Traditionally most karaoke places have an open mic and anyone can go on and sing. However, this is not the case with the Korean community. When one goes to a karaoke place, one rents a room and it is more private. There are a number of karaoke place in Koreatown and some have a darker side. Now, please do not confuse this with prostitution because it is not. There is absolutely NO sex involved at all. The more secret karaoke places actually have their doors locked and you have to call ahead of time before going inside. You will also need to be Korean or have someone who is Korean with you to enter as well. Once you enter the building, this is where you enter the world of domi.
I remember receiving the domi service and feeling extremely uncomfortable. Here I was, a 21 year old male, choosing some girl to keep me company. However, upon reflecting on the experience now, I can see a hegemonic relationship as the girls submit themselves to be used for company. Many of the domi act like the stereotypical Asian girlfriend. Always clinging on to you and doing everything, and I mean everything. For example, I remember trying to light a cigarette and the girl took the lighter from me and lit my cigarette for me. When I mention this story to my girlfriends, many of them flipped out. The majority of them say that this degrades women, even if they are not prostitutes, it is still degrading. I agree, but I would also argue that this reinforces the stereotype of the Asian women. The standing stereotype in the past was the view that Asian women were submissive. Along with this stereotype was the idea that Asian women wanted to be dominated, which is clearly seen with the services of a domi. Instead of building each other up, Koreans are still putting women down especially with this kind of service. Also, this service objectifies women in a sense that men are able to buy a woman’s company as a commodity. The domi are now selling their company to men. I would further argue that although this is not prostitution it still degrades women. Will this service still be around? Most likely, but with more people knowing about this and being active, this could change.
Written by Joshua Chung