> Also, I was reading about a late 90s trend about young Japanese school
> girls. It was an article in WSJ. Does anyone know if it's true that some of
> the girls prostitute themselves so they can afford high-priced make up and
> designer clothes? They have a name for it, I've forgotten, but it means
> "aid" or something like that. The idea is that they're appealing to the
> john to "aid" them in their quest for consumer goods. Like a donation or
> something.
>
> Anyone heard of this?
I haven't heard the term you refer to, but I had friends in college who went into the sex trade for precisely that reason. They didn't need the money for their education (we were at a California State University, where tuition for residents is/was free) - they just wanted the money to buy Nice Things for themselves.