#DontTellMeHowToDress: Thai women clap back at govt advice to cover up at Songkran

By Prae Sakaowan 

 

A file photo of a woman participating in a water fight during Songkran Festival, April 2012. Photo: John Shedrick

 

The hashtags #DontTellMeHowToDress and #TellMenToRespect have gained popularity on Twitter over the past few days in Thailand. The social movement is a rare clapback from Thai women, who are speaking out against the government’s advice that they should cover up in order to avoid sexual harassment during the upcoming Songkran festival.

 

The hashtags were brought to public attention by Thai-American supermodel Cindy Sirinya Bishop, who posted a video response to what has been construed as a victim-blaming statement from the government.

 

“This sort of thinking is why women’s rights in our country are way behind others,” Cindy said in a video posted to Instagram on Thursday.

 

Full story: https://coconuts.co/bangkok/features/donttellmehowtodress-thai-women-clap-back-govt-advice-cover-songkran/

 

-- © Copyright Coconuts Bangkok 2018-03-28

I am 100% behind the women here!

 

"...“Women have the right to dress however we choose, as long as it’s not illegal. Sexual assault and harassment is never the woman’s fault! Tell men to keep their hands to themselves. [sic]”..."

 

Women should be able to enjoy Songkran as much as men.

 

Its 2018. Let's treat it as such...

 

 

Edited March 28, 20188 yr by Samui Bodoh
Lack of coffee

And remember the  "good looking women should not wear bikinis"  from the "Democratic soldier"

They’re right. Women can dress how they want. If some people can’t control their sexual urges, they should stay home and sit in an ice bath. Because the problem is theirs and no one else’s. 

This is Thailand and they are still many years behind a lot of other countries in there attitudes, against woman . 

The Ministry of Culture will be horrified with this headline.........it was them that banned spaghetti strap tops at Songkran years ago..........ever conscious of the national reputation.

19 minutes ago, seeyoujimmy said:

This is Thailand and they are still many years behind a lot of other countries in there attitudes, against woman . 

Maybe women in other countries don't dress as 'inviting' as Thai women.....

Meet Miss Me Too 2018...

If tu had his way everyone would be wearing period costumes and pouring a splash if water on the hands of elders.

 

Khun Prayut, putting the 0 into Thailand 4.0

 

Go girls, wear whatever you please....

Way to go, ladies!

If rape or groping happens, there is only one to blame!

The rapist or groper!

Not the lady!

Not a thong!

Not a see-through- shirt!

Not a wet T-shirt!

End of!

39 minutes ago, JOC said:

Maybe women in other countries don't dress as 'inviting' as Thai women.....

Meet Miss Me Too 2018...

Butt,  butt, butt...................Thaksin........... as some say.

Edited March 28, 20188 yr by ratcatcher

5 minutes ago, ratcatcher said:

Butt,  butt, butt...................Thaksin........... as some say.

Made my day......!!

Thank you......3 times

#don't complain later

Funny how theyll all wear black when told  though!!

Model rejects govt’s line women to blame for men’s sexual harassment

By RACHANON CHAROONSAK 
THE NATION

 

 

A WELL-KNOWN model has launched a social-media campaign to tackle the widespread erroneous belief that sexual harassment stems from a woman’s choice of clothes.

 

Sirinya “Cindy” Bishop, who is also an actress, has used social media to counter recent messages propagated by authorities that sexual harassment can be stopped by urging women not to dress in a revealing way.

 

 

 She said what women wore was not a justification for sexual harassment. Instead, men should respect women and not behave inappropriately, she added.

 

The campaign started last week when she read a news report about a suggestion from the Department of Local Administration telling women to wear modest clothes during the Songkran Festival to prevent sexual harassment.

 

Sirinya countered by posting a video clip on her Instagram account, “cindysirinya”, highlighting that women had the right to wear whatever they wanted to and men did not have a right to use apparel as an excuse for their behaviour.

 

Sirinya said she had been a victim of sexual harassment during Songkran even though she was not wearing skimpy clothes, adding the mindset to tell women to dress politely showed protection of women rights in Thailand was very backward.

 

“Women have the right to dress however we choose, as long as it’s not illegal. Sexual assault and harassment is never the woman’s fault! Tell men to keep their hands to themselves!” she wrote in the caption to the video clip.

 

She added in a subsequent Instagram post that dressing in a revealing way did increase the risk for women being victims of sexual harassment. However, she said society focused only on how women dressed without pushing for other solutions, such as teaching men social values and to respect women’s rights.

 

Sirinya urged netizens to participate in the campaign by posting pictures or describing their experiences of sexual harassment, adding the hashtags #donttellmehowtodress and #tellmentorespect.

 

Her campaign has received positive feedback, with more than 700 people posting with these hashtags on Instagram as of yesterday afternoon.

 

A Facebook user named “Ellelie Tosuk” supported Sirinya’s post by saying: “Nowadays women’s rights are lessening each day. They should solve the problem from the root, not the result.”

 

However, a review of opinions from university students found that not everyone agreed with Sirinya.

 

Some people commented that wearing modest clothes could reduce the risk of sexual harassment, while male students wrote that wearing revealing clothes could send the wrong signal to some men that women were willing to be touched.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30341965

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-03-29

I prefer #shuttthe<deleted> hashtag better. Let's enjoy the holiday as we are supposed to. No water left in 100 years, so let's enjoy it now!

She is as right as she can be. All men that can´t look at a beautiful woman or body, without seeing that as an entity of possession has some serious skrews loose.

 

9 hours ago, observer90210 said:

#don't complain later

And what does that mean? Skrews popping?

Cindy should not be allowed out in public without a paper bag on her head.

Typical feminazi BS. Men are bastards, women are never wrong, men can't control themselves yada yada yada.. Pathetic.

 

There is an issue of course but I don't think man bashing is going to help anyone really.

Also she is one of the ugliest models i've ever seen ?

She may wear nothing but a tampon and declare it as a period costume.

Quote

She said what women wore was not a justification for sexual harassment. Instead, men should respect women and not behave inappropriately, she added.

 

Edited March 29, 20188 yr by Wilsonandson

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Sexual assault and harassment is never the woman’s fault!

 

Unless it's the woman doing the harassment or assault !! It happens... :)

3 hours ago, z42 said:

Typical feminazi BS. Men are bastards, women are never wrong, men can't control themselves yada yada yada.. Pathetic.

 

There is an issue of course but I don't think man bashing is going to help anyone really.

Also she is one of the ugliest models i've ever seen ?

Where did you get that BS from?

No one said anything like that...even remotely!

But if a man can not control his urges, when he sees a woman...he is a bastard!

That much is true!

Context matters, you know?!

Cindy: “Women have the right to dress however we choose, as long as it’s not illegal.....” she wrote in the caption to the video clip.

 

Government: OK, we'll make it illegal

Edited March 29, 20188 yr by whimsy

Gov tell ppl how To dress only in thailand

Thai Ministry of culture website hypocrisy.

1 hour ago, klauskunkel said:

cabinet member wearing a tampon:

This could be my new look for the festivities, very dapper, torn between a similar outfit or speedo's and a wife beater?

Undecided on which watch to accessorize with?

Edited March 29, 20188 yr by CGW

5 hours ago, Somtamnication said:

I prefer #shuttthe<deleted> hashtag better. Let's enjoy the holiday as we are supposed to. No water left in 100 years, so let's enjoy it now!

What !  I won't be around in 100 years so I will enjoy now , oh where will the water have gone to ?

15 hours ago, observer90210 said:

#don't complain later

If someone is sexually assaulted, they have every right to complain. 

16 hours ago, JOC said:

Maybe women in other countries don't dress as 'inviting' as Thai women.....

Meet Miss Me Too 2018...

 

Dat ass looks too good.

 

I think it's a bloke

Why not seperate male and female only celebration area. Law would not stop males here, they still could not realize.