Fame and Racism in Thailand

"I think it has stemmed from a history of class comparisons, where the wealthy upper classes had fair skin from lounging around their mansions, and the working classes had darker skin from working outdoors in the fields. Someone from the upper class was seen as being more desirable due to their social status, and so accordingly, their fair skin was seen as a being a good trait," says 28-year-old actor and musician Montonn Jira when quizzed about why there may be a social stigma with regards to having darker skin in Thailand.

A common stereotype in Thailand is that many people believe that lighter coloured skin is more desirable than darker coloured skin. One only has to look at advertising, in magazines, on television and in cosmetics departments to see that there may be some truth in such an assertion.

Away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life on the street are a group of people who society deems as famous. Although these people may mingle with regular folk and go to the same bars and restaurants, there is ultimately a distinction between someone who is not famous and someone who is. Fame is something that has come to be idolized as there is some notion that famous people are the best looking, the richest and the most desirable.