For many Chinese tourists, the allure of Thailand is irresistible, especially in terms of cost-effective travel and living experiences. From luxurious resorts to beautiful beaches, Thailand is hailed as a "vacation paradise" in Southeast Asia.
However, there is another side to it that is little known.
On the surface, Thailand is a country based on Buddhist culture and traditions, but its prevalent "sexual freedom" culture is shocking to many. From tourists to foreigners, and even locals, it seems that anything goes on this land, and sex, as a part of life, seems to be infinitely magnified, consumed, and commodified.
In Thailand, the sex industry is no longer a secretive underground activity, but a publicly acknowledged and almost socially accepted presence. From the red-light districts of Pattaya to the adult shows in Bangkok, and the massage parlors scattered throughout the streets, the sex industry has permeated various levels of Thai society.
Especially in Pattaya, a city full of neon lights and nightlife, its "freedom" is not just cultural, but also economic. Here, sexual services are openly sold in various forms, and transgender workers (commonly referred to as "ladyboys") are a special social phenomenon and also become a consumed "spectacle."
As night falls, Pattaya's red-light district becomes bustling, filled with sex workers, pimps, and men and women who are commodified for their bodies, creating a scene that is both thrilling and numbing.
In this city, everything has a price: from a night's companionship to high-end private services, and even the extreme commercial practice of "renting a wife," all of which are silent responses to poverty and injustice. Women who cannot escape poverty are often forced to choose this "way out."
Their fate is not to become women who live by their own labor, but to be deprived of the right to choose, becoming "tools" in the sex industry.
Thailand's "sexual freedom" is not only manifested in explicit sexual transactions. It also includes many uncomfortable realities: violence, oppression, gender inequality, and exploitation of vulnerable groups. Performers in adult shows, who not only serve as objects of physical consumption, also rely on drugs and extreme training to enhance their performance.
And these actions, often, do not bring the so-called "pleasure" to the audience, but rather a deep discomfort and absurdity within.
What is more heartbreaking is that the excessive development of the sex industry has led to the spread of a "gender-insensitive" culture. Whether on the streets of Thailand or at tourist spots, male tourists often regard any woman as a potential sex worker. In this social atmosphere, women's identities are extremely objectified, and they are forced to work hard and cannot escape the shackles of their identity.
The economic impact of the sex industry, especially the wealth gap it creates in Thailand, cannot be ignored. Although Thailand holds a place in the global economy, poverty and unemployment severely restrict social fairness and justice.
Many women from impoverished areas are forced to rely on the sex industry for economic support.
For these women, "sexual freedom" is a false utopia. They thought they could escape poverty and enjoy so-called freedom, but it is just another form of enslavement.
The Thai government has long tried to regulate the presence of the sex industry, but in reality, the sex industry has become an important part of Thailand's economy.
Statistical data show that the sex industry contributes a significant proportion to Thailand's GDP each year. As the sex industry thrives, those who hold capital and power become increasingly wealthy, while the impoverished lower classes remain trapped in a vicious cycle of economic exploitation.
The underlying issues of Thailand's sex industry are not only economic benefits but also a distortion of human nature. According to statistics, the number of child sex workers in Thailand once reached tens of thousands, with many children from impoverished families being forced into this extremely painful work.
Although they seem to earn more than others, it is just a harsh reality—they are merely paying a cruel price for survival.
The plight of child sex workers is similar to that of adult practitioners: they live in a "buy and sell" environment, without dignity, only with the right to demand and be satisfied.
For these children, their "future" is almost deprived, and they do not even have the right to pursue their dreams. Like the 17-year-old boy Mad, whose dream was to become a soldier, but reality forced him to struggle in the sex industry, catering to those cruel demands for money.
Why is Thailand's sex industry so large? In my view, it is not just a simple exchange of demand and supply. It is a ruthless analysis of poverty, a disregard of capitalism for the weak, and a manifestation of a new form of slavery. Thailand's "sexual freedom," with its strong consumerist overtones, commodifies the body, separating emotions and the physical.
For some, this "freedom" is full of temptation and pleasure, but for most practitioners at the bottom of society, this "freedom" is more like an inescapable imprisonment.
However, Thai society, especially its government, turns a blind eye on this land. While promoting the ascetic teachings of Buddhism, they allow the sex industry to flourish. On the surface, they are devout believers, but in reality, they are the biggest supporters of the sex industry.
If Thailand's "sexual freedom" represents a pursuit of some kind of freedom, then the price paid is too great. Many find their pleasure and release here, but many more are deeply oppressed, forced to give up the most basic freedom and dignity.
This is not only the current situation in Thailand but also a microcosm of similar social phenomena in many places around the world. In the pursuit of freedom and joy, have we overlooked the most basic humanity and dignity?
Thailand may be a beautiful paradise, but this paradise does not belong to everyone. For those consumed by the sex industry, it is more like an endless nightmare.
