Sometime ago I wrote about the different expats that do the stint overseas. I talked about the loco expat, the professional expat and the list goes on. I have tried to explain to them the different types of expats that live overseas and you will find links here at my blog as well. What I have come to realize is that there is a whole range of expat women often refereed to in Hong Kong as ”Tai Tai”.
Tai Tai in Chinese means “woman” with it a connotation, so I need to explain this first. A Tai Tai tends to have the means and where all to do nothing all day except spend money and shop. They don’t cook, clean or work. Their main object in life s to be happy. They usually are a wife but they could also, effectively, be a ‘girlfriend’ or ‘lover’.
Super Tai Tai (STT) – (this is a term a friend of mine used recently)
The Super Tai Tai – has loads of cash to spend and she never accounts for why she bought another original Channel Outfit when she already has 3 she has never worn. Most Super Tai Tai’s are probably in the social pages, go to charity events that requires them to dress nicely and look expensive. She would have a driver to take her places. No doubt she doesn’t know how to drive or has forgotten because her job is not to drive but to simply be a Tai Tai.
Super Tai Tai probably has a couple maids one to look after the children and one to take care of the house. If she is lucky she also has a maid to take care of her clothes. One year when we were looking for a new apartment we saw an apartment that had it’s own ’shoe room’ – talk about a Super Tai Tai luxury. Even I had to say I was thrilled with the idea of my own shoe closet!
It is suggested that these women don’t necessarily have further education but I cannot vouch for that. They are seen shopping in small groups – I guess they value moral support. It is possible that the husband has another ‘wife’ and as such ensures the Super Tai Tai is rewarded accordingly i.e. nice cars, diamonds, vacations. The joke during the 97 recession was that these Tai Tai’s shopped across the border buying ‘fake’ products and boasting about it. I believe this activity has died down, one too many convictions have probably turned them off this shopping spree. (Please note Super Tai Tai’s are often not expatriates)
It is not true that I dream of being a super Tai Tai or aspire to be one. In fact I’m probably now in trouble for sharing the secrets of being a Tai Tai.
