Few of us have bodyfat percentages in the low single digits, ripped abs, and toned glutes that look even better in spandex than they do naked.  So believe me when I say this entry isn’t intended to poke fun at someone who is a bit flabby in the nether regions.  It is about something that is wrong, something I saw as I was walking down the street Sunday morning.  Wrong in terms of “that’s not how a foreigner should be dressing in Bangkok.”

As I was walking from the Skytrain station towards Sukhumvit Soi 2, a farang (westerner) woman went zipping by me on a microscooter – you know, one of those skateboard-like vehicles with a tall handle.  My first thought was, oh, what an interesting way to get around.  When I noticed what she was wearing I quickly reached for my camera.  It’s a bit hard to see the scooter as she’s blocking it, but I think this picture tells the story pretty fully:

What’s wrong here?  As evidenced by the glances the woman is getting from the Thai women, what’s she’s wearing isn’t really… street-appropriate, shall we say.  Unless you are a street walker, which I assume she’s not.  Much too sheer and revealing for running out and about on a Sunday morning in Bangkok.  Even if she was on the way to the gym (she stopped at the Starbucks around the corner, if you must know), some cover-up is called for.  This isn’t the type of culture that goes for bare shoulders and revealing, tight-fitting outfits.

Enough said.