Sarong party girl

Sarong Party Girl (also known as SPG or Sarong Party Girl) is a derogatory term used in Singapore and (to a lesser extent) in Peninsular Malaysia.

It describes a local Asian woman (e.g. Chinese, Malay, Indian) who usually dresses and behaves in a provocative manner, and who exclusively dates and prefers white men. This can be considered a variant of the Pinkerton Syndrome. The term first achieved international notoriety after the 1994 publication of Jim Aitchison's book "Sarong Party Girl", which offered a satirical portrayal of the SPG and related aspects of Singaporean culture.

The term has its fairly innocuous roots in the late 1940s-early 1950s when Singapore was still ruled by the British. As a general practice, the British forces personnel socialised very much among themselves, according to their military ranks and status (i.e officers and enlisted men). However, there were some instances when specific local guests were invited to social functions hosted by the British. The term 'Sarong Party' came into use to describe social functions which included local invited guests. The sarong is a wrap-around 'skirt' that is part of Malay formal dress popular among local men and women of the time. It is still worn today. Over time, the term has taken its more colourful meaning.

Common traits and stereotypes

The stereotypical Sarong Party Girl has extremely tanned skin, a false foreign accent, and is provocatively dressed. Originally, the outfit of choice was thought to be a bikini/tank-top paired with a sarong, but that has changed. Many of them frequent nightclubs or other nightspots that are popular with expatriate white men, in order to meet and form relationships with them. Sarong Party Girls are known to prowl specific nightspots in Singapore along Orchard Towers, Boat Quay, Clarke Quay, Emerald Hill and City Hall; the classic location being the now-defunct Carnegies at Far East Square.

Sarong Party Girls in local entertainment are usually portrayed as gold-digging, husband-snatching Asian sirens. This perception contributed much to Singapore's decadent image in the 1970s, as seen in films such as "Saint Jack". The Sarong Party Girl stereotype was popularised by a series of humorous books by Jim Aitchison in the 1990s.

Isabella X

In 2005, a 19-year-old Singaporean blogger known as Isabella X wrote first under the alias "Sarong Party Girl" and then later as "Miss Izzy." She received attention in the local press after posting nude photographs of herself on her webpage. Her blog, which began in 2004, often discusses the politics of sexuality, religion and controversial issues such as the death penalty; in addition to documenting her often tragic/comic encounters with white expatriates. As of 2007, she continued to post provocative photos of herself on the site and write articles for "Today" and a monthly column for "FHM Singapore".

Bibliography

*cite book | first=Jim | last=Aitchison | title=Sarong Party Girl | publisher=Angsana Books | year=1994 | id=ISBN 981-3056-36-3
*cite book | first=Jim | last=Aitchison | title=Revenge of the Sarong Party Girl | publisher=Angsana Books | year=1995 | id=ISBN 981-3056-60-6
*cite book | first=Jim | last=Aitchison | title=The SPG Rides Again | publisher=Angsana Books | year=1996 | id=ISBN 981-3056-09-6

See also

*Ang Mo
*Bonny Hicks
*Shi Hengxia
*Pinkerton Syndrome

External links

Dictionary definitions

* [http://www.talkingcock.com/html/lexec.php?op=LexView&lexicon=lexicon&alpha=S&page=1 from the "Coxford Singlish Dictionary"]
* [http://www.singlishdictionary.com from "A Dictionary of Singlish and Singapore English"]

Articles

* [http://www.mediacorpsingapore.com/purplelips/love/articles/20001228_01a.htm "Excuse Me, are You an SPG?" (28 December 2000) from Purplelips, a virtual community for Asian women by MediaCorp]
* [http://smh.com.au/news/Breaking/Naked-blogger-attracts-thousands/2005/06/13/1118514951568.html?oneclick=true "Naked Blogger Attracts Thousands" (13 June 2005) from the "Sydney Morning Herald"]

Blogs

* [http://www.missizzy.org MissIzzy.org]
* [http://sarongpartygirl.blogspot.com/ Sarong Party Girl]