When Frolick first opened in 2008, it very quickly gained a reputation for being the place that used “ sweet young things ” to sell frozen yogurt. Also sporting slogans like “We stay hard longer” and “I like it topless”, it drew the criticism of an older generation that considered it “not family friendly”. Younger Singaporeans, in contrast, didn’t seem to mind.

25 year-old Jasmine shares that she was aware of Frolick’s reputation when she joined the company. At the time, she thought very little of what it might mean to work at a place like this.

“It had opened in the West, and I was looking for part-time work after leaving another job,” she says. “It just seemed like a fun place to work at. The working hours were flexible, the girls working there always looked so cool, and we didn’t have to do things like clean the fridge.”

From places like Frolick to more bawdy ones like Hooters, the practice of hiring attractive or skimpily clad women to front F&B establishments can feel old-fashioned, exploitive, and troubling in a way that’s hard to explain. “Objectification” is a word that comes up often, as is the argument that this reinforces the idea that a woman’s looks is the only thing that matters.

This is seen most clearly in how Jasmine recounts that when she applied to work at Everything With Fries, she was asked for her cup size. Places like Awfully Chocolate, according to a former intern at Rice, allegedly gives their servers T-shirts that are a size smaller than the one they request for.

Norman Then, the 29-year old owner of Stickies Bar, which is known for cheap beer and servers who are young, attractive “influencer types”, argues that this is just business and marketing.

“I don’t know about other F&B places but when it comes to liquor places and night life,” he says, “Guys drink a lot more than women, generally.”

“Guys like to look at girls and talk about girls, girls also like to look at and talk about other girls. And also with girls the service is better. They’re more attentive, and they have a gentler touch, which people like.”

In response to the fact that some of his servers can sometimes dress quite provocatively, he says that he encourages his staff to express themselves. While there have been instances where he’s tried to get girls to “cover up more”, he’s been told, “This is just fashion.”

Adding that young women these days are influenced by everything from social media to television, Norman says that he isn’t trying to change society or culture.

“But I do talk to the girls personally sometimes and tell them, it’s not about your looks.”