ABSTRACT
This chapter describes how young women and men who are employed as sex workers and waitresses in South Sulawesi use drugs and cosmetics to make their bodies more attractive. It show how they are not primarily motivated by a desire to generate "surplus health" but rather see chemical use as a resource in their struggles for livelihood. Sex workers and waitresses need to be attractive to appeal to prospective clients. To achieve these ends, they used a broad range of powders, soaps, creams, gels and skin-whitening products. While limited products were sold by the bar owner in remote Isidro, a wide range of products was available in supermarkets, pharmacies, community groceries and market stalls in Makassar. The pattern of alcohol consumption was very different in Makassar, where self-employed informants pepoles were not confined to karaoke bars. They roamed the entertainment establishments of Losari Beach, buying their own alcoholic beverages and drinking those given to them by their customers and friends.
