Betel nut beauty

Betel nut beauties or simply "betel nut girls" (檳榔西施, pinyin: bīnláng xīshī) are scantily-clad young women selling betel nut on roadside kiosks in Taiwan. A uniquely Taiwanese phenomenon, they are named after the legendary beauty Xi Shi from the Spring and Autumn Period of ancient China.

Taiwanese betel nut kiosks, heavily decorated with bright neon lights, are most common on highways and suburban roads in the western part of the island, such as around Taichung. The main clientele is composed of truck drivers who chew the nuts to stay awake on long trips; most are addicted to the mild stimulant to some degree. The high profitability of betel nut production and commerce has led to a multiplication of such kiosks, and as competition for customers' attention increased, the girls staffing them have been wearing less and less. This eventually led to the point in 2002 when local governments began to ban excessive nudity in betel nut kiosks, first in Taipei City, then in neighbouring Taoyuan County. As of 2004, although betel nut beauties still exist, they are more modestly dressed than they were in previous years.