‘Don't Dress Sexy’ Advice Triggers an Echo of #MeToo in Thailand
- #DontTellMeHowToDress hashtag created by Thai-American model
- Movement is rejoinder to suggestion women dress conservatively
Visitors and elephants splash water at each other during a ceremony ahead of Songkran Festival for the Thai New Year in Ayutthaya on April 11.
Photographer: Romeo Gacad/AFP via Getty Images
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A Thai government official’s suggestion that women should dress conservatively to avoid sexual harassment during the nation’s new year festival has sparked a rebuttal under the hashtag #DontTellMeHowToDress.
Crowded water-gun battles that leave revelers soaked are a distinctive feature of the Songkran celebrations from Friday through Sunday, prompting the official to warn women against wearing revealing outfits. At least one survey indicates harassment is pervasive during the festival.