Masseuse Chastity Pants Spark Uproar in Indonesia

Reacting to clients’ demands for sex, some Indonesian masseuses have begun wearing locked pants reminiscent of ancient chastity belts, the Los Angeles Times reports. What began as one parlor entrepreneur's idea to deflect pushy clients has spread and may now spawn legislation. But many, including Indonesia's minister for women’s empowerment, are outraged by the idea.

“It insults women as if they are the ones in the wrong,” said the minister. A masseuse, meanwhile, called the pants “nothing special.” Before she meets a client, a cashier locks her trousers, unlocking them again when the client leaves. “The customers' hands should be chained, too, to prevent them from sexually harassing the masseuse," noted one observer. (More masseuse stories.)