Fun and Beauty
Festivals of fun and beauty in Thailand
After staying in Thailand for a while you start to realise how many festivals are held here. Thailand is simply the country of festivals. These are especially frequent in the north and northeast of the country. In conjunction with a festival there is almost always a beauty contest. During the recent umbrella festival in Chiang Mais Bo Sang district in January Miss Umbrella was held, and in the upcoming flower festival in the beginning of Februari there will be a parade and another beauty contest. Thailand adores beauty and there are at least 500 different beauty contests per year held in the country. Every city has its own pageant and every harvest season creates a reason to have yet another beauty contest. Miss Strawberry, Miss Garlic, Miss Durian just to name a few. In connection with the marketing of new products there are also beauty contests when the companies launch their products. Miss Mobile IT and Miss Science are two examples.
Democracy Training
According to the book Very Thai. The first beauty contest was held on Constitution Day, December 10, 1934. Believe it or not, but the contest was intended as an exercise in democracy. Simple, You got to vote who would win. To make sure that there would be attention and interest in democracy, it ought to be sanuk - ie. fun. The contest was called "Miss Siam National Beauty Contest" and the winner would be a true symbol of the goodness of the Thai race. Even the nationalist leader Phibun advocated beauty contests. 1941-1942 he promoted the Miss Afternoon Wear, to show that Thais were not some half-naked savages but modern and stylish just as westerners. Thailand has won Miss Universe twice, first time was in 1965 with beautiful Apasra Hongsakula and in 1988 won Porntip Nakhirunkanok who spoke Thai with an American accent.
According to the book Very Thai. The first beauty contest was held on Constitution Day, December 10, 1934. Believe it or not, but the contest was intended as an exercise in democracy. Simple, You got to vote who would win. To make sure that there would be attention and interest in democracy, it ought to be sanuk - ie. fun. The contest was called "Miss Siam National Beauty Contest" and the winner would be a true symbol of the goodness of the Thai race. Even the nationalist leader Phibun advocated beauty contests. 1941-1942 he promoted the Miss Afternoon Wear, to show that Thais were not some half-naked savages but modern and stylish just as westerners. Thailand has won Miss Universe twice, first time was in 1965 with beautiful Apasra Hongsakula and in 1988 won Porntip Nakhirunkanok who spoke Thai with an American accent.
Beauty ideals
In Thailand it is hip to have the Luuk Krung look, ie. mixed origin, "I am Thai" but I have borrowed some from the west. Mix Haxholm from Sweden became Miss Thailand 2003. (In Sweden, perhaps best known as archery and sports commentator.) Thai-Chinese origin are also common among movie stars and advertising models and for some time now there has been a great hype about Korea.
In Thailand it is hip to have the Luuk Krung look, ie. mixed origin, "I am Thai" but I have borrowed some from the west. Mix Haxholm from Sweden became Miss Thailand 2003. (In Sweden, perhaps best known as archery and sports commentator.) Thai-Chinese origin are also common among movie stars and advertising models and for some time now there has been a great hype about Korea.
Miss Second Kind of Woman and some of the more exotic kind of "Miss titles"
Each year the most beautiful katoy - "ladyboy", or Miss Second Kind of Woman competion is held in Pattaya. The official name is Miss Tiffany Universe. Miss Tiffany is originally an elaborate drag show that has been going on for 35 years. The competetion draws about 15 million viewers to the TV sets every year. 20 years old Sorrawee Nattee won the competition in 2009.
Then we have a number of beauty contests for people that are overweight; Miss Elephant, there is also Miss IMF (I am very fat) and Miss WTO (Weight top over). The idea here is to promote self-esteem in overweight men and women. The winners missions could be to be an ambassador for instance to protect endangered elephants. During a competition in Bangkok, organizers had to build a special stage that could hold all the 24 finalists, which together weighed 2.5 tonnes. One of the more exotic competitions would be the Miss Drunk contest. A local alcohol company put up a contest where you should drink five shots and then smoothly pass a slalom course with whisky bottles as cones. The race was complicated by the fact that the participants wore a traditional silk dress and a crown of gold on their head. And if there is a competition for the drunk, there are of course also competions for hangover, Miss Hang as in hangover.
Miss Wheelchair is another example of a bit odd beauty contest, but is not seen in Thailand as something politically incorrect. (In neigboring Cambodia you even find Miss Landmine). In Chiang Mai there has also been a contest of the most beautiful Miss Chiang Mai since the beauty competion started. A lady who was in the competion 1939 put on her robes again and was carried through town in a parade.
Well i guess the point is, if you see that there is a festival coming up, there will surely be beauty competion. At The Northern Rose we will do our best to update our readers of whats going on in Chiang Mai the coming months.
Upcoming;
5-7 February Flower Festival Chiang Mai.
8-12 February Strawberry festival in Samoeng mountain(www.amphoesamoeng.com)
8-22 February Chinese New Year
© Text: Per Sundberg | © Photos: Jan Friman
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