For Rent: The Young and Atrractive

Man counting money

The younger generation in China are creating a new era. Young men and women place “Rent Me” advertisements on the Internet offering themselves for an hourly rate. Some advertisers offer their assets as promotional material for company ads, some offer their Japanese language abilities and others offer their time and special skills. The skills on offer are varied and some unconventional. They include, cooking skills, shoulder to lean on, a listening ear, cuddles, company for meals and flying kites. (Click here for the detailed news report)

The main reason the advertisers place these ads, is to earn extra monetary income in a time where renchment and pay cuts are rife due to the economic downturn. A conservative person by nature, I do not see myself as a follower of this practise in the near future. However, i marvel these young men and women’s’ creativity and innovativeness in earning extra cash in these hard times. Even though this practise may seem effortless, there are many factors that play a part in forming and maintaining a relationship with a potential customer.

In this practise, physical appearance plays a huge emphasis in attracting customers. Attractive men and women are generally favoured for their services. Therefore, advertisers who advertise themselves take pains to maintain a good complexion and physique.

In addition, these men and women have to be knowledgeable in a wide variety of skills and abilities. In this way they can display attitudinal similarity to their customers’ preferences. Customers who have similar preferences to their skills will most likely form a relationship with them. They should also be able to understand the opposite sex, show sensitivity and hold interactive conversations.

In exchange for their services, these young men and women receive a monetary reward. Though this relationship can be classified as counterfeit due to the superficial affection given by the advertiser for monetary reward from the customer, the goal of a relationship which is the satisfaction of social needs and personal goals is met.

This practise shows that young men and women of the communist society, China, are stepping out of their cultural and traditional roots. The Chinese society today has become more modernized and liberal. Though the practise of offering oneself for a rate can be viewed as taboo or even derogatory, it is not all sleaze. Based on the newspaper article, some refrain from illegal activites, selecting older or younger customers and genearally provide innocent services. As such, should this practise be encouraged? Can it develop into an acceptable trade in our society?

Sympathy for foreign workers

In one of the most tragic accidents this year, a lorry ferrying foreign workers crashed into a stationary trailer killing 4 and injuring 6 others. (Click here for the detailed news report)

This incident is not the first of its kind. Last year a total of 210 people were hurt while sitting behind lorries and 2 died. In an attempt to reduce the risk of workers being hurt while transported in lorries, the LTA (Land Transport Authority) introduced some measures such as handle bars, speed and other structural limits.


However the question on all our minds is, why isn't there a ban implemented on ferrying foreign workers in lorries? and why are there no concrete steps such as changing the mode of transportation, implemented by the LTA?

Foreign workers in our society today share a low social status due to the nature of their jobs. They mainly work in construction or cleaning companies and are given low salaries for long hours of work. Also, our society has created a prototype of foreign workers, in which they are viewed as dirty, smelly, molesters etc. These reasons may lead certain sectors of our society to create an interpretation that foreign workers need not be given equal treatment in our society. As a result, a negative perception of foreign workers is created.

This negative perception should not be reason for the unfair treatment of foreign workers. They should be provided equal comforts of safe transportation to ensure the safety of their lives.

In addition, the negative perception that exists in our society should be changed and we should take efforts to view foreign workers positively through structural principals such as the role they play in our society. Each day, foreign workers toil tirelessly to build skyscrapers or keep our neighbourhoods and streets clean. As such, isn't it only fair, the LTA take steps to provide foreign workers with the confidence of safety for their lives, till they return to their homelands? Shouldn’t we Singaporeans give foreign workers more credit for their irreplaceable role in society?

Stars' Bare All

In the news this week, Rihanna, a popular singer is in the spotlight for the leak of her nude pictures. The pictures were allegedly taken from her handphone and were leaked on the internet. Besides Rihanna, over the years other celebrities such as Cassie, Vanessa Hudgens, Paris Hilton and Edison Chan have had their nude pictures or sex tapes stolen from their personal computers without their knowledge and leaked on the internet. Some critics claim that the stars were solely responsible for the leak with the intention of raising their flagging popularity. For whatever reasons the leaks occurred, the growing trend of these incidents should be curbed and not repeated.

Even if this is easier said than done, celebrities need to take responsibility for their actions and guard their personal photos well. This is mainly due to the huge influence they have on their fans and teenagers all around the world.













In the study of Communications, the social constructionist perspective states that communication creates an individual. In this case, with the influx of media exposure on the leak of celebrities’ nude pictures, teens are influenced by what they see and hear of the world around them and they may be led to believe that posting nude photos of themselves on the internet is ok. Teens might even emulate their behaviour.

In USA, a study done by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy concluded that one in five teens including young adults admitted to sending or posting nude or semi nude pictures of themselves. For some teens, their actions have led to tragic endings. An 18 yr old committed suicide after being harassed and taunted in school after sending nude pictures of herself to her boyfriend which was leaked.

In a conservative society like Singapore, most teenagers still hold true to their moral values and beliefs and view the actions of the celebrities negatively. However due to the heavy influence of American culture and media exposure, teenagers might have a different view of this issue in the future. Teenagers need to understand that taking nude pictures and sharing them is wrong as it could lead to humiliation and shame.

Therefore celebrities who are role models to millions of teenagers all around the world should refrain from any explicit behaviour and focus on improving their own unique talents instead.