Because that is all she is valued for in this world.

In order to better understand Lon one must understand the social, economic and moral circumstances that perpetrate from the society in which she lives in. Not only has poverty contributed to her entrance into the sex trade, yet more so the profound gender inequality that exists in Asia. Conservative family values upheld throughout Asia coexist alongside a prostitution boom where Asian men form the predominant demand makeing foreign demand comparatively irrelevant. Foreigners simply have a higher willingness to pay therefore offer greater retribution for sexual services.

Lon is a product of a society and an economic system that allows individuals to commoditise vulnerability, lack of education, poverty, naivety, youth and beauty in order to sell a product to meet a human need in exchange for cash, or more specifically, a male human want (certainly not to say that all males would need prostitutes). Many girls like her make a choice amoung limited options to enter the sex trade as a minor. It is insane to argue that such girls are willfully entering and staying in this trade albeit there may be no physical barriers around them or even physical coercion in the first place.

These girls have been groomed to believe they posses inferior value to men. Since birth they are recognised to be of no or negative economic value and this assumption was only changed since the introduction of “bride price” which represents their sale at marriage. In particular coming from the poorer regions of Thailand “emotion” is a luxury that cannot be afforded, these girls are born with hearts, but unfortunatley their environments do not require them. They are traded like commodities and why wouldn’t they begin to believe they are if such experiences drill this value into them everyday of their waking lives starting at home with the family structure.

They are sold, traded and trafficked, swindled by those they trust and exploited in every way possible but by far the worst way, psychollogically. Because such experiences form the memories from which they will make all their future judgements and actions to continue and possibly then even lead others towards such misguided self-destruction. A cycles that manifests itself. The most vulnerable, uneducated, innocent and poor, often described as “outside society” ironically form it’s silent base and one of the greatest examples of hypocrisy, injustice and depth of misunderstanding that looks to end no time soon with such readily available supplies of unfortunate girls and a constant demand.

In this book, there a number of contradictions stated by the author herself. The justification for her actions is a direct result of her upbringing and what her society values. A wide gap between poverty and wealth see’s the poor strive to obtain material success in order to become part of a better world and life, another fallacy so misguided that can lead parents to encourage child prostition for the benefit of consumer goods. All fueled more so by herd mentality and severe lack of education and suppression on the part of women.

What is the most disgusting are those who label such girls as whores or less than human. Such people fall into two categories:

A)Hypocrites whose hypocrisy enables them to capitalise from the flesh trade.
B)Fools with opinions as misguided as the prostitutes themselves.

Lon was a succesful entrepreneur in the only industry in which she believed she could suceed and which she believed valued her most fairly in terms of money and success, even if her understanding of “success” being “face” was misguided, it was not her fault. And her honesty about her experiences, her taste for cash, her encounters and her lack of guided values for all to criticise is something of far greater value than the profits her flesh have ever generated.

“She was never forced into prostitution, she opted for it for the money.”

According to the narrative Lon was abducted by a Thai man within days of arriving in Bangkok where she was initially gang raped by four men and then forced to perform sexual acts until she managed to escape, which took two attempts.

She was a 13 year old child when this happened. I think there is some connection between this brutal treatment and her behaviour thereafter.

For once I feel proud to be British in that Britain has offered a refugee some solace from a life that is difficult for any Westerner to comprehend fully.

I’m inclined to believe what she says about Thai society, which is profoundly shocking.