December 19, 2007

From Zero to Hero

Talk about a conflict. Usually when I read a story about women finally getting to do something men have done forever, I feel a sense of triumph. A woman chosen as CEO of Hewlett-Packard? Halleluiah! Female astronauts on a space mission? Right on, sisters! Equal pay for equal work? Okay, I'll hold my applause on that one until it actually happens.

When I saw a story with the headline "Older white women join Kenya's sex tourists" however, I didn't exactly break out into the chorus from "I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar." Sure, ever since the wheel was invented, men have made trips to exotic places where their money can buy them a good time, or, if they so desire, even a wife. While the practice may be abhorrent to some of us, the money it brings in tends to make local tourism boards overlook the source.

Now women are exercising their right to engage in dubious behavior right alongside their male counterparts. The Reuters story quoted a 56-year-old tourist from England, who said that Kenya is "just full of big young boys who like us older girls."

Well, of course they do, lady. In a country where the average income wouldn't buy a daily cup of tea, a hunky young Maasai can earn himself a square meal, some extra cash, and perhaps a new pair of sneakers by being the weekend boy toy for a matronly Brit. You can't blame him, given that drought has made nomadic livestock-herding a risky proposition, financially speaking.

Men are old hands at exploiting young girls in third-world countries. My friend Zelda, recently returned from teaching in Beijing, reports that the Chinese, while welcoming the economic boost, take a dim view of Westerners pursuing their young women. They have even adopted a phrase for the type of middle-aged, balding, overweight loser who can't get a date at home and decides to try his luck overseas: "From Zero to Hero." A guy who is a dud back home finds that in China, he is a big shot who can attract beautiful young girls. He might even flatter himself that, unlike snobbish American girls, Chinese girls recognize what a catch he is. The sad truth is that most of the girls are not looking for romance; they're looking for a ticket out of the country.

So now women are asserting their equal right to exploit the poor and engage in (to put it delicately) unwholesome behavior. Says the British visitor to Kenya, "It's a social arrangement. For as long as he's with me, he doesn't pay for anything, and I get what I want-a good time. How is that different from a man buying a young girl dinner?"

Hmmm. Somehow, I don't think the right to hire a young stud was what Helen Reddy had in mind when she wrote:
"I am woman, watch me grow
See me standing toe to toe
As I spread my lovin' arms across the land…"