Sarong party girl

Etymology

The term sarong party girl has its fairly innocuous roots in the late 1940s to early 1950s when Singapore was still ruled by the British Empire. In general, the British forces personnel socialised very much among themselves, according to their military ranks and status (i.e. officers as opposed to enlisted men). However, sometimes specific local Singaporean "guests" were invited to social functions hosted by the British. The term sarong party came to describe social functions which included local invited "ladies" who wore the sarong, a native word for a wrap-around skirt popular among local Singaporean men and women of the time.

Common stereotypes

Historically, the stereotypical sarong party girl had a false foreign accent, was provocatively dressed, and exclusively dated or preferred white men either resident in Singapore or foreigners. The sarong party girl stereotype in local entertainment is usually of a gold-digging, husband-snatching Asian woman, and this perception contributed much to Singapore's decadent image in the 1970s, as seen in films such as Saint Jack. Due to these stereotypes, women who are classified as sarong party girls often have to endure negative sweeping statements. The sarong party girl stereotype was popularised by a series of humorous books by Australian writer Jim Aitchison in the 1990s, offering a satirical portrayal of the sarong party girls and related aspects of Singaporean culture.

Over time, the term has taken on a somewhat more derogatory meaning. Nowadays, sarong party girls are no longer identified by a unique dress code or appearance, referring simply to any local woman who prefers to socialize with males of a Caucasian ethnicity, particularly for romantic or sexual relationships. A sarong party girl is commonly perceived as a fetishist who is racist and discriminates against their own community and race stemming from self-hatred, while showing a favoritism towards white people and effectively abandoning their Asian identity.

Bibliography

References

References

1. (21 September 2015). "Here's the reason why Sarong Party Girls are called Sarong Party Girls".
2. Hannah Ho. (December 2019). "Identity in Flux: The Sarong Party Girl's Pursuit of a 'Good Life'". Asiatic: IIUM Journal of English Language and Literature.
3. Fang, Joy. (August 16, 2016). "Dissecting the Sarong Party Girl".