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The Thai Women's Guide to Scoring a Foreign Man
I love Thailand. It's a great place to travel to and is brimming with gracious people, good food, rich history and amazing scenery. But one of the most disturbing things about Thailand is the sex trade, which is literally everywhere. Beautiful Thai women (and ladyboys) crawl over one another for the chance to 'entertain' fat, balding foreign men (or women!) who they believe can be their passport to a better life. It's really heartbreaking. A new book is coming out aimed at Thai women, which gives them step-by-step instructions on how to get -- and keep -- a foreign husband. The book, called "Foreign Boyfriend, Foreign Husband", paints a romantic vision of Western men, claiming they are respectful and kind, unlike Thai men. Um, right. The point of the book seems to be this: Old, Western men might not be handsome but they're loaded.
This is a tricky issue -- on one hand, I think it's appalling that women would be encouraged to marry for money and a passport. But at the same time, I've never known the desperation of poverty, and as a Canadian, I've always enjoyed all the benefits of a first-world passport. Is marrying for love a luxury that people in poorer countries can't afford? Call me a romantic but I sure hope not.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Nancie (LadyExpat) Sep 17th 2007 11:25AM
It really is one of those issues that is difficult to get your head around. I wonder sometimes how "loaded" some of these old Western men really are. When I was in Chiang Mai last winter I visited a salon that was owned by a Thai woman, and she was married to an older Westerner. She had the business before she had met him. Maybe hers was a marriage of love?
Another point is that these Western men can tell the same lies to Thai women that they may have told to Western women in. While many have honorable intentions, there are many who don't.
Roxane Sep 19th 2007 10:10PM
Well, my Thai friend told me that the "ultimate" was to get a Western man- and her family is quite wealthy (I've been to their estate). Actually, I have heard that Asian women really prefer Western men simply because they are a "status" symbol. However, my male Asian friends tend to complain that they can't get a girl to date them, despite having the great job, car, house, etc. It isn't always about money. Rather sad to me.
Harb Oct 2nd 2007 11:59AM
The article and both comments were written my women. Their opinions, I believe are colored either by ignorance of Thailand, the Thai people, and the Thai culture, or their tendency to be a bit jealous. Let's face it ladies, much of western civilization has been ruined by the feminist movement. Asian women do not yet subscribe to that nonsense, and therefore are much more attractive to western men. You can't have it both ways.