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Modesty and other cultural Taboos
Home » Thailand » Thailand People & Culture » Modesty and other cultural TaboosThough clothing styles tend to expose more and more skin these days, the Thais are traditionally very modest in their dress. Even though it is often very warm and humid, they often wear pants and even long-sleeves. They tend to think negatively of westerners who wear tiny halter tops, short shirts and even sunbath in the nude at beaches. Because of these stereotypes and movies from Hollywood, Thais tend to think that Westerners are very promiscuous. Modest dress and refraining from public displays of affection show respect to the people of Thailand. In a similar way, Thais view the feet as the lowliest and dirtiest part of the body. Feet should never be used to point at anything. When sitting on the ground, the souls of your feet should be not facing anyone directly in front of you, but folded to the side. Women should be careful to avoid direct contact with monks. This is forbidden. When walking down the street or on a bus, it is respectful for a woman (especially a foreigner) to step aside for the monk to pass by so that he knows that the foreigner is aware of this stimulation.
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