There’s an ancient Thai expression that remains as true today as ever: If Lisa Blackpink does it, so will everyone else.

 

A day after Thai K-pop singer Lalisa Manobal posted pictures of herself enjoying a glass of orange juice in Paris, vendors in her northeastern hometown of Buriram reported a boost in sales.

 

While it may not be the kind of “soft power” that moves the needle internationally, it has been hailed for boosting sales and healthier habits back home, as juice stands noted an immediate influx of new customers ordering citrus drinks.

 

Forty-five-year-old Surachai Kasikorn, who owns a juice stand in Buriram’s Khlong Thom Market, told reporters that the sudden spike in demand led him to begin delivery service.

 

After the 26-year-old pop star posted her juice-drinking photos Monday, many praised her for somehow encouraging people to choose healthier drinks. At least those that weren’t solely gushing about her long, shiny hair.

 

It wasn’t the first, second or even third time the Thai K-pop singer has kicked off a trend among her millions of obsessive fans with a simple act.

 

Last month, it was pictures of Lisa wearing a sarong in Ayutthaya that drove stans to the silk shop. 

 

Soft power through arts and culture, similar to that cultivated over decades by South Korea, became a government obsession last year after Thai teen rapper Milli left audiences at the Coachella music festival hungry for mango sticky rice.