The Nation reports that “Gavintra Photijak, Thailand’s beauty queen, won the national costume award in the Miss Universe 2008 pageant in Vietnam Monday morning.” After the humiliation of Preah Vihear this is happy news indeed!
National pride restored!
July 14th, 2008 by Andrew Walker · 7 Comments
Tags: Thailand
7 responses so far ↓
1 Tommickx // Jul 14, 2008 at 5:33 pm
Congratulations to Miss Gavintra Photijak.
One remark.
With humiliation you mean the mindless nationalism and petty protests of some Thai politicians and uninformed citizens, and not UNESCO’s decision. Right?
Of course. New Mandala’s writers are too intelligent to fall into that trap.
Tommickx
2 Observer // Jul 14, 2008 at 10:31 pm
After the humiliation of Preah Vihear this is happy news indeed!
Wait until Cambodia says that the Thais copied the outfit.
3 manning sawwinner // Jul 16, 2008 at 1:10 pm
The outfit on the girl’s body is a disgrace to Thailand.
4 kuson // Jul 16, 2008 at 4:16 pm
IMHO, a beauty pageant designer art should be kept where it was meant to be, as pretty and relevant in the beauty pageant context. Whether one likes the design or not is up to one’s taste.
Personally I think it is quite clever they got the sport to in concept in a beauty pagent (if you’ve seen Muay Thai, you get the picture immediately), and added fun to that event.
#2 Observer
Every piece of art ( for this one, shown without the cloak, I think done by a North Eastern art designer) has its critics. But to mention “copying” especially in the Suvannabhumi (not the airport, but the Thailand, Laos,Camboadia area) would be quite weak IMHO. Similarly if you do see someone playing Songkran in Cambodia in Laos, it would not be ‘copying’, since the cultures in the area is quite similar. Saying ‘copycat’ in this case, I think, is a sign of weakness.
#3 Ref Manning Sawwinner
Muay Thai does forbid Woman in the sport in ancient times (perhaps fighting with elbows and feet is left to the strapping boys), the times have changed and many schools teaching Thai boxing to women have sprung up in the growing interest (I would think) from Foreigners. Taken this context, and the context that a sport in theory should be enjoyed by anyone, it should be ok I reckon? [btw, I am Thai, and generally conservative] I do respect however, if you are from the conservative end, hardcore boxer with ingrained ‘how things have to be’.
5 Sidh S. // Jul 16, 2008 at 10:29 pm
Stunning outfit indeed – not to mention memorable and original in adaptation (as a follower of Thai design, I sense a renaissance is in the offing). Otherwise another Latin American (and Venezuelan in particular – maybe time for a handicap system?) domination at the Miss Universe pageant.
6 Awzar Thi // Jul 18, 2008 at 2:53 pm
And here is Burma’s answer to Thailand’s national pride:
Mr Crusher and Ms Quench 2008, Aung Khaing Win and Wut Yi Hypo respectively.
It appears that Mr Crusher’s national dress is his birthday suit.
7 HaPPi like a HiPPo // Jul 18, 2008 at 4:25 pm
What a perfect blend of natural beauty, culture and modernism!
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