(42) Sex Work... Or Elegance?

Contrary to popular belief, a Geisha is not a prostitute. As a of matter of fact, back in the older days of Japan, Geisha were highly respected women, with a rich social status probably along the same lines as a business man had. They made money, lived with other Geisha in an Okiya, and the Geisha industry was very much a lively business; not just something the women improvised as each day went by.

Their roles as Geisha were far from scandalous or secretive in any way. Young girls admired them and dreamed of being as elegant and talented as the Geisha. Geisha were like "friends" for business men and other wealthy people. They were beautiful and young women to "hang out" with. They poured tea, flirted, laughed at and made jokes, performed dances, played the Shamisen, and various other little things to keep their customers entertained, not to mention keep them spending money.

Everything from their makeup to the extremely expensive silk kimono caught the attention of anyone who passed them in town. Their hairstyle was an art form even in itself, held together with waxes and embellished with hairpins just as expensive as the rest of their attire. The Geisha were working women, running their businesses and keeping their entertainment services available, that is to anyone who could afford it.

But, there were women in the lower-class societies that also wore Kimono, makeup, and had exotic hairstyles. Keep in mind, they were incomparable to the elegance of the Geisha. But, these women were the prostitutes Westerners associate Geisha with.

It was after World War II where these women traveled to the west and various other countries that knew nothing of kimono, let alone Geisha. The kimono-bearing women, still maintaining their jobs in the sex industry, called themselves Geisha. The word of these exotic, mysterious, sex workers quickly spread among the west; thus, the negative connotation that Geisha are prostitutes was born.

You could possibly compare a Geisha to a modern day employee at a Japanese Maid Cafe. She gets paid to dress up, hang out with, and play games with her customers.

I'm sitting here as a LAN party, and asked people for some topics. No one had anyway. We just finished a game of Apples-to-Apples, and then Abraham hands me a game card that says "Geisha". And so, my epic blog that has destroyed the beliefs of all you Geisha-bashers has been born. Well, they're waiting for me to start a new game, so I must go.