In our countries the women are holding their handbags or shopping bags usually in the hand. In Thailand, however, one always sees women, holding the bags over the head, or in front of the face, which can be dangerous, especially when crossing the streets in Bangkok filled with reckless driving motorcycles or Tuk-Tuks. The reason for the unusual handling of these utensils indispensable for every woman is the fear of getting a few rays of sunshine, and thus a slightly darker complexion. While tourists will expose themselves to the sun, and are burned red like cooked lobsters when flying back home, Thais flee any exposure to the sun where they can. They cannot understand why Farang are moaning about the heat, but then spend hours in the sun like a toasted Lobster in a vain attempt to get a dark tan. And why they spend so much money for the flight to Thailand only to return home with a complexion of a construction worker, who must drudge the whole day in the sun. Every Thai, having his marbles together knows that one will only expose oneself to the sun when one can absolutely not avoid it, and will stay in the shadows, if possible in a horizontal position. For this they are holding all Farang for "ba-ba-bo-bo", that means for something crazy.

 

When one hears sometimes about the girls from Chiangmai that they are particularly beautiful (even in our guidebooks, this nonsense is brought), then because in northern Thailand, where the sun burns less strong, the people have a lighter skin color, what the Thais find to be beautiful.

 

If one meets a group of people working in the field, it is hardly possible to differ men from women, because they are all wrapped in clothes from head to feet, and you might think you have met a terrorist unit in operation. Despite the heat the women have covered up their faces so that only the eyes look out, the arms are covered by long blouses and possibly even gloves. All this only to avoid the sun from burning their already brown faces to an even deeper brown color. It must be terribly hot under the masks, but to be beautiful one must suffer. If on the road one meets a pickup truck, whose cargo is fully loaded with people all wearing masks covering their face, they are not bandits driving to hold up a bank, but a group of workers underway to their jobs

 

Dark skin is a sign that one exercises an inferior and poorly paid manual job outdoors, such as field work or work on the construction. It is thus a negative status symbol. A light skin however is in Thailand a sign that one has a better-paid profession e.g. in an office, or has not to work at all, and is thus a positive status symbol. Both the movie actors, as well as the models in advertising spots on Thai television, have all a flawless skin similar to white Europeans.

 

It would certainly be a good idea, to set up in Bangkok establishments similar to the browning shops in our towns, where the Thais could get white skin color. It would certainly not lack clientele, if someone would find a suitable technical solution. In the cosmetics shops where in our countries you can find all kind of special browning crèmes, you will find in Thailand a whole range of crèmes and soaps, all of them to bleach the skin.

 

Other countries - other beauty ideals. But the conception about what is beautiful can also change. Our great grandmothers 100 years ago had the same views concerning beauty as the Thais have today. When a lady went out into the sunshine, then she would carry an umbrella and wear long sleeves and gloves, to not get brown like a girl who must work in the sun all day.