Running
head: USING SHOWGRILS AS A COMMERCIAL STRATEGY 1
Is it Appropriate to
Use Showgirls as a Commercial Strategy?
Phoebe Chen
National Central
University
Author Note
Phoebe Chen,
Department of English Literature, National Central University.
Correspondence
concerning this article should be addressed to Phoebe Chen, Department of
English Literature, National Central University.
USING SHOWGRILS AS A COMMERCIAL STRATEGY 2
Abstract
Show girl, not as seen
in western cultures, refers to attractive young girls being used to sell and
promote products in electronics show expositions. While many argue that show
girls are selling body image to fulfill buyers’ desires of watching sexy young
girls, this research asks the question as to why college educated students or
graduates want to be part of the so called ‘beauty economy’ in contemporary
Taiwan society. Drawing on interviews and field observation, adopting theory of
self-agency and its influence, this thesis analyzes how and why college
educated young girls contribute to the show girl business, and how they
maintain show girl’s self-identity in this what they claim as ‘temporary
career’. The findings demonstrate that show girl in this study not only have to
face unequal treatment and critique from general public about their career
options, but also have to survive in this high competitive job nature. In
addition, for better upward class mobility in this society, these show girls
have to self-discipline well to their own ‘commercialized bodies’ for job
market value as well as future career planning.
USING SHOWGRILS AS A COMMERCIAL STRATEGY 3
Is it Appropriate to
Use Showgirls as a Commercial Strategy?
Recent
years, more and more enterprises choose the appearance beautifully sales person
in the specific situation. There occurs the all new kind of commercial role who
calls “showgirl” in commercial exhibition, forming one kind of Taiwan unique
industry phenomenon. While many argue that showgirls are selling body image to
fulfill buyers’ desires of watching sexy young girls. Furthermore, lots of news
and research point out that the role of showgirls alters from simple product
narrator to eye-catching sexy babe in 3C mall, which results from the demand of
suppliers, consumption habits and social culture. Although the influence of sex
appeal has not been proved yet, sexy showgirl activities still prevail, while
the showgirls are molded into the stereotype of sexy female image. Lots of
people parallel showgirl with sex and instill the concept of moral degeneration
into this occupation. However, we could just consider it as a commercial
strategy. There are various ways of marketing policies, showgirl is just one
kind.
A
Professional Career
Some
might state that all showgirls requires is showing their beautiful appearance
without any professional knowledge, however it’s not true, according to a
proficient showgirl, Pei-Pei, who has devoted herself to this work for eight
years, she says that showgirl must undergoes series training just like those
models.
It
is too thoughtless and shallow if one measures showgirl as only “sex-selling
and smile-selling,” this career still requires lots of professional skills and
training which not every random young girl can engage in. Those showgirls are
not flower vases or sugar babes who are coquettish. More importantly, the
content from unrolling beauty is just the added value; the most significant
thing is that they all agree USING
SHOWGRILS AS A COMMERCIAL STRATEGY 4
unanimously that this work is helpful to their
future career because they definitely accumulated experience and cultivated the
knowledge of public relations and marketing from this work. And they are able
to experience professional capability on work along with attitude toward work.
Compare
to Ad models, I think they have no actual difference with showgirls. As
showgirls, Ad models also draw males’ sights in the manufactures. Plus,
speaking of the professional aspect, they both possess trained skills as well
as proper working attitude. If one wants to compare these two jobs’ differences
by compulsion, the most obvious dissimilarity is that showgirls introduce
products in the face of buyers while Ad models show themselves on the screen or
poster; there is no actual interaction between buyers and Ad models.
Furthermore, except for ability to make professional poses, showgirl has to
steel their capability of hosting, dancing and capture buyers by their
eloquence.
Showgirls
are generally considered to be a bunch of people with vainglory and
superficiality. However, to showgirls, maintaining figure not only serves the
function of attracting or pleasing the opposite sex but, as work ethic, it’s a
professional behavior as well. It’s just like teachers who have further
education; showgirls should act properly on their station, and uphold their
body capital in the best state. And I think their uniforms that provided by
company are not distinctively cleavage; in fact, those girls in the city wear
more daring and cleavage clothes for fashion.
Creation
of Business Achievement to Exhibition Economy
There
are about 206 exhibitions in Taiwan every year, attracting many buyers and
consumers visiting. There is a statistical data which shows that the growth
rates of Information Technology Month in 2011 to 2013, each year has an outstanding
growth.
USING SHOWGRILS AS A COMMERCIAL STRATEGY 5
And lots of researchers claim that in addition to
progressive designs, showgirls definitely have contribution to this outstanding
accomplishment. According to a research, the promotion activities with
showgirls have a significant effect on the purchase intention. Showgirls’
assist selling do affect and attract a large number of visitors, activating the
atmosphere and increasing consumers’ buying. And their physical attractiveness
also increases consumers’ intention to stay for the purpose of the interaction
with showgirls. And showgirls do not necessarily attract consumers with pure
intentions to buy their desired products, but they do attract buyers who love
to ogle showgirls or who just want to spend their free time at the exhibition.
That is, showgirls even capture costumers who are originally not going to buy
things.
Thanks
to these reasons, salesmen are able to make use of much more chance and time
introducing the products and then bringing about customers’ desire for
purchase.
Social
Economy
Body and
Physical capital
For
starter, a famous sociologist, Pierre Bourdieu, who is also a famous French
anthropologist and philosopher, he brings up the idea of “body capital.” Simply
speaking, this theory is saying that each kind of working class should
cultivate their bodies to expectation. Like people have more confidence in
those strong and muscular men when it comes to strength taken work. On the
other hand, those beautiful sales assistants in the department stores, they are
convincing to the costumers because of their pretty appearance. We can apply
this idea in the figure of showgirls. They’re not selling sex but cultivate
their body capital.
New Nobles
of Consumer Society
USING SHOWGRILS AS A COMMERCIAL STRATEGY 6
Most
of showgirls have bountiful income. And plus the broader consumption freedom,
they become a group of new nobles of consumer society. The high quality of
their economic capital promotes their quality and capability of buying; and then
promotes the development of economy which all in all is a positive circulation
of marketing. Showgirls absolutely create double business opportunity.
Conclusion
Some
female legislators as well as representatives of woman’s organization blast
that this kind of occupation exists the suspicion of implicating the
objectification of the females which also degrades the image of woman. They
claim that the authority ought to step in to help correct this “social malady”.
While it just neglects the marketing mechanism and the economic aspects. The
commercial strategy is able to promote business and the development of economy.
And
other critiques might also state that females are frequently objectified and
commercialized in order to satisfy the desire of males in a patriarchal and
capitalistic society. Due to the changing trends, saleswomen reveal different
appearances in various frameworks of exhibition. Showgirls have become the key
persons in the exhibition; their mission is not only to soften the atmosphere
penetrated by cold hard products, but also to attract visitors, engage in
customer relations, and achieve the expected turnover.
To
sum up, think rationally, “showgirl” is a good strategy that it not only helps
create business achievement but promotes economic development as well.
USING SHOWGRILS AS A COMMERCIAL STRATEGY 7
References
Shen-Guan,
Chen. (2001). Show Girls’ Commercialization Bodies and Self-Identity in
Contemporary Taiwan
Bourdieu,
Pierre. 1984. "The Social Space and the Genesis of Groups," in Theory
and Society 14(6): 723-744.
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