Culture Clash

[seonai]

Howe-a-dee, I am also personally offended, since you asked, by seeing too much of ANYONE'S flesh anywhere. Most of my 'thinking' friends agree here where we live in Thailand. Because of cultural taboos around the world, social constraints, religeous beliefs, personal thoughts, values...... whatever...... we are all entitled to our views here. But in Thailand and other parts of Asia, taking your clothes either off or wearing little is still considered a form of showing your availability for non commital sex.

So what some posters are saying about beach behaviour is just nonsense.

While we are at it, it would be interesting to see what people thought about male nudity. How about men getting their kegs off? Why the obsession with boobs?

I have never understood why one would want to burn their mammaries anyway - unless you are Spanish and you've done it all your life, surely it must hurt????????

[Boo]

no, your now being pedantic, the topic was about people going topless, according to you thai women dont, I know of one that does. If I find it offensive is not your business, you find western women topless on the beach offensive. We obviously have differing veiws on appropriate places to be topless!

Also, you say that you see 20k thai people a day, that doesn't make you an expert or even knowledgable on thai people it just means you get out a lot. I try to base my replies on things I actually know or have witnessed from my personal freinds & family, not by random people in the street.

Have you asked any of these 20k people their opinion on this subject? Have you discussed it with any of them? Probably not, so how can you speak for them all? IMO you can't.

You are basing opinion on what you "think " they think about it not what they "actually" think about it. Thats why I say, "my friends" or "the people I know" in my posts as I can only base my views on the small cross section of people I actually know & have real relationships with.

Anyway, this isn't the issue. To the OP, you're here for 2 weeks, enjoy yourself & don't think too much (one favorite saying of 99% of my thai friends).

[seonai]

Sorry Boo I seem to have posted in the middle of you and Mark whatever - I missed a page!!!!!!

[seonai]

Must say..... to Kat too a she seems a good philosopher - I am worried about the human race's thing about breasts!!!! You know what I mean? Where I live, women of course cover up totally. Until breast feeding..... and then out they come !

Anyway, sorry bit off topic. Food for thought.

I still have this thing about Page Three girls. Do you think if there were Page three men showing their most vital parts... the newspaper would have survived????????

Can you imagine, on the tube in the morning, lots of dick s

[Boo]

God no seonai, if page 3 had done mens bit they would have gone bust in the first week. Meat & 2 veg shouldn't be on display in public ever

[seonai]

Heh heh heh !!!!!!

[seonai]

Saw a few in Niharn on the beach and I guess you get them in Patong, men in G-strings........... men with (sorry everyone) ENORMOUS bellies and rather unflattering other parts.... hee hee

[Boo]

There was a ladies magazine came out a few years ago called just for women or somethign like that & it featured men with semi hard ons, I don't think it is still in print as they misjudged completely what turned women on. (it may still be going but I have never seen it since!)

[seonai]

S'pose I am a bit hypocritical but I think there is a time and a place for everything. A beach, where it's not Muslim and maybe pretty international..... so why not to the topless thing. I forget cos I live on a very small island. Here it is just horrible if someone does it. Everyone knows who is on the island and everyone would talk about you for the rest of your stay. Really I am not kidding. Hey if anyone of you guys has ever studied Buddhism properly.... a body is a body....... it will get old, wrinkled and die just like any other body. It's what is inside that counts.

God it's late and I am gibbering !

Edited April 1, 2006 by seonai

[kat]

No - you're on a roll now, Seonai. I think the night becomes you

Yeah, I dunno about the breastfeeding thing - another contradiction! I guess once a woman gives birth, they are considered working breasts forever after, lol.

So much for philosophy. Seonai, is your bar dry tonight?

[seonai]

Yes Boo, don't know the mag but I see what you mean. That's a fascination for me, why boobs? (For the international crowd I mean breasts). I don't know why seeing them is such a big thing????

For the record Boo, regards your earlier post about the older ladies. There's one elderly lady on the island who regularly pops in to my house as she passes. A wonderful, happily married and still hard working soul. When she comes to the house I give her water and a biscuit or whatever I have around. And during the course of conversation she regularly GRABS my boobs and when she finds out that I am wearing a bra she announces to all and sundry that I am a good woman !!!!!!! She has also felt the top of my sarong to check for pants!!!! But sometimes, when I drive past her house on my motorbike, there she is with sarong and no top on the porch !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[kat]

Yeah, I know; the licence of the old in this country. I was once felt up by a bargirl, though.

So, is there any booze present anywhere on this thread tonight?

I'm kind of punch-drunk sober and should really go to bed. I don't think they're going to let me out of this internet place because I think I stayed over the amount of cash I actually have with me - ha ha.

[seonai]

Hey Kat!!!! So nice to hear from you. Ya the bar is actually shut forevr as from tonight. Hubbie is building a new one nearby. First night in the house all night!!!!! Drinking vodka. (Am I allowed to say that?)

How are you. Oh sorry, forgot we are on a forum!

I am on a roll..... it's the ###### vodka! Never used to drink the stuff, good wine is too pricey here!!!!!

Anyway, back to toplessness..... fascinating subject

[seonai]

Are you in BKK Kat?

Come to an island - pay tomorrow, no problem.

[kat]

Vodka is my favorite choice of spirits! Have one for me, until we meet sometime.

I don't see why we can't talk about generic, harmless vodka when the guys are always talking about their beloved Chang

Anyway, I'm going to brave trying to get out of here.

Good night!

edit: yeah - in BKK. I have time off until the 17th. Maybe I'll finally make my way down there and drink with you in person. I'm going to think about this more tomorrow.

'night!

Edited April 1, 2006 by kat

[seonai]

In fact forget toplessness, I really want to get you smart gals down to this island somehow, one day. Bambi is the only one who has made it so far, and to keep on topic, there won't be any topless sunbathing here.

While I said that I don't understand the fuss about boobs, I still respect where I live very much. In fact, shock horror, I most often wear a head scarf to the village.

[seonai]

Kat I know you have gone but....... soon okay. I know you will pop down. Look forward to that.

[mark45y]

Apologies for being snippy, I had stocked up on beer for friends because of the stores being closed for the election. I bought too much and the ladies have a habit of just replacing my beer when I am typing without asking me thinking I am involved in some large intellectual project. I am afraid I lost track of just how much I was drinking.

At 3 AM my significant other stormed out of the bedroom whacked me on the head, turned off the computer and said you go bed right now and then whacked me in the head again.

I did have one comment about men going topless as was mentioned in another post. I was watching a boxing match a few nights ago in a public area. There were men, woman, teens and a few children there. All of a sudden 10 topless women walked out onto the boxing ring and started dancing. I was rather taken aback and asked my Thai friends just what was going on and they informed me it was OK because they were lady boys. There was a lady boy bar next to the boxing ring and I guess they wanted some free promotion. This left me totally confused. Is it legal for lady boys to go topless?

[Donz]

Apologies for being snippy, I had stocked up on beer for friends because of the stores being closed for the election. I bought too much and the ladies have a habit of just replacing my beer when I am typing without asking me thinking I am involved in some large intellectual project. I am afraid I lost track of just how much I was drinking.

At 3 AM my significant other stormed out of the bedroom whacked me on the head, turned off the computer and said you go bed right now and then whacked me in the head again.

I did have one comment about men going topless as was mentioned in another post. I was watching a boxing match a few nights ago in a public area. There were men, woman, teens and a few children there. All of a sudden 10 topless women walked out onto the boxing ring and started dancing. I was rather taken aback and asked my Thai friends just what was going on and they informed me it was OK because they were lady boys. There was a lady boy bar next to the boxing ring and I guess they wanted some free promotion. This left me totally confused. Is it legal for lady boys to go topless?

I think it should also be illegal, but i think its because they are really men, probaly some loop hole which they could exploit.

Because technically its just a man with fake boobs.

[ourmanflint]

Cheering!!!

[ourmanflint]

OOPS!! seem to have skipped three pages posting somehow,.... the cheering was for Boo by the way!!!

[LaoPo]

At 3 AM my significant other stormed out of the bedroom whacked me on the head, turned off the computer and said you go bed right now and then whacked me in the head again.

Your'e not very lucky with picking your Ladies, are you?

Reminds of a friend of mine who was knocked out -ASLEEP- with a bedside table by his girlfriend; when he woke up he was severly 'damaged' and had to go to hospital...he ended the relationship...of course.

LaoPo

[Donz]

At 3 AM my significant other stormed out of the bedroom whacked me on the head, turned off the computer and said you go bed right now and then whacked me in the head again.

Your'e not very lucky with picking your Ladies, are you?

Reminds of a friend of mine who was knocked out -ASLEEP- with a bedside table by his girlfriend; when he woke up he was severly 'damaged' and had to go to hospital...he ended the relationship...of course.

LaoPo

thats funny, what a phsyco of a woman, may i ask what he done?

[LaoPo]

At 3 AM my significant other stormed out of the bedroom whacked me on the head, turned off the computer and said you go bed right now and then whacked me in the head again.

Your'e not very lucky with picking your Ladies, are you?

Reminds of a friend of mine who was knocked out -ASLEEP- with a bedside table by his girlfriend; when he woke up he was severly 'damaged' and had to go to hospital...he ended the relationship...of course.

LaoPo

thats funny, what a phsyco of a woman, may i ask what he done?

She was quite jealous (she is much older) but I think they both drank a bit too much that evening and he went to bed after an argument (1 of many) and fell asleep...well, that's no reason to hit somebody like that...she could have killed him....

LaoPo

[Donz]

Thats bad,one of my ex's threw a plate at me before, she had veins poking out her neck and everything.

She was a little cutie but when reved up she is like a monster.

I feel sorry for her future bf's

[sbk]

Anyway, back a couple of pages where I believe Mark said it was ok if it wasn't a Thai venue (ie his girlfriend wears a bikini in a "farang oriented"hotel).

Um, just a question. Where on earth did you ever get the idea that say, Chaweng, is a thai oriented venue? Thai tourists do go to Samui, true, but I'd have to say they are by far the minority compared to farangs. So, in essence, it isn't really a "thai venue", is it?

I mean, in a hotel, the staff would be Thai, and they would certainly comment on your girlfriends bikini amongst themselves, so, how is that different from one of the main beaches on Samui where the majority of Thai people there are there to work?

[dantilley]

Yeah, good to get this back on topic...

The majority of Thai people I know aren't offended by topless women on the beach, but many do find it a little odd. So, they will see these "crazy farrangs" with their breasts showing and maybe snigger a bit, but are they offended? No, not really. I guess it's similar to my feelings (and others on this topic by the sound of things) about people going around in Speedos - not exactly something I'd do myself and also not really the most aesthetically pleasing sight, but I wouldn't say it offends me.

If you see a farrang male in Bangkok with no top on (let alone female!) , though, you can bet that most Thais would be offended, so clearly there it's a big no-no. So it seems that in the right place and with the right degree of subtlety, i.e. on a touristy beach and lying down or perhaps sitting up, but not walking around and also not on one of the more Thai oriented beaches (Hua Hin, Ko Samet, etc.) then it's tolerated and you're unlikely to be offending anyone.

And it's important that it remains that way. Contrary to the general tone that some posts here imply, most people who sunbathe topless wouldn't do it if they thought they were offending people. Neither would they do it if no-one else around them was topless. And, for some people (whether you agree with it or not), the fact of whether or not they can go topless will be a big deciding factor on whether they take their holiday in a certain country. So, if topless sunbathing continues in it's current tolerated state on the touristy beaches, then the tourists will continue to come. If people start to (wrongly) think that every Thai person is cursing the ground they walk on behind their back and start covering up, then tourist numbers are sure to drop massively.

Edited April 3, 2006 by dantilley

[ourmanflint]

wow.. suddenly the sound of common sense comes rushing in...... thank heaven for that!! Agree totally with the above two posts.

[mark45y]

The pool is not a public access pool. It is in a high rise hotel next door to us. For 200 Bht per day per person you can use the pool and sauna and exercise facilities. She wears an extra large towel to walk to the pool and then slips out of the towel into the water and does the same thing when she exit’s the pool never removing the towel except to go into the water. There is also a public access swimming area by a waterfall ½ Farang and ½ Thai about three blocks away when we swim and picnic there she wears shorts and a tee shirt and not a bathing suit to swim in.

[Patsycat]

I wonder if the original OP's girlfriend did eventually go topless in Samui??!!