My shifts at my part-time job have been cut.

I’m a male member, 日月新. There are already plenty of good answers, so this is probably completely unnecessary, but the phrase “deliberately pretending to be stupid” caught my attention. If you deliberately pretend not to know or be able to do something you actually know or can do, saying, “I’m stupid, you know,” then from the perspective of those around you, you’re simply an irresponsible person. If you pretend not to know how to do things you’re expected to know or be able to do, then to those around you, you’re simply an incompetent idiot who can’t meet expectations. Likewise, if you deliberately say things like, “I’m stupid,” “I’m not good with relationships,” or “I don’t understand people’s feelings,” and then act inconsiderately toward others, you’re simply an unpleasant person. If you pretend to be clueless about human relationships and behave inconsiderately, then you’re just an idiot who doesn’t understand people very well. Where I’m from, we call people like that “country folk” and tend to watch over them warmly. No matter what situation I imagine, you end up coming across as “unreliable,” “someone I wouldn’t want to be friends with,” or simply “a genuinely stupid person.” That’s probably why other women dislike you. As for being liked by men, isn’t it less about your personality and more about being “popular” as an object of sexual desire? You seem to think you’re calculating your moves and handling things cleverly, but in reality, you just come across as an unreasonable young woman. That leaves the question of how long men will keep coming back, and how much they’ll be willing to pay you as an object of sexual desire. Personally, I feel that sex work might suit you better than papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan).

In my humble life experience, people who pretend to be idiots are worse than the truly hopelessly stupid. They’re actually even dumber, yet convince themselves they’re only putting on an act. Naturally, they’re difficult to deal with and have no charm, so I can fully understand why the manager cut back their shifts. People say even fools and scissors can be put to good use, but a fool pretending to be a fool is like a rusty pair of scissors—completely useless. To add a little more, everyone around them can see that they’re an idiot pretending to be one. In other words, it’s often the person themselves who has no idea. My condolences. Yes, I’m very hard on idiots—as long as they’re not me.

papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan) isn’t easy enough to succeed just by acting on your anger. If you’re cute and have a good figure, you’ll get offers. But if the relationship doesn’t continue, you won’t receive an ongoing allowance. Instead of just getting angry about why your work shifts are being reduced, you need to think about the situation and respond appropriately. Otherwise, your papa-katsu arrangement will end quickly too, and simply staying angry won’t get you any allowance.

> I was told to take this opportunity to become a full-time employee. In papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan), is there demand for women who come across as kind of dumb? (Like girls who deliberately act dumb or play the ditzy, naturally airheaded type.) ↑ You should try going for both. Even if you seem like “a dumb girl,” they’ll figure you out after meeting two or three times, so there’s no need to put on an act. I also don’t think many papas (male supporters) bother pretending to be dumb. If anything, they’re usually handsome older guys who openly show how foolish and horny they are—so you’re kindred spirits. I think you’d be better off approaching it naturally.

I don’t think someone who deliberately acts stupid is genuinely clueless.

Thanks for your question. I’ll answer too. First, was the person managing the shifts a woman or a man? If it was a woman, you wrote that “other women dislike you,” so you might consider quitting that job and working part-time at a company where a man manages the shifts. If a man was arranging the shifts but your hours were reduced this time, then it seems you may not be as popular with men as you think. Women who are genuinely popular usually don’t have their shifts reduced over something minor. If anything, other women might complain that “It’s unfair that only Ms. ○○ gets special treatment.” And if that’s the extent of your appeal, it becomes questionable whether you’ll do well in papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan). You may need to be considerate toward men on a regular basis—to the point where the men at your part-time job would be on your side no matter what. Otherwise, there’s a possibility that papa-katsu won’t go well for you either. Also, whether there’s demand for you in papa-katsu can’t be judged solely by the fact that you may be the type of “naturally ditzy girl who pretends to be stupid on purpose.” People are judged based on many different aspects. Even if you think you’ve seen various sides of someone during a one-hour interview, there are still often things you haven’t fully figured out. With that in mind, even if I answered your question, “Is there demand for me?” it would probably just be a half-hearted answer. There are many things you won’t know until you actually try. Looking at it from another angle, there’s demand for every kind of woman. For example, you might assume that a woman weighing over 100 kilograms wouldn’t be in demand. But apart from Universe, there seems to be demand from niche men who specifically like that type of woman. The reason I say “apart from Universe” is simply that such women are rejected during the interview process there. Even if men with that preference join, they find that there are no women they like and go elsewhere. That creates a cycle: No plus-size women → no men who like plus-size women. But when it comes to papa-katsu as a whole, I believe there is demand. Have you heard the saying, “There’s no accounting for taste”? Just because you feel a certain way doesn’t mean everyone else feels the same. Even if you think you’re not good enough, somewhere out there are men who will like exactly what you consider a flaw.

I think even naturally airheaded girls will get offers if they’re attractive, but... I don’t really see much point in pretending to be stupid. I don’t know the statistics, but aren’t intelligent women more popular?