Thailand Ladyboy Guide
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Thailand Ladyboy Guide
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17 Facts You Never Know about Ladyboy Culture in Thailand
Last Updated: April 26,2021
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Thailand is known as the Land of Smiles , but it's also know as the Land of the Ladyboys ! Compared to other countries, like the Philippines or Malaysia, Thailand has a long history and higher population of ladyboys in the world. As a matter of fact the word " ladyboy " is the English translation for " Kathoey ", a Thai word for transgender women and effeminate gay men.
Read interesting things you don't know about Thailand ladyboys .
The term "transgender" is rarely used in Thailand. Instead, the common term is, "Kathoey" which was once used to define intersex people, human beings who were born with ambiguous genitalia.
Kathoey have become entirely common in Thai society, like everyone else, they go about their daily affairs: shopping, meeting with friends, using public transport, visiting the temple.
Ladyboy , transgender or the third gender is rarely used in Thailand.
Miss Tiffany's Show Pattaya 32 Finalist. Can you the different with real women?
Thailand beholds the highest rate of Transsexuals throughout the world. According to Sam Winter , the numbers differ from about 10,000 to (unofficial) 300,000. substantially above that estimated for transgender in most other parts of the world. Thai community creats a sound public opinion environment for those of a different sexual orientation. They can enjoy their freedom of expressing themselves.
The very first Thai ladyboy is said to present as early as the 14 centry. At that time, Thais started to identify waht is now known as ladyboy.
First Buddhist scriptures also mention 3 genders: a man, a woman and a kathoey. So, religion officially allows for the third gender to exist. Buddhist teachings also hold that the circumstances we live today are the product of the ways in which we lived our previous lives.
Another concept behind kathoey is the result of karma – in particular one was born kathoey as a consequence of some sexual misdemeanor in an earlier life or lives or that they failed to fulfill an expected role in the reproductive process, such as a man not caring for a woman who is pregnant by him.
Whatever the reason, it is important to note that the common belief says there is no escaping from the karmic consequences, everyone has been kathoey at once in previous lives and will be again in future ones, thus kathoey should be treated with compassion.
Kathoey acceptance in society depends on the area in which they live. In the bigger cities, it is more normalized to be kathoey. In more rural villages, treatment of kathoey is described as tolerance than acceptance.
Miss Tiffany's Universe is a beauty pageant for Thai transgender women in Pattaya , Thailand. The contest is open to all transgender women who may or may not have gone through sex reassignment surgery.
The Miss Tiffan'’s Universe contest held once a year is receiving more attention especially since it is broadcast live on Thai television with an average of 15 million viewers. The Miss Tiffany's Universe winner receives a trophy and crown, Honda Jazz, cash prizes, jewellery, and other gifts from sponsors.
See the contrast of winners of Miss Tiffany's Univers:
You can discover more interesting things and pictures of each winner here: Tiffany Cabaret Show in Pattaya
Cabaret shows are popular and widespread in Thai culture . The Calypso in Bangkok is said to be where Lady Gaga gained a lot of her inspiration, and the Tiffany has been compared to the Miss Universe of kathoey culture.
These cabaret shows include elaborate song and dance routines with elegant costuming. One might be tempted to compare these shows to the drag shows in the US, but in these shows the performers are not just taking on a female persona; many of them identify as women.
See more information about Calypso in Bangkok: Calypso Cabaret Show
The lifestyle of the kathoey varies as well. Mostly though, the kathoey live like other Thai people . They work as hair dressers, film makers, sex workers, waitresses, models, and other jobs that you would find any woman.
They have romantic relationships and are allowed to marry. Kathoey, like other trans people, are just that. People.
Kathoeys are more visible and more accepted in Thai culture than transsexuals are in other countries in the world. Several popular Thai models, singers and movie stars are kathoeys, and Thai newspapers often print photographs of the winners of female and kathoey beauty contests side by side.
The phenomenon is not restricted to urban areas; there are kathoeys in most villages, and kathoey beauty contests are commonly held as part of local fairs.
Kathoey have easy access to hormones and surgery. Local chain drug stores can carry as many as 23 hormonal preparations, all available (without a doctor's note) over the shop counter.
Many dress as women and undergo a wide range of "feminising" medical procedures such as breast implants, hormones, silicone injections, or Adam's apple reductions. That's why a Kathoey is hard to distinguish.
would any Thai man want to be a woman? We might here answer ‘yes’ more readily than for many other societies; Asian or otherwise. Thai women occupy a more advantageous position in Thai society than elsewhere in Asia. These last authors remark that Thai males tend to revere females, referring to them as the ‘peht mae’ (gender of mothers).
Conversely, all things worthy of reverence are conceived of as feminine; for example a great river is called mae-nam (‘mother-water’). Traditionally, a man’s family has paid a bride price upon a son marrying, while property inheritance has traditionally been through the daughter.
It may be that the changing nature of womanhood has helped kathoey in efforts to be accepted as female.
Once a young boy has become discontented about his gender identity, he finds that modern Thai society opens up for him a clear developmental path. On one hand media personalities – TG actresses, singers, models, beauty queens - provide role models to aim for.
Nearer at hand an older peer or often a fellow student, may provide first social contact with a kathoey.
These older role models can provide the young kathoey with important information; initially regarding hormones, clothes, make-up, beauty contests etc, and perhaps later on extending to information about employment and surgery.
A word here about economics. A nose operation can cost from US$240. Sex reassignment surgery can cost from US$950. To save even that money one needs a job while salaries are low in Thailand.
The costs of surgery therefore act to draw kathoey to the cabarets and bars for work. The cabarets are often unobjectionable spectacles of dance, music and costume for tourists. While the salaries are small much more might can be earned from tips given by tourists taking photos.
The bars, on the other hand, provide a vehicle for prostitution. Both provide a way of earning the kind of money that make surgery possible. Also with hope of meeting a Westerner who might take her to his country, where, apart from anything else, she might be able to achieve legal status as a female and marry. That's the ‘kathoey career’ for most Kathoey.
Like many countries, Thailand’s military has conscription by way of a lottery. In draft day, all men over 21 – even those who no longer consider themselves to be male – are required to attend the conscription lottery once. In practice, kathoey ladyboys are almost always exempted from military service – but they are still required to attend the lottery.
Thai law forbids people changing their gender on national identification documents, so all trans women remain officially recognised as male. These annual scenes of beautifully dressed women sitting among crowds of more conventionally male-looking recruits draws many eyes.
Today, the term kathoey is used to cover a broad spectrum of identities. This ranges from gay men that are more effeminate and may take on a persona in performance, not unlike drag shows in the US, to trans women.
It is important to note that identifying as kathoey, like other trans identities, is not dependent on the state of the body. Some kathoey undergo hormone therapies and gender confirmation surgeries, others do not.
As far as the Thai government is concerned, male to female transsexuals are legally men. Transsexuals cannot legally change their gender on their ID cards.
Transsexuals’ birth gender must remain the same on their passports as well, a fact which can lead to confusion and unwanted scrutiny at border crossings and immigration checkpoints.
Thailand also prohibits same sex marriage, meaning that when the partner of a transsexual dies, the deceased's family receives any and all assets.
Of course, there are Calypso Cabaret and Tiffany's Show Pattaya , but if you don't want a big show and the seedy underbelly of ladyboy beckons, ladyboy bars is your best bet.
At Nana Plaza in Bangkok or Pattaya Walking Street , you can find some real ladyboy bars. There are things, or rather, for everyone – from higher, more sports bar staff to Japanese female student type pole dancers.
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A Ladyboy or Katoey (in Thai) is a transgender or a transsexual and most of them are based in tourist neighborhoods. There are ladyboys in most bars here because simply put, it’s much easier for women to earn more money in these areas. People from South-East Asia have some very specific physical predispositions that allow a lot of people to easily change their gender unnoticeably. That’s why it might be hard to recognize ladyboys on the streets of Thailand, especially if you’re visiting for the first time. I’ve even seen many of them that were just as beautiful as girls , if not even more!
Ladyboys are perceived differently by different kinds of tourists. Some want to avoid ladyboys, others are terrified by them, while some purposely seek them. However, Thai people are known for being very accepting, and in fact, I can say that’s part of their culture. They don’t look at ladyboys in a bad way and are generally not judgmental in regards to the choices that other people make. Be like them!
Personally, I have nothing against transsexuals and they have my full support when it comes to expressing themselves. I just thought it would be a good idea to write this article and give fellow travelers some useful tips on how to recognize ladyboys in Thailand because at times that might seem like a mission impossible.
Girls generally have narrow shoulders and broad hips, while ladyboys have broad shoulders and narrow hips.
Women’s forearms are a bit bent, while men’s forearms are straight;
Don’t rely on spotting the Adam’s Apple, as there are surgical procedures to have the bone shaved back.
The average height of a Thai woman is 157.3 cm (about 5ft 2in) while the average height for a man is 167.5 cm (about 4 inches taller).
Ask her to hold her arms out straight and try to bring her elbows together without bending the arms. If she has a normal female skeleton she will easily be able to do this. If not, congratulations, you’ve found a ladyboy.
Males usually have a higher hairline than females;
Males have a horizontal ridge of bone above our eyebrows, while females have much smoother and flatter forehead;
The eyebrows of females are generally positioned higher and there’s more room between the eyes and eyebrows;
Males’ jaws are wider, taller, and often have a sharp corner at the back.
Ladyboys, especially the ‘recent ones’ try to speak in a higher voice so they can sound more like girls. However, recognizing this is something that takes a lot of time to perfect. You would probably master this skill after staying in Thailand for a couple of months.
Generally, men have bigger hands than women. However, I met a few Thai guys that had unusually small palms. When in doubt, just take her hand and check whether the skin is smooth like it should be with most girls or not.
If her ring finger is longer than her index finger, I’m sorry but she’s probably a he.
I heard this one from an old player that’s been visiting Thailand for more than 20 years: ‘the majority of them can’t dance to save their life because they still have the male gen’.
Ladyboys almost always fidget with their hair because they are not used to it and are being quite self-conscious about it.
Check the map of the city that you are visiting, and speak with locals before going out, especially in Bangkok , Pattaya, and Phuket. For example, Soi 6 district in Pattaya is well-known for having a lot of bars where you can find a lot of (female) prostitutes. Soi 6/1, on the other hand, just a few feet away, is known for its ladyboy bars.
Traveling to Thailand soon? Check out this list of things you should not do in Thailand and if you need help planning your itinerary, check out our guide to spending 3 weeks in Thailand .
Like mentioned, Thai people are pretty open-minded and there’s no shame in admitting if someone is a ladyboy. Now, of course, some might get upset if you think that they might not be all woman but if you ask in a cautious manner, everything should be fine.
None of the previous methods is foolproof. They are all subjective and might vary from case to case. The only foolproof method is to just ask for their ID. Nowadays all Thai ID cards are in Thai and English language both, so if you ask for the ID (you can say you’re asking it to check their age) and see Mr. someone, you have your answer.
Finally, like the local people, respect the ladyboys. They are human beings and should be treated as such. If you don’t want anything to do with them, just decline politely like you would with a real girl. And avoid arguing with them, cause that might end up bad and just ruin your vacation.
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Forgive me father for I have sinned.
If you're are drunk, you have absolutely no chance to recognize them.
Your comment really cracked me up, Arash, thank you for getting involved in the comments :)
Thai ladyboys are freaking HOT !!!
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THEM !❤️❤️❤️
Right on, Will. As the article mentions, we're not biased against ladyboys, the article is just for entertainment.
I have never meet a ladyboy before and was always wondering the difference between a ladyboy and a normal girl.
Thank you.You have given me all the answers before my questions.
Thanks, Michael. I am glad it helped.
If you somehow don’t realize it until you get her home, the Feet are often a giveaway. If hers are bigger than yours, request that she please stop giving you that blowjob and head to the nearest confession box.
true, Stewart but that rarely happens as even Thai guys aren't that large :)
Thailand is so accepting of the LGBT community and that is heartening to see. The ladyboys are a really nice bunch and can be fun to hang out with. In fact, they appreciate normal friendly interaction with the tourists too.
That's 100% true, Tamshuk. Thank you for your comment
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If you have visited Thailand chances are you may have witnessed the extravagant dancing beauties in a cabaret show or even through a personal encounter. Ladyboy's are referred to by many different names including kathoey, transgender, transvestite or cross dresser. Many ladyboys are now the toast of the town becoming famous throughout Thailand, some with successful modeling or television careers and a massive presence on social media.
In 2017, ten of the most famous have been ranked based upon their following and the frequency with which their names appear in local media. Today I thought it would be fun to take a look at these famous people with the help of Coconuts Bangkok, let's count them down.
Chalisa 'Rose' Yuemchai shot to fame after a minor role in the Chinese comedy movie 'Lost in Thailand', which made USD$107 million in profits. Chinese audiences were surprised when Rose delivered her single line in well spoken Mandarin. After the release of the movie she developed a strong Chinese fan base, with many Chinese travelers visiting Chiang Mai specifically to visit locations featured in the hit movie.
Nadia was crowned Miss Mimosa Queen Thailand in 2015. After winning the local trans pageant which is hel
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