Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2016 5:09:11 GMT 7
According to Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, this year’s theme for tourism is “Discover Thainess.” What does “Thainess” look like in a country of 67 million?
According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s (TAT) “Discover Thainess” website, it looks female: it is the graceful Thai woman clad in the sabai and phaasin who greets travelers on a gleaming sign in Suvarnabhumi airport, the gentle female Thai rice farmer, and the Thai maiden meditating peacefully. With the exception of Muay Thai, the online contests sponsored by TAT all feature demonstrations from swaying in Thai traditional dance to making Thai-style flower garlands. In a press release, the TAT proudly boasts that it “spotlights essential Thai culture.” The state’s essentialization of Thai identity is exotic, packaged for ready consumption, and undoubtedly feminine.
thediplomat.com/2016/06/selling-thailand-gender-tourism-and-female-objectification/
According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s (TAT) “Discover Thainess” website, it looks female: it is the graceful Thai woman clad in the sabai and phaasin who greets travelers on a gleaming sign in Suvarnabhumi airport, the gentle female Thai rice farmer, and the Thai maiden meditating peacefully. With the exception of Muay Thai, the online contests sponsored by TAT all feature demonstrations from swaying in Thai traditional dance to making Thai-style flower garlands. In a press release, the TAT proudly boasts that it “spotlights essential Thai culture.” The state’s essentialization of Thai identity is exotic, packaged for ready consumption, and undoubtedly feminine.
thediplomat.com/2016/06/selling-thailand-gender-tourism-and-female-objectification/
- but yes won't please those who like the official line
