How did the Facebook page start?
Ice: We are actually a group of katoey who like to pick up whatever random fabrics we come across and turn them into costumes. It started when we saw the Miss Thailand Universe Pageant on TV a few months ago and we tried to copy the contestants walking down the catwalk in their elegant gowns.
Tiw: We took some leftover fabrics from the university’s stage show, tied them around our waists and strutted around with a tail of fabric fluttering around. Not long after that, we decided to take things seriously by creating a Facebook page called Yar Ploi Ka Toey Wai Kab Phar.
A lot of people say you’re copying Mae Ban Mee Nuad; how would you respond to that?
Tiw: The difference is very simple: he has money, we don’t. What Mae Baan Mee Nuad does is usually very over-the-top; everything he does has to be calculated and his costumes are carefully designed. We, on the other hand, do things very spontaneously. Whenever we find a piece of fabric, we just pick it up and wrap it around ourselves to make a costume.
Great: We don’t want people to compare us because he is actually one of our inspirations. Another difference is that our Facebook page is not only for us but for everyone who wants to express their creativity. We post photos from many people around Thailand, while Mae Ban Mee Nuad usually posts only his own pictures.
Why do you believe that ladyboys and fabrics go together?
Tiw: No matter where we go, if we see a piece of fabric, we feel the urge to play with it. It’s like when we were children, we wanted to wear girls’ clothes but our parents wouldn’t let us. Eventually, we would just make do with towels, wrapping a towel around our head pretending that we have long hair, or around our waist to make a skirt.
Great: We believe more than 98 percent of transsexuals must have done this when they were young. In real life we don’t always wear women’s clothes, but whenever there is a chance we don’t hesitate.
Is there anything you wish to accomplish by doing this?
Tiw: It is essentially to express each person’s creativity, both the page and the dressing up. It is nothing harmful and we don’t want to cause any trouble.
Great: At the least, we get to keep the pictures and this page as our memories; a reminder that we used to have fun together like this.
Do you think what you do will have an impact on society?
Ice: We think Thai people are a lot more open-minded now than they were before.
Tiw: Even for younger generations, we hope that when they see us, they will have more courage to truly be themselves and stand up for who they really are.
