PORTRAYAL OF NORTHERN THAI WOMEN IN SELECTED THAI FILMS FROM TWO PERIODS

Abstract

This study examines the portrayal of Northern Thai women in four selected Thai films from two periods of production. The selected films from the older period are Siang Sueng Tee Sunsai (1980) and Sankampang (1981), and the newer films are Puen Sanit (2005) and Home: Love, Happiness and Memories (2012). The first objective of this study is to explore the images of the leading female characters from the selected films in various aspects, such as characterization, social roles and status associated with social development, cultural and moral behaviors as well as relations of power with men, especially those from Central Thailand. The second objective is to find out if there are changes or improvement of Northern Thai women’s images as seen in the selected films. The study reveals that the physical beauty of Northern Thai women is emphasized more often in the old period films than in the newer ones. The old films also tend to focus more on Northern women’s involvement in the sex industry. Additionally, ideal images of Northern women as obedient daughter s or responsible and submissive wives often appear in older films, whereas newer films place more emphasis on women’s confidence, autonomy and economic independence. Furthermore, in the older films negative stereotypes of Northern Thai women are common while newer films reveal some attempts to challenge those stereotypes. As for women’s roles and status, Northern women in older films tend to be confined to the domestic sphere and most of them have no job, so they have to rely on men for financial support. Once leaving the domestic sphere, young Northern women are often depicted as involving in the sex trade. However, in the newer films, Northern women are shown as capable of earning their own salary or having more opportunities in education. Regarding male-female power relations, Northern women in older films are portrayed as subordinate to men, especially those from Central Thailand. In the newer films, however, there are some Northern women who are depicted as possessing superior ability and intelligence to their male counterparts. This more positive characterization of Northern Thai women could be seen as reflecting the impact of feminist movements on the representations of women in contemporary Thai films and other forms of media. Nonetheless, newer films also include Northern women who appear inferior to or dependent on men. This suggests that, despite the influence of feminist thoughts in modern Thailand, gender inequality is still a problematic issue that needs to be addressed in Thai society nowadays.