Thai actress punished for wearing a revealing dress

[Shoyru_Lover]

"Chotiros Suriyawong, a 22-year-old actress better known by her stage name of Amy, has been publicly vilified after she dared to turn up to Thailand's version of the Oscars ceremony in a dress modeled on Elizabeth Hurley's well-known safety-pin number.

She has been sacked from the cast of a film in which she was due to appear and ordered by her university to make a public apology and to do 15 days of community service by reading to the blind."

Urgh I can't believe that this happened. But then again, when you think of more conservative countries ... well ... yeah.

I guess there's two trains of thought on this one.

What I'm confused with however, is all the other Asian actresses etc. I'm sure they're worn similar outfits in the past.

[NeoPet_online]

She looks pretty. Censorship is so overrated. People are going to want to look at things more if they are censored, I say just let them see them, thing is, if you expose them to it earlier in life, not too young though, they might not be as prone to exploit it later in life.

[Kitten Medli]

ROTFL go Thailand..

[Asthaloth]

You seem to be forgetting that this is;
A: Thailand...
And;
B: A culture that has little to do with the way we run our countries.
I mean, I've seen people shot down for Daring to say that Japan may be just a wee bit racist in their foreign policy, but because it's a... "lesser" country (Power wise) Thailand is free game?

[Dragonfire]

That's revealing? LOL

But I can understand it, because their culture is different from our own, so their levels of what's right and wrong are different from everywhere else.

[Kitten Medli]

That's revealing? LOL

Are you kidding me XD

[shapu]

That's awfully revealing.

It's her fault - she knows the laws and the rules, even if they're rarely enforced. She understands the culture. She's from that selfsame country. She can't claim ignorance of laws or culture.

Thailand is a country that has its own rules. It's not for us to dictate how their society ought to work.

And she is a stone-cold fox.

[DM was on fire!]

Gahaha. Compared to Lil Kim that one year, that's a nun's outfit! XD
Shapu's completely right now, it's completely her fault. She knew the law, she broke it, now she has to pay.

[mazil]

What is the law that she broke?

I tried googling it and reading some of the stories, but didn't find out anything further than that Thailand is mainly Buddhist (is it a Buddhist law?).

I feel sorry for her, it just seems she's young and having fun. But yes, she probably should've known better :-\

[Dragonfire]

That's revealing? LOL

Are you kidding me XD

Compared to some dresses I've seen actresses and other women wear here in the US, that's not revealing at all.

[Lillie]

I don't think it's a Thai law so much as a custom. The custom is be respectful and to dress conservatively. Of course, her university might have some rules regarding dress code.

It's very easy to judge another country's customs by our standards. I'm sure some people will say, 'She should be free to dress how she wants.' I think that's a yes and no answer. She is free to dress how she wants - that's obviously what she's done here. But she's not free to dress however she wants and expect there to be no consequences if it's something that goes against a lot of people's beliefs. Dressing like that is considered bad behaviour in some people's books.

That's revealing? LOL

Are you kidding me XD

Compared to some dresses I've seen actresses and other women wear here in the US, that's not revealing at all.

Gahaha. Compared to Lil Kim that one year, that's a nun's outfit! XD

Of course, we can equally say that American stars are dressing absolutely scandalously! What are they thinking to reveal so much?

So whose standards do we compare by now?

[Pudding]

Well, on the one hand, that is a crime against fashion. On the other hand, I think that it's harsh to get fired for wearing a revealing dress. Yes, there are different cultural standards, but that doesn't mean it's not harsh.

What is the law that she broke?

I tried googling it and reading some of the stories, but didn't find out anything further than that Thailand is mainly Buddhist (is it a Buddhist law?).

All I've read says that her university punished her. I don't think she actually broke any laws. If she did and I just haven't heard of it, then I would assume it's some sort of law against indecent exposure.

[Hil]

By today's standards, those outfits aren't very revealing, and that's sad.

[Lillie]

By today's standards, those outfits aren't very revealing, and that's sad.

Today's standards in America and other Western countries, maybe. In some parts of Asia, including Thailand, it's quite a different matter.

Pudding: I personally have nothing against the dress, and I do wonder if it was a bit much to fire her for wearing that, but I don't have much more sympathy beyond that. Without knowing exactly how Thai people feel on this issue, I don't know if the director (or whoever is in charge) is justified in firing her. She could genuinely be bringing a lot of bad publicity - 'Oh, she's the one who wore that shameful dress.' Or s/he could be overreacting.

She, however, should know better than any of us what the effect of wearing that dress would be. At the very least she must have known her university would disapprove. Therefore she would probably also have guessed what the biggest consequences of her actions might be. It was just not a smart move no matter how you look at it.

In some Asian countries, it wouldn't have been so much of a problem. In Hong Kong, for example, I imagine an actress might get snide comments written about her in the tabloids but that's about it. Japan, South Korea, Taiwan - they might all do the same. But in places like Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia (I'm wondering if China would fall into this latter category, and it might), it's not so hard to imagine how shocked and horrified people are - just reading the reporter's language, I think you get the gist of it.

There are just some things you don't do in Thailand. This isn't as serious, but if you insulted the Thai royal family, that would be an enormous affront to Thai people. Revealing that much is also considered indecent and quite scandalous. And even if I don't personally agree with the follow-up action, I can't help but wonder: What was she thinking?!

[Christopher]

I bet her punishment is reading to the blind cause they nailed the dress to her