If you’re single this Chinese New Year, you’re probably not
looking forward to this week’s festivities.
It’s hard to enjoy that reunion feast with nosy
relatives relentlessly dissecting your non-existent love
life and wondering why you still haven’t found someone to settle
down with.
For some Singaporeans, enough is enough. Tired of facing the
firing squad of probing questions, frustrated singles are opting
for an easier way out.
Their solution? Getting help from dating agencies, casual
friends and even hiring social escorts to pose as romantic
partners — for a day, or even a couple of hours.
David, a 29-year-old marketing executive tells My Paper
that he shuns long-term relationships and prefers to date casually.
He even brings his dates on Chinese New Year family visits to avoid
prying questions.
“I just take one of them along for these events to shut my
relatives up. The next time I meet my relatives, I just tell them
that we broke up,” he said.
According to three out of four escort agencies, companions
increase by a whopping 30 to 50 per cent during the festive
season.
The owner of Singapore Model Escorts, who only wants to be known
as William, said, “(Our make clients’) key concern is they don’t
want girls to wear short skirts or look sexy. They should dress
conservatively.”
One of his social escorts, Kari, who is in her 20s, posed
as a girlfriend of a working professional at his family reunion
dinner last year. The pair only met an hour before the gathering to
corroborate details like how they met and how long they had been
dating.
Kari, who works as a bank executive by day, said she pulled of a
convincing act in front of her client’s 30 relatives at a Chinese
restaurant.
“As we both worked at a bank, we told (his relatives) that we
met at work,” she explained. ” They even told us that we look
good together.”
Kari said, “I got paid a lot just to socialise and that’s
the best I could’ve asked for. The guy wasn’t too bad looking,
too.”
The social escort of two years got paid S$1,600 for that
job.
She said she has received many professional requests to meet
friends and family this festive season.
A representative for escort agency Vie Models said, “The booking
fee is higher during this time because these escorts are
mostly Chinese and would take on assignments only if the pay is
very attractive.”
While he said the agency raises its rates by roughly 25 to 50
per cent per hour during this period, he declined to
reveal the actual figures.
According to Mr Jason Lim, the owner of Metro Touch Escorts, a
premium Singaporean social escort is typically defined as an
attractive university graduate in her 20s. These escorts can earn
anything from S$5,000 to a staggering S$20,000 for a three-hour
session at a reunion dinner.
“The cost depends on the girl, the location, the duration, how
many people she has to meet at the dinner and whether she is
required to drink,” he added.
Dating agencies are also seeing a surge in demand at this time
of the year.
One dating agency, Lunch Actually, sees a 15 to 20 per cent
increase in demand for its services in the period leading up to
Chinese New Year.
Ms Violet Lim, 30, the agency’s chief executive,
said, “Chinese New Year is a time when they feel more pressured as
they will be meeting family members who will probably ask them
about their marital status. This makes them more open to finding
out about dating opportunities and platforms.”
Those who are unwilling to spend or uncomfortable with the idea
choose to skip town just to avoid facing a grilling by
relatives.
Ashley, a 24-year-old public relations executive, said she even
got a guy friend to pose as her boyfriend three years ago.
“I don’t mind getting someone to pose as my boyfriend. I’ll
probably have to find someone else next time but, this year, I’m
getting out of town,” she said.
So, will you ‘rent’ a partner for the Chinese New Year?
-- Yahoo! News