Hand and foot job
This morning I had a manicure/pedicure and I have mixed feelings about it.
It was super relaxing and it's nice to have less scummy hands and feet. Plus I had no idea there would be a massage element to it--from my finger and toes all the way up to my forearms and calves. Neck and shoulders, too. Sweet!
But part of me feels crummy. Like many salons in Southern California, this business was run by Asian women who don't speak much English. I had a middle-aged woman working my hands and young lady on my feet. They worked dilligently, and were even sweating. They were just doing their job--and a good one at that--but I felt like a pig.
Maybe it's not exploitative because I'm Asian, too. (That doesn't make my little pinky toes being all tough from running or my split toenail from tight snowboard boots any more tolerable.) And I'm still just a dude having women clean up my mess and pleasure me.
What could I do? I can't presume they're unhappy, and they probably make at least as much dough as I do, anyway. In the end, I'm just happy that I don't have to handle some nasty person's ugly feet. I said thank you for a good job, gave them above-average tips, then wore flip-flops for as much of the day as possible.
It was super relaxing and it's nice to have less scummy hands and feet. Plus I had no idea there would be a massage element to it--from my finger and toes all the way up to my forearms and calves. Neck and shoulders, too. Sweet!
But part of me feels crummy. Like many salons in Southern California, this business was run by Asian women who don't speak much English. I had a middle-aged woman working my hands and young lady on my feet. They worked dilligently, and were even sweating. They were just doing their job--and a good one at that--but I felt like a pig. Maybe it's not exploitative because I'm Asian, too. (That doesn't make my little pinky toes being all tough from running or my split toenail from tight snowboard boots any more tolerable.) And I'm still just a dude having women clean up my mess and pleasure me.
What could I do? I can't presume they're unhappy, and they probably make at least as much dough as I do, anyway. In the end, I'm just happy that I don't have to handle some nasty person's ugly feet. I said thank you for a good job, gave them above-average tips, then wore flip-flops for as much of the day as possible.
posted by gr at
12:10 AM
You shouldn't feel guilty about being serviced like that. Sure it's hardwork for those ladies but at least it's honest. They set the rates, we pay it.
Besides most immigrants that come here have really tough jobs anyway. My mom use to work in a Chinatown sweatshop back in the 70's sewing dresses for little money. But she saved, took care of her family, and went to night school. She's now working at a Post Office these days pulling better wages. Plus her hardworking ethic got infused into me and now I'm working in Hollywood as an animator/filmmaker.
So think of that when you're getting your next manicure/pedicure that you're not exploiting a poor Asian woman but
supporting a tough, hardworking lady that will one day raise decent hardworking citizens. How's that for a run-on sentence?
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I seriously doubt it's anymore exploitative than buying that GAP shirt made in Sri Lanka. Living in Fuzhou, headquarters of the illegal Chinese immigrant populations around the world, I have met many people first hand that have decided to go to the US for various reasons, mostly to earn money to later return and buy a home. While they often work slavishly long hours, many do make enough money to improve their situation, unlike Calvin Jenkins at McDonald's who has little hope of making enough to save for anything.
I went home a while back, and learned that most of the restaurant workers in my hometown came from my new home town-WIERD. For years they had watch me come in and order take out, and now I brought them a small side dish of home.
I also often get massages here in China, and I know they work much harder here than they do in the States, because here the massage places are usually 24 hour operations, and they have to live in the dorms provided by the employer. They rake in about 1000 RMB a month, about $120 USD dollars, crazy enough, this is a much more livable wage than fast food in America.
Check out my unique takes on life in Asia http://www.tv.rsims2.com
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