Alone for Chinese New Year? Consider a fake girlfriend

Pattaya bar enthusiasts might regularly hire a “fake girlfriend” for the night but, in Singapore, the concept has a more wholesome goal. As Chinese New Year approaches, singles in Singapore are opting for an unusual solution to avoid uncomfortable questions from relatives about their love lives: hiring fake girlfriends or boyfriends to accompany them to family gatherings.

Rent-a-date platforms are seeing an increase in demand for this service, with prices ranging from S$100 (about 2,500 baht) for two hours for a male date, to over S$400 (about 9,900 baht) for a female date.

But it’s not as easy as it sounds. One 28 year old woman who acted as a holiday fake girlfriend during Chinese New Year before said she was quite nervous and the date requires…