Regarding Cambodian Men Working in Bars in Thailand

[reader]

I guess you might already know, but in case you don't, a lot of Cambodians don't really like their brown skins.

 

The only thing I find repelling in Thailand is going into a Boots or Watsons and find isles dedicated to skin whitening creams. Thais, Cambodians, Vietnamese and other southeast asians have naturally attractive skin tones. Whatever influences them to believe otherwise does a great disservice.

[spoon]

Its human nature really, white want to have tanned skin and us asian want whiter skins lol. The whitish asian also wanted tanned skin lol. We always seems tl chase what we dont have

[ay709394]

By the way, does Cambodian boy working in Thai has a higher% of gay compare with the Thai boy? I hires 2 Cambodian boy and both of them are gay (claimed by themselves)

[Vessey]

There is one bar I know of in Jomtien staffed mainly by Cambodian boys and with a Cambodian boy as boss.

 

Many of the lads there are from the same part of Cambodia, several from the same village/town and so their bar becomes a home from home for them where they can venture into bar work in familiar surroundings, language and culture. Some speak Thai well, others, especially the newer ones, struggle. 

 

Other Cambodians work massage, both straight shops and 'extras' shops. I know a boy/girl couple in a longstanding relationship who have worked in one shop together for several years now. Together they do quite well, have a day off a week to relax and go out together as a couple, and also save for visits back home a couple of times a year. They seem happy and are 'doing ok'.

 

Some bars and agogos advertise their staff as being 'only Thai', but in many others Thai boys mix with boys from Laos and Cambodia (not so much Vietnam) in apparent harmony. 

 

FaceBook and other social media now allow all these boys to keep in daily contact with friends and family.

[vinapu]

I believe a lot of westerners find our brown skin attractive, I guess you might already know, but in case you don't, a lot of Cambodians don't really like their brown skins. 

spoon above commented on it  very well

 

What I find often attractive in Cambodians is their facial features, very handsome in short. 

[reader]

Its human nature really, white want to have tanned skin and us asian want whiter skins lol. The whitish asian also wanted tanned skin lol. We always seems tl chase what we dont have

Not so sure that it's so easily chalked up to human nature, spoon. Michael Jackson wanted to be white in the most destructive way. Think it has more to do with image that media and advertisers project.

[spoon]

So your media potrays the best skin is asian darker skin? You are true though that most asian media promote whitening products as white is consider the ideal skin color

[reader]

So your media potrays the best skin is asian darker skin? You are true though that most asian media promote whitening products as white is consider the ideal skin color

Makers of skin whitening products have created the need for their product through mass marketing, Persuading people that they'll be more attractive, more successful, more popular if they just have whiter skin is illogical as it is absurd. But through advertising, the absurd has become reality.

 

The basis for the argument is a throwback to colonialism: white is better. Manufacturers simply capitalize on it by making those with darker skin feel inferior. It's sad to realize just how successful their efforts have been.

[1moRussian]

Makers of skin whitening products have created the need for their product through mass marketing, Persuading people that they'll be more attractive, more successful, more popular if they just have whiter skin is illogical as it is absurd. But through advertising, the absurd has become reality.

The basis for the argument is a throwback to colonialism: white is better. Manufacturers simply capitalize on it by making those with darker skin feel inferior. It's sad to realize just how successful their efforts have been.

Quite like another version. It's hard to see the whites from colonial era as a referent group for mass of locals - these two groups too different (and speaking about Thailand - there were not white colonists there). But working at the sunlight (in a rice field) and getting dark tan vs working in a shop / in an office and not getting tan - that's the quite obvious differentiating and looks like a real reference point for rich&poor for locals.

 

I heard many complaints from that time friend of mine, who is a beach massage guy and goes to his village for rice harvesting as well, that his skin was very dark. Actually I didn't notice the level of his darkness at all and he is sure not a man of complaints. But when we were buying his first smartphone in AIS shop at Festival from a snobbish AIS-girl - it struck me almost physically: she was very white skinned comparing to my friend and both of them at once became conversing as a first class person and a second class person. Later I noticed that he looked quite dark skinned for Bangkok MRT.

 

So I think all these whitening things from Boots and Watsons are just capitalizing on this belief/segregation and of course, reinforces it, but it was not the first reason.

[Guest]

Thai boys mix with boys from Laos and Cambodia (not so much Vietnam) in apparent harmony. 

I know at least one case where an Isaan lad was completely unaware his room mate was even from Laos for a while. 

[ggobkk]

I was in Pattaya a few days ago. Visiting Jomtien complex, especially in the area near The Venue, @home, and Your bar, one could believe they were in a Cambodian village given the number of bar workers saying they were from Cambodia.

[ay709394]

Will Cambodian boys have any issue to perform a threesome even the boys are friend with each other? I know most Thai boys don't accept such offer as they don't like to have sex with their friend, but not sure how Cambodian boys see this...

[pong]

Toss a coin-maybe yes, maybe no. Never ever experienced much of national ambitions for these types of work. Ditto for the Burmese etc.

I cannot really agree that Khmer are more handsome as Thai-rather I find the nr of real cuties much less, with the Burmese somewhere in between. In general though they tend to be more friendly and many speak much better english.

In one of my favorite BKK m2m massageshops is since early this year really very attractive Khmer guy-grinning boyish face and a homegrown natural wonder for service. However, many other customers have by now also discovered this and he is nearly always booked. Could easily start his own private business in a well appointed aprtmt somewhere with paying visitors.

His story how he came to work there was quite remarkable: he was spotted and invited/told about it whilst doing his first job out of country-as a ''security''agent in a deprtmt store-for the usual min. wage (which here in TH is about 2 times that of Khmer-IF you can find a job thereat all)-less the usual commission taken by the placement agency. After 6 monthes they can quit and find something else. Still has to do borderruns every 30 days-or 2 monthes for new passpt.stamps.

My visit to test it in their homeareas was a bit disappointing-quality of service there (Pnom penh mostly) was below that here in BKK, though prices were too. Nr of places also rather low. Probably same comment as for the Burmese: for the real talented guys go to TH.

[DivineMadman]

Will Cambodian boys have any issue to perform a threesome even the boys are friend with each other? I know most Thai boys don't accept such offer as they don't like to have sex with their friend, but not sure how Cambodian boys see this...

I think this reluctance has nothing to do with nationality.

[vinapu]

Will Cambodian boys have any issue to perform a threesome even the boys are friend with each other? I know most Thai boys don't accept such offer as they don't like to have sex with their friend, but not sure how Cambodian boys see this...

as DivineMadman noticed above , it has nothing to do with nationality , rather how boys are comfortable with each other.

 

Even close friends may easily agree to threesome , I had few cases when they even suggested I take both of them i.e two Tawan boys learning that today is  my birthday asked plainly " do you want us for special show today ? " 

 

But never try to impose threesome on boys without them both being  comfortable , pick up one and have him fishing for companion he likes, subject to your approval

[reader]

Actually I didn't notice the level of his darkness at all and he is sure not a man of complaints. But when we were buying his first smartphone in AIS shop at Festival from a snobbish AIS-girl - it struck me almost physically: she was very white skinned comparing to my friend and both of them at once became conversing as a first class person and a second class person. Later I noticed that he looked quite dark skinned for Bangkok MRT.

So I think all these whitening things from Boots and Watsons are just capitalizing on this belief/segregation and of course, reinforces it, but it was not the first reason.

You're right about the marketers capitalizing on the discrimination that light-skin Thais (particularly the hi-so) perpetuate on those they treat as second-class citizens, or even less. It demeans the country's working class, the very guys we find perfect just as they are.

[forrestreid]

I remember reading once the suggestion that the notion of white skin being associated with wealth and power (in Thailand and Cambodia at least) was  to a considerable degree due to fact that such a large proportion of the elite, particularly the business elite, from the 18th century onwards were of largely Chinese descent.

 

Therefore they tended to be paler than the average, and they also tended to intermarry with the local nobles, which meant that by the later 19th century, the elites in Thailand and Cambodia  were on average, from purely genetic reasons, quite a bit paler than the peasantry,

 

Of course, the whiteness of the Europeans in colonial times reinforced this, but it was the Thai-Chinese and Cambodian-Chinese that started off the association of whiteness and the "hi-so"

[steveboy]

You're right about the marketers capitalizing on the discrimination that light-skin Thais (particularly the hi-so) perpetuate on those they treat as second-class citizens, or even less. It demeans the country's working class, the very guys we find perfect just as they are.

 

Marketers capitalize on anything that brings them profits.  If the makers of whitening products are at fault, so should be the makers of darkening products like self tanning sprays, guilty of exploiting the desires of people to look like they just spent a vacation at the Riviera.  And how about the makers of hair dyes exploiting the notion that white hairs make people look older, or the makers of beauty creams guilty of exploiting the desires of people to look younger?  Maybe God should have reserved a specially dark corner of hell to castigate all these criminals?

[reader]

Maybe God should have reserved a specially dark corner of hell to castigate all these criminals?

No, Stevie, just you.

 

So we can now count you among those who like your boys white as chemically possible.

 

Btw, wasn't surprised that you're now advising god on strategy.

[steveboy]

So we can now count you among those who like your boys white as chemically possible.

 

Yes, I like white on boys in one sense:  white speedos on Asian boys of light tan skin.

 

But... what is a "chemical" white?  How about an ultrasound white? 

[vinapu]

 

But... what is a "chemical" white?  

white person from Chemnitz , Germany ?

[reader]

 

But... what is a "chemical" white? How about an ultrasound white?

 

Once again, Stevie, you descend into gibberish.

[PeterRS]

The only thing I find repelling in Thailand is going into a Boots or Watsons and find isles dedicated to skin whitening creams. Thais, Cambodians, Vietnamese and other southeast asians have naturally attractive skin tones. Whatever influences them to believe otherwise does a great disservice.

Obviously that is not the view of those who buy such products. What is wrong with anyone buying any beauty product which makes them feel better? Why restrict yourself to south east Asians? If you looked in the personal stores in north Asia, Australia, Europe and the Americas, these products are all widely available. Whitening products are no different from tanning products, as another poster has pointed out, or from eyeliners, lipsticks and goodness knows what else people buy. This is not all down to marketing. Personal choice, peer pressure and other factors come into play.

[Travellerdave]

Long time ago before I discovered Thailand and Pattaya I spent my holidays in gay European resorts, principally Playa del Ingles. I dedicated most of the daylight hours to turning my white Northern European body a deep shade of brown by lying on the beach there. I believed, not without justification, that this made me more attractive to other gay men. I liked to excentuate the brown by wearing thongs to produce tan lines.

When in Pattaya I hide from the fierce sun under the beach umbrellas and walk around taking advantage of any shade, as do the majority of the Thais, unless their work prevents this. When I go home my skin is hardly any different shade to how it was on arrival.

However I very much like brown skinned boys and find the contrast with white bed sheets most attractive. On the beach or at the pool, white speedos and their brown skin are very nice.

Returning to the theme of this thread, Cambodian boys are great. I offed several from the bars in the Complex.

[reader]

Obviously that is not the view of those who buy such products. What is wrong with anyone buying any beauty product which makes them feel better? Why restrict yourself to south east Asians? If you looked in the personal stores in north Asia, Australia, Europe and the Americas, these products are all widely available. Whitening products are no different from tanning products, as another poster has pointed out, or from eyeliners, lipsticks and goodness knows what else people buy. This is not all down to marketing. Personal choice, peer pressure and other factors come into play.

Skin whitening products may be available in other countries but not in anywhere near the abundance they are in Thailand. The imarketing strategy is make those with darker skin feel inferior to those with white skin. It's racist and manipulative at best. But if you or anyone else wants to buy into it, by all means knock yourself out. I'm confident it will immediately improve your appearance and attractiveness.