Indian influencer highlights four Thai cultural contrasts

An Indian travel influencer's video describing four aspects of life in Thailand that surprised her has drawn mixed reactions online, after being highlighted by the Hindustan Times.

Shreya Mahendru, a content creator, shared her impressions after recently travelling around Thailand, focusing on women's roles at work, dress standards at temples, the visibility of nightlife districts and freedom of clothing.

Women's role in Thai working life

Mahendru said the prominent presence of women in business and workplaces was the first thing that stood out to her.

"First of all, women here have the freedom to do or manage everything, whether it is small businesses, food stalls, tech companies and much more. The female workforce is more than 60%," she said in the Instagram video.

One social-media user agreed, writing: "Absolutely true. I was surprised to see not many men working, and women working everywhere. It seems women are the earning pillars of families."

Temple rules can change at the door

The influencer said she was particularly confused by the difference between dress expectations outside temples and inside religious buildings.

"You can walk to an outdoor religious site wearing shorts or slippers and nobody says anything to you. There is no preaching or moral judgement," she said.

But indoors, she said, the rules were applied consistently: no sleeveless tops, no shorts and no shoes, regardless of whether the visitor was male or female.

That is a useful practical reminder for tourists and newcomers. While casual clothing may be accepted in temple grounds, visitors should expect stricter requirements before entering certain buildings and should be ready to cover up or remove footwear.

Open nightlife and clothing freedom

Mahendru also remarked on Thailand's entertainment districts, saying they were more visible than she had expected.

"I know it sounds unbelievable, but the nightlife districts here are not hidden or scary at all. The pubs and bars are just out in the open. It is more visible than we are used to, in a strange and different way from what I have normally seen," she said.

Her fourth observation was what she described as Thailand's freedom of dress without unwanted attention. "You can wear whatever you want: crop tops, short skirts, tank tops. There is no harassment, no staring, no need to worry about safety. There is only freedom," she said.

The comments included both agreement and praise for Thailand. One user wrote: "This is why Thailand is my favourite country." Another said: "I agree with you. I did not feel like an outsider and felt very free in Bangkok."

A third commenter described Thailand as "pure love, whether in the city or on the islands", while another said they had never felt unsafe, even riding alone after 1am in Bangkok, adding that the food and people were "love".

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1 August 2026