Woman enter- tainers are called “jik-up yeosung,” meaning “women who earn money by entertaining men at a drinking party.” Such women still exist in Korean society in large numbers, and many men look for their services to entertain at parties. Because of this, contemporary working women participating in a drinking party, or any women at private parties with men, have to be cautious not to come across as women entertainers, not to be taken as “easy.” This set of contradictory expectations requires women to maintain a continuous balancing act.
A woman who participates in social drinking must engage in constant self-assessment. Although she is expected to take part in the collective party mood by drinking like her coworkers or friends by offering drinks to others and not rejecting drinks offered by others, unlike men, she is not allowed to become intoxicated. If she fails to abide by these rules, which are different from those of her male coworkers or friends, she faces the risk of being criticized by friends and sometimes ostracized from the workplace. If she becomes drunk and falls asleep or vomits, she may be considered as lacking self-discipline or may run the risk of being seen as a woman entertainer or as “easy.” The issue is not whether to drink in these situations. Rather, it is how to navigate the subtleties of contradictory gender norms, traditional and modern, in regard to culturally appropriate drinking practices