Topless in Thailand
When going to a swimming pool in Thailand, you might see a sign that reads “As Thailand is a Buddhist society, women please refrain from topless sunbathing, as you will offend other guests.” What’s interesting about this is that prior to the 20th century that would not have been the case. Indeed women bearing their breasts was normal, as many women, like men, wore a loose lower garment but not an upper. And despite the signs at swimming pools prohibiting topless sunbathing because it goes against Buddhist values, Thai temples have old Buddhist art with topless women. But now Thai women dress in a more conservative fashion. What happened?
To be succinct and straight to the point: western influence, or pressure, from the 19th century and onward gradually eroded away these rights for women, and, to a lesser extent, men.
Christian missionaries and other Europeans came to Thailand. Growing up in a more puritanical society, they inevitably frowned upon women walking around with exposed breasts. So, they didn’t like it! What was the big deal? Well, humans tend to be creatures who desire acceptance from others, and the Thai were no exception. Bowing into international peer pressure, it was only a matter of time before Thai women stopped going topless after thousands of years of doing so. And, it should be noted as a side note, that it’s improper for men to go topless in public too, unless it’s at the pool or the beach.
In the late 19th century, under King Chulalongkorn, women were strongly advised to cover their breasts. That said, old habits die hard, and parts of Thailand would hold out against upper garb up to the 1920s and 30s. This would eventually culminate with the government under Plaek Pibulsonggram issuing mandate 10 in 1941, which promulgated that it was obscene for females to walk around in public in just a wraparound and no top. In other words, “don’t you dare embarrass our country among the foreigners!” Peer pressure was in full effect.
Nonetheless, the old ghosts of Thai fashion linger in its art, particularly in its temples. One only has to step inside Wat Phumin, Wat Bang Khai Yai, and even Wat Phrae Kaew (the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, which is regarded as the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand) and other religious sites to see murals of bare breasted women. For example, in Wat Phumin, visitors can see an elegantly beautiful painting of a woman who is doing her hair after having just taken her bath. She’s called the “Mona Lisa of Nan.”
But wait? Topless paintings of women in Buddhist temples? And some near the Buddha, no less! How does this make sense? After all, doesn’t this go against Buddhist sensibilities in Thailand? It brings to mind how some Christians see nude art as obscene, and yet the Sistine Chapel and some of the greatest and most powerful works of Christian art and iconography have nudes in them. Despite the prudery, deep down most people know the body isn’t obscene, but sacred, and that goes for breasts.
In a way, maybe breasts are seen as spiritual in the subconscious. For breasts nourish children and provide life. They are badges of honor that have shown the obtainment of womanhood. In some traditions, the Buddha is described as a mother who feeds the milk of dharma, thus symbolizing breastfeeding as an act of compassion from buddhas and bodhisattvas alike. Women around the Asian continent would visit temples to pray for breast milk for their children.
So, despite the ban on topless sunbathing in Thailand (except for designated naturist resorts), there seems to be a history of reverence towards a women’s breasts.
Will there be a day in which toplessness in Thailand isn’t so taboo anymore, like it was before pre-European influence? Take breastfeeding. According to a 2019 survey, 70.2% of the 400 residents surveyed in Bangkok support public breastfeeding, though most prefer it to be discreet. Maybe in time public breastfeeding will lead the general Thai public to being more accepting of toplessness.
But for the time being that isn’t the case. As mentioned earlier, it’s not just taboo for women, but also to a lesser extent, it’s taboo for men, still being considered offensive and improper for them to generally be topless. If you’re hot and sweating under your shirt, you just have face it stoically, regardless of your gender.
Be that as it may, society isn’t stagnant. Practices can change. And sometimes society can revert back to old practices, and peer pressures doesn’t always last.
Links
https://www.chiangmai1.com/chiang_mai/sub/traditional_dress.shtml
https://mythailand.blog/2017/02/24/thailand-topless-women/
https://royalthaiart.com/wat-phumin/
https://academic.oup.com/book/2846/chapter-abstract/143420977?redirectedFrom=fulltext
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/5292671_Buddhism_and_Breastfeeding
https://he02.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/TJONC/article/view/183217
