearly
-
15:19 - 15:23that I support the troops
but I don't support the war. -
15:23 - 15:24My issue is about the girls.
-
15:24 - 15:27And most importantly then,
-
15:27 - 15:28I just want to say
-
15:28 - 15:34when you look at the girl's
interaction with the customers there ... -
15:34 - 15:35girls getting bored...
-
15:35 - 15:38Oh, of course, I always take
some photos to the girls -
15:38 - 15:40to show them or to give to them.
-
15:40 - 15:41They like that.
-
15:41 - 15:46And - just going to skip through -
-
15:51 - 15:52OK.
-
15:52 - 15:56And so, I think the conclusion
I want to come to -
15:56 - 16:02is that this business
has many, many layers, -
16:02 - 16:03and just as with life.
-
16:03 - 16:07Somebody asked me before I started,
when I was preparing for this, -
16:07 - 16:10they said, "So, what is
this idea worth spreading?" -
16:10 - 16:12You know, the TED
"ideas worth spreading." -
16:12 - 16:15"What is the idea worth spreading
about the betel nut girls of Taiwan?" -
16:15 - 16:18I thought that's actually
a very good question. -
16:18 - 16:22And so what I want to say is
that in today's world, -
16:22 - 16:26we are living in a world
that is increasingly polarized. -
16:26 - 16:31We are constantly being told
that things are black or white. -
16:31 - 16:35With the information age,
we have more and more information, -
16:35 - 16:38but somehow the conversation
is getting lost, -
16:38 - 16:40the nuances is getting lost.
-
16:40 - 16:43So, what I do with the betel nut girls
is to look at all the layers - -
16:43 - 16:47realize that there's a spectrum
from black to white -
16:47 - 16:49on all those issues that I mentioned.
-
16:49 - 16:53And it's not all good and all bad
on any one of those. -
16:53 - 16:56And I think if we can keep
the conversation going - -
16:56 - 16:57I have people come to me and say:
-
16:57 - 17:00"I think you should stop
taking photos of betel nut girls -
17:00 - 17:04because it's a bad image for Taiwan"
or "bad for them" or whatever it is, -
17:04 - 17:06I'm happy to be part of that conversation.
-
17:06 - 17:08That conversation doesn't have to end.
-
17:08 - 17:10And while we are having conversations,
-
17:10 - 17:13we can find the best solutions
-
17:13 - 17:16to the problems that face us
like climate change, -
17:16 - 17:18like leaking government information,
-
17:18 - 17:19like going to war, you know,
-
17:19 - 17:22all the things we are dealing with today.
-
17:22 - 17:24Because while you
are having a conversation, -
17:24 - 17:26while you are talking,
you cannot swing a sword. -
17:26 - 17:32So, I'd like to invite all of you
to consider the grey areas. -
17:32 - 17:35Consider all the lovely layers
that there are in the world -
17:35 - 17:38and not just accept
the given on any one side. -
17:38 - 17:40And let's all be "weirdos" together.
-
17:40 - 17:41Thank you.
-
17:41 - 17:43(Applause)
- Title:
- Taiwan's betel nut girl culture | Tobie Openshaw | TEDxMonga
- Description:
-
Photographer and documentary filmmaker Tobie Openshaw shares his unique and privileged view into Taiwan's famous "binlang beauties" - the scantily-clad girls who make their living selling betel nuts from glass booths on the roadside. In this fascinating talk, he also confronts some often-held assumptions.
攝影師兼記錄片拍攝者,歐陽峰Tobie對於台灣最具爭議性的現象--檳榔西施文化,分享了獨特而深入的觀點。 Dec 9, 2010 TEDxMonga - Hearts and Minds http://www.tedxmonga.com
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDxTalks
- Duration:
- 17:48
Rhonda Jacobs edited English subtitles for Taiwan's betel nut girl culture | Tobie Openshaw | TEDxMonga | ||
Rhonda Jacobs approved English subtitles for Taiwan's betel nut girl culture | Tobie Openshaw | TEDxMonga | ||
Rhonda Jacobs edited English subtitles for Taiwan's betel nut girl culture | Tobie Openshaw | TEDxMonga | ||
Rhonda Jacobs edited English subtitles for Taiwan's betel nut girl culture | Tobie Openshaw | TEDxMonga | ||
Zoe Chang accepted English subtitles for Taiwan's betel nut girl culture | Tobie Openshaw | TEDxMonga | ||
Zoe Chang edited English subtitles for Taiwan's betel nut girl culture | Tobie Openshaw | TEDxMonga | ||
Zoe Chang edited English subtitles for Taiwan's betel nut girl culture | Tobie Openshaw | TEDxMonga | ||
Zoe Chang edited English subtitles for Taiwan's betel nut girl culture | Tobie Openshaw | TEDxMonga |