people watching in foreign places

Let's talk fashion.

Although I only got to spend three days in Bangkok, I was still struck by how different Thai fashion was from the Vietnamese fashion I'd seen so far, not just in the merchandise sold in the markets but also in street wear. Apart from the mere existence of a Bangkok street style already saying a lot in and of itself (I haven't particularly noticed one so far during my stay in Hanoi), the Vietnamese have an interesting sense of dressing conservative. Clothes here aren't low-cut, but they can come completely sheer, with girls going totally cookies 'n cream (when you wear a dark bra with a light, sheer top). Thai people more or less dressed pretty Western, and I definitely felt like I blended in a lot more (or maybe they're just way more used to tourists).

That said, when I say that Thai people dressed more Western, that doesn't mean they schlepped around in jeans and T-shirts like Americans do. In a previous post, I talked about the "all or nothing" make-up trend in Viet Nam, but in Bangkok (and this could just be because it is a major city), the women were definitely done over completely -- hair, nails, make up, everything.

A few general trends I noticed (as always, click to enlarge any photos): bright colors, especially as accents; flowing silhouettes; graphic tees; a punk vibe; asymmetrical/blunt/otherwise interesting haircuts; clashing patterns; big bags; and fun shoes.

Side note: the murse ("man purse") has also hit Asia. Hard.

going to san francisco with flowers in my hair

Shopping in southeast Asia is singlehandedly turning me into a flower child.

i now know how to say "black coffee" in thai

A day before the trip, I stumbled upon the NY Times article "36 Hours in Bangkok" and, of the 12 things they listed to do, we did or were in the area of seven of them. Not too shabby.

First off, Bangkok. Is. Beautiful.
No, seriously.
Beautiful.

We got there around noon on Saturday and left on a 6:45 am flight out on Tuesday. The city is really developed (it reminded me of Toronto, actually), has an excellent Sky Train system, a nice water ferry system that goes along the river, and incredible shopping, both in the night/street markets and at the upscale malls. I took about 660 pictures throughout the entire trip, not even exaggerating.

The first thing we did was take an hour-long long boat ride on the river that runs through the city.

The locals wave at you from the sides as you pass by.

Riding in tuk tuks is kind of like speeding around on the highway in a golf cart.

Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho. I had to wrap a silk scarf around my shoulders and my waist because I was not appropriately dressed to enter the temple.

A view of Bangkok at night from the Sky Train station.

Who needs malls when you have night markets? Everything in Bangkok is super cute, well-made, and cheap. Bargaining is also a whole lot easier too.

Pad Thai in Thailand!




The plaza between Siam Center and Siam Paragon, which are trendy and upscale, respectively.

Front row at the Calypso lady boy cabaret show.




The Kai-Jo Brothers play every Sunday at a bar near our guesthouse, we learned. They were straight up reggaeton.

We, of course, danced.

Dim sum in Chinatown.

Water ferries are my favorite.

Monks have their own special "space for monks" on the ferry.

We toured the Jim Thompson House, which was the home of the architect Jim Thompson, who was born in New York but moved to Thailand after he fell in love with the culture. He collected art and also helped establish the silk industry. Nobody knows what happened to Jim Thompson in the end because he disappeared while on a trip, but common theories include him getting killed by a tiger, getting kidnapped, and getting killed by a bus.


Dinner for our last night was at Cabbages & Condoms, a themed restaurant promoting safe sex.

Please note the "Democrat" and "Republican" options.

Night market in the Red Light District.

These men on the side would come up to you with their cards, which all listed the different show options for the night, and ask if you want a "sexy show" or "super pussy."


Our bus stop was by the Democracy Monument.

Tourist attractions in the night market near our guesthouse.

It was always a good idea at the time. (In my defense, I had an hour of sleep the night before.)

maybe that's why korean movies are so big here

"The most beautiful makeup for a woman is passion. But cosmetics are easier to buy."

- Yves Saint Laurent

In a conversation with some of the Vietnamese roommates a few days ago, we asked the boys to pick between dating an intelligent but ugly girl or a beautiful but stupid one. One of the Vietnamese guys responded very frankly, "The intelligent one."

"Why?" we asked.

"Because the intelligent girl can get plastic surgery. The stupid but beautiful girl can't do anything to make herself intelligent."

"But what if the intelligent girl doesn't want plastic surgery?"

"Then she's not actually intelligent."

The other day, my friend Yi linked me an article from the New York Times titled "Sans Makeup, S'il Vous Plaît," which praises the French, natural approach to make-up. It criticizes the overdone look that Americans tend to prefer, covering their faces with foundation, concealer, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, eyebrow pencil, lipstick, lipliner, blush, bronzer, and more. Not one little detail on the all-American face is overlooked and the result is something not so much beautiful as fake and plastic.

Without going into the cliche rant about accepting and embracing your body's flaws and faults, the article does make a good point about different standards of beauty and how make-up trends are reflective of them. The American obsession with self-perfecting starts at an early age, with glittery, sugary lipgloss substitutes becoming popular even before kindergarten (hi, Bonne Bell), Bath & Body Works dominating (and suffocating) the junior high girls' locker rooms, and fake and bake tans becoming the must-have pre-Spring Break accessory (because nobody wants to be the one pale person on the beach in Cancun, obvi).

From living and working in Hanoi, I've noticed that the Asian approach to make-up here is a strange blend of American and French, almost an "all or nothing" type policy. Although my workplace dress code is "business casual" (which is also possibly the vaguest term ever invented), women here don't normally wear make-up in the office. Most women rarely wear make-up in daily life either, which makes sense since 1) make-up is still a luxury good and 2) it's so hot that any make-up worn during the day would probably be sweated or melted off the face by noon. The nighttime club scene is more half-and-half split between the natural and the made up, but the general trend I've noticed seems to be that when make-up is worn, a lot is put on.

In a country obsessed with beauty pageants, the attention Americans heap on make-up products is instead shifted onto skin products in Asia. Case in point: it took me about 20 minutes at Intimex (the local, international superstore) to find the one brand of body lotion that did not contain skin-whitening product. While I spent the daytime hours of Spring Break 2008 laying out on the beach, the Asian female population here hides under umbrellas during the daytime, covers their faces with masks to hide from the sunlight (and all the air pollution), and lathers on the sunblock. The same story is true in China, where essentially tan skin implies that you work outside, which implies that you're doing manual labor, which implies that you're part of the working class.

At any rate, there have been so many studies done that show that more attractive individuals get better jobs, higher pay, and better treatment in society in general, that it's hard to write off beauty trends as just a stupid superficiality, although plastic surgery, as our Vietnamese friend mentioned, might be a bit extreme.

i blame all the hanoian air pollution

You know that thing everyone has that makes them super self-conscious? Some people don't like their teeth, so they smile with their mouth closed. Some don't like their toes, so they never wear flip flops.

I don't like wearing glasses.

Not only do I feel like supernerd when I wear glasses, but more so it drives me absolutely crazy how my black frames constantly slip down my nose, especially in hot, sweaty weather, causing me to feel like the only way I can see the world clearly is by literally tilting my nose up in the air continuously (it's fashion over function, seriously).

Unfortunately for me, I went to the SOS clinic nearby to get my wonky left eye checked out and, turns out, I have acute conjunctivitis, which, believe me, sounds so much worse than it actually is. What it means though is that I have to put in eye drops 3 times a day for four days -- and during those four days, I cannot wear contacts.

Guess where I'm going tomorrow morning?
BANGKOK, THAILAND.

Guess who's going to be supernerd in Bangkok, Thailand?
You're looking at her.