The Cost Of Love: Would You Ever Rent A Boyfriend?

We all know  how awkward it can be when your mother starts quzzing you about your love life and the inevitable “When are you going to get married?” is brought up. However, young women in China have come up with an interesting way to avoid getting the parental inquisition every time they return home.

The Globe and Mail reports that some women in China have started renting fake boyfriends ahead of the Chinese New Year, so they can avoid any awkward moments like the above.

For many Chinese women, showing up at home with a nice, pleasant boyfriend is far better than enduring two weeks of questions about their love life.

There is immense pressure on young women in the country to get hitched as soon as possible and many women who are still single past the age of 30 are often dubbed “leftover women” (even in the national media – harsh or what?).

Women spend their hard-earned cash on renting fake boyfriends for the holidays

With less than five days to go until the Chinese New Year, over 300 boyfriend-renting services were listed in China.

So how much would it cost you to rent a fake boyfriend? Well the prices range anywhere from several hundrend to two thousand yen per day, although many of these ‘boyfriends’ charge additional fees for extra services like going shopping, watching a film, attending a party or having a conversation.

Renting a fake boyfriend for the holidays isn’t exactly a new phenomenon. Since 2007, university message boards in China have been filled with students seeking significant others to come home with them for the holidays.

So what do you think? Would you ever hire a man to pretend to be your boyfriend?