chapter 6. other concepts relating to sex - Windward Community ...

adio provide thousands of images for men and women to integrate into their understanding of
sexuality. Characters in drama serials, images in commercials, and celebrities all are symbols
with sexual meanings. Sex and sexuality in movies is expressed more openly than it is in
everyday life, especially in Isan. Students enjoy the fantasy of movies, while at the same time,
their images shape students' very real perceptions.
Figure 6.4 Movie posters hung around town display a variety of sexual images.
The effects celebrities have on students is, as far as I know, undocumented, and remains
so in this study. But celebrities are role models for young people and no doubt shape the way
young people understand the value of various qualities, and affect the way they want to look and
be, as well as the way they perceive themselves. I surveyed 44 male students and 43 females
students about television, movies, radio, and books (see Appendix E). Their responses were
consistent with information obtained through observation and conversations.
Young celebrities' pictures are found in dorm rooms, in restaurants, in bars, in the market,
and in shops. Young and old alike have their favorite television and movie stars, many of whom
are the same. Celebrities of the kind and scale we see in present day Thailand are unprecedented.
For example, a universally adored star during this research was the actor Tongchai McIntyre. His
picture was in magazines, in advertisements, and tacked to walls throughout Mahsarakham. As
one boy said, "Everyone loves him. He has ability in everything." Celebrities' faces are found on
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