Women Watching Television: The Influence Of Thai Soap .
Women Watching Television: The Influence of ThaiSoap Operas on Lao Women ViewersMESIRIN KWANJAIThesis submitted for the degree ofDoctor of PhilosophyMedia, Culture, HeritageSchool of Arts and CulturesFaculty of Humanities and Social SciencesNewcastle UniversityNovember 2018
AbstractThis study investigates how Lao women use and negotiate the storylines and female charactersin Thai soap operas to construct a sign of agency and identity in order to enhance modernlifestyles and relationships and how local cultural policy-making is reacting to citizen’s transborder media consumption. Questionnaires, TV diaries, focus group discussions and interviewswere used to collect data in three regional areas of Laos: Vientiane, Houayxay and Bolikhamsai,where Thai television soap operas are undergoing a revival of popularity. This study identifiesthree key themes to explain Lao women’s agency, identity, self-satisfaction and socialaspiration through the lens of their Thai television soap operas viewing. Firstly, brand nameproducts and fashion in the soap operas provide a rich insight into the lives of Lao women. Therelationship between what Lao women wear in their daily lives and what is acceptable bypolitical authorities for the preservation of traditional dress presents a very real culturalchallenge for young women. Secondly, individualism and personal freedom have beentransmitted through Thai TV soap storylines. This socio-cultural trend impacts on Lao women’sshift in attitudes towards changes in family structures, romantic relationships, premarital sex,cohabitation, teenage pregnancy, and perceptions of LGBT people. Thirdly, changes in publicand personal perceptions of feminine beauty are found to be associated with Lao women’sdesire for white-skin, body dissatisfactions, and use of cosmetic surgery. Data suggest that Laowomen today have more agency, choices, freedom and well-being, the increased views onpersonal life and gender equality, but less supporting quality education and decent work.Drawing on audience studies, feminist approaches and developing the concept ofindividualisation and detraditionalisation, the thesis concludes that the effects ofindividualisation of Lao women as audiences increasing their liberated life and relationshipchoices, yet at the same time maintaining traditions and social norms.Keywords: Transnational TV soap operas, audience, television viewing, identity, agency,individualisation, feminism, culture policyii
AcknowledgmentsThis thesis could not have been possible without the invaluable support from many people.Firstly, I would like to sincerely thank my superb supervisors, Professor Karen Ross andProfessor Deborah Chambers who both devoted their time to sharpening my thinking withconstructive advice, and Dr. Liviu Popiviciu for making a start on my PhD journey.Furthermore, I would like to thank Professor Sujin Jinahyon, the former president of NaresuanUniversity for sponsoring and offering me this huge opportunity to broaden my horizons witha change of culture and enthusiasm for life.Additionally, I would like to thank my all research participants, informants and coordinatorswho put their trust in me for taking time to sharing experiences and cooperation with theirgenerous help, so that I could engage in this PhD research project in the international fieldwork,Laos. Last but not least, thanks are also due to my lovely friends who always support me inevery way with good vibes. I am also indebted to my family, especially my warm-hearted mumand my dad, a man of highest integrity in my life who always encourage and give meunconditional love in every chapter of my life.iii
Table of ContentsChapter 1 Introduction .11.1 Introduction: situating the research .11.1.1 Rationale for studying women audiences . .71.2 Research questions .101.3 The theoretical framework and research argument .111.4 Outline of the thesis .13Chapter 2 Globalisation, Consumption Culture and Women’s Desire . 152.1 Introduction .152.2 Globalisation of the media and of cultural Identity . .162.2.1 The rise of modernity and a globalising society in Laos .212.2.2 The politics and the quality of TV in Laos . .252.2.3 Cultural measures to stop the erosion of national culture . .292.3 The effects of detraditionalisation on women and gender relations .312.4 Feminist approaches towards individualisation, choice, and power across the media. .362.4.1 Women’s empowerment in consumerist culture . .382.4.2 Women, cultural capital and class distinctions in cultural tastes . 432.5 Conclusion . .45Chapter 3 Women Television Audience and Media Effects . . . 473.1 Introduction . . .473.2 The continuum of media effects theories . . . 493.3 Uses and gratifications approach . . . 503.4 The encoding-decoding approach . . .523.5 Women as audiences for TV show . .573.6 Television soap opera narrative: the case of Thai soaps .623.6.1 Narrative analysis of Thai television soap operas . . .663.7 Conclusion . .68iv
Chapter 4 Research Methodology . 704.1 Introduction . .704.2 Identifying the philosophical position: Constructivism . 714.3 Research tools . 734.3.1 Questionnaire . . .734.3.2 TV Diaries . . 764.3.3 Focus groups . . 794.3.4 In-depth ‘elite interviews’ . . .824.4 Analytical approach . . . .864.4.1 SPSS statistics . . . .874.4.2 Thematic analysis . . . . .874.5 Triangulation for validity and reliability of the results . 904.6 Ethical issues . 914.7 Researcher reflexivity . . .934.8 Conclusion . . . 94Chapter 5 Soap Opera Consumption in Relation to Women’s Aspirations and TheirSatisfaction with Brand Name and Fashion .955.1 Introduction . .955.2 TV exposure behaviour, perspective and daily life .965.3 The Lao government’s views about the evaluation of Thai television .1045.4 Thai television soap operas and consumerism . .1065.4.1 Desires for luxury brand names vs. the feeling of well-being . 1085.5 Thai television soap operas and the choice between modern and traditional clothes .1145.5.1 Lao traditional dress, policy and social norms .1155.5.2 Lao women’s wear today and changes in the form of traditional dress .1175.6 Conclusion 124Chapter 6 The Influence of Soap Storylines on Women’s Changing Attitudes towardsAgency, Identity and Lifestyle .1266.1 Introduction .1266.2 Changing families in Laos: traditional duties and modern practices 1276.3 Changing morality and sexuality in intimate relationships .1386.3.1 Participants’ views about cohabitation 1396.3.2 Participants’ views on unmarried women vs. divorced women .141v
6.3.3 Participants’ views about teenage pregnancy and abortion 1436.3.4 Participants’ views on homosexuality and the LGBT community . 1476.4 Conclusion 151Chapter 7 Beauty Consumption and Soap Opera Protagonists’ Portrayals of Women’sBodies as White, Thin and Beautiful . 1547.1 Introduction . 1547.2 The recent phenomenon of whiteness . 1557.3 Body dissatisfaction and the resulting behaviours . . .1617.4 Different views on cosmetic surgery . .1657.5 Conclusion . .173Chapter 8 Conclusion . 1768.1 Contribution of this research . 1788.2 Theoretical contributions .1798.3 Summary of research findings .1808.3.1 Patterns of TV consumption viewed as a symbol of Thailandisation . 1808.3.2 TV influences and the desire for brand names, fashion, and beauty . 1818.3.3 Women’s attitudes to TV soap narratives about lifestyles and sexual behaviours.1828.3.4 Governmental efforts to preserve cultural traditions . .1838.4 Research limitations . 1848.5 Ideas for future research .185Appendices . 187Appendix A The paper questionnaire .187Appendix B A blank copy of a diary template 193Appendix C Question guide of focus groups . 198Appendix D The participants’ information . 200Appendix E Examples of interview questions 204Appendix F Research project information sheet . 205Appendix G Research participant consent form . 206Appendix H The results of questionnaire survey .207Bibliography . 211vi
List of FiguresFigure 5.1 Satellite TV-receiving antenna in Danthin village, Houayxay City, BokeoProvince 97Figure 5.2 A female Lao vendor is watching online Thai soap operas via her smartphone atthe market (Ta-lad Chao), Vientiane city . . 100List of TablesTable 4.1 Number of participants in each fieldwork activity . 88Table 4.2 A summary for analysis of the empirical evidence . .88Table 5.1 Results showing who a group of Lao women watch Thai TV with. . . 97Table 5.2 Clothes worn in daily life and on special occasions by Lao women and men inVientiane city, Laos . . 122vii
Chapter 1. Introduction1.1 Introduction: situating the researchThis thesis explores the extent to which women viewers in Laos are influenced by the storylinesand lifestyles presented in Thai soap operas, in terms of their agency and identity. My interestin pursuing this study comes from my own experience of working as a media planning executive,a TV script writer and a radio anchor in Thailand. While undertaking these activities, Ideveloped a curiosity about the influence of Thai television on transnational audiences,particularly in terms of identity construction and agency amongst Lao women viewers. I becameintrigued with the ways in which women are represented in soap operas and changes in thebehaviour of female protagonists as independent women.I had noticed that many young Laotians liked travelling, shopping, studying and working inThailand. As a researcher travelling to Vientiane, the capital city of Laos 1 , I noticed thatLaotians frequently watch Thai television, listen to Thai songs, read Thai magazines, andconsume Thai products as part of their everyday lives. They also debate the meanings of TVprogrammes, and gossip about Thai celebrities. On the other hand, I saw a billboard in front ofthe Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism encouraging Lao people to maintain theirculture as a fundamental aspect of their national identity. The increasing globalisation in Laos(Rehbein, 2007, 2011) seems to reinforce these casual and anecdotal observations and thepotential conflict between the maintenance of tradition in the face of citizen interest in the new.The topic of this thesis is therefore a response to this initial curiosity, exploring how theconsumption of Thai television soap operas by Lao women impacts on their attitudes andpractices, particularly in terms of identity and agency and in relation to changes in conventionsand cultures that potentially weaken the traditional values of the ‘virtuous woman’. This workalso explores how cultural policy-making by the Lao government is attempting to deal with theinfluence of Thai and/or Western values permeating citizens’ lifestyles through their dailyconsumption of Thai television, particularly soap operas.1Laos, officially the Lao’s People Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), is a socialist and a landlocked country inSoutheast Asia, and shares a 1,835 km border with Thailand to the west. Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum.Government of Laos. Available at: http://www.na.gov.la/appf17/geography.html1
It is important to note that the Lao government heavily controls Lao television and all mediachannels to prevent criticisms of its actions (Human Rights Reports, 2012). Lao nationaltelevision is a monopoly and a crucial organ of the state in terms of increasing nationalism: itis used as a bureaucratised apparatus to broadcast educational content and information aboutthe country’s leader, the National People’s Assembly and Lao culture. 2 In contrast to Laotelevision, Thailand’s televisual outputs are varied and include informative and entertainmentprogrammes that are designed to attract a national audience but are not usually intended foraudiences in other countries. As a result, the relative openness and ‘otherness’ of Thai televisionhas become attractive to Lao people (Pholsena, 2006). Evans (1998) stated that “Most Laopeople watch Thai television, which clearly has had a very important impact on young people,but the complex nature of this influence remains to be investigated” (p. 21). Despite theintentions of Thai television producers, viewers in neighbouring countries such as Laos,Cambodia, and among the Shan communities in Myanmar have access directly to Thai TV fromsatellite signals (Jirattikorn, 2008). In this way, TV messages have become acts of cross-culturalcommunication.Laos has been under authoritarian rule since 1975, and as a result there have been very fewopportunities to research Lao society, in particular to undertake empirical research that istheoretically informed.3 This means the societal transitions such as the agency and identity ofLao women, who are traditionally regarded as protectors of familial property and national pridein present-day Laos4, have not been investigated. Since 1986 Lao society has transformed itseconomy from market socialism to a form of capitalism in the wake of globalisation (Menonand Warr, 2013). This growth of the market economy has had an impact on social structure andcultures (Stuart-Fox, 1986; Evans, 1998; Ku, 2016). Some of the results of the socio-culturalchanges are observable in terms of shifts in the economic culture of Laos (Rehbein, 2005),while, more widely, the nation’s economic development has led to research on the environment,agricultural production, land regulations, and economic policy (eg. Rigg, 2005; Castella et al.,2013; Yokoyama, 2014; Vongvisouk et al., 2016).2Lao national television began broadcasting on 1 December 1987, and then only two programmes a week inblack and white. It could not compete with the variety offered by Thai television and still badly trails it (BBCSummary of World Broadcasts, Fareast).3The Lao historical development record reports that Laos become an independent nation state in 1953 underFrench colonial rule. The highest socialist state power took power in 1975. Ten years later, economic reformspushed the country more towards a market-style economy, albeit one heavily controlled by the Lao UnitaryMarxist–Leninist one-party socialist republic (Evans, 1998). However, the fact that it is a one-party state meansthat there are still severe limitations on democratic politics (Rehbein, 2016).4True power of Lao women [online] Teerapat Charuensuk, Matichon (22 July 2015). Available at:http://m.matichon.co.th/readnews.php?newsid 1437538094.2
Following the end of the socialist economy, development has become the government’snational focus. Although Laos has gradually been integrating itself into global economicinstitutions (participating, for example, since 1997 in the Association of Southeast AsianNations - ASEAN), its economy is still not as open when compared to other countries inSoutheast Asia, where the ethos of capitalist exchange and concomitant consumer culture ismuch more deeply inscribed into society. As a result, Laos is still struggling with the harsheffects of slow economic integration into the world market and it is important to realise that thecountry remains very dependent on foreign assistance (Bounkhong, 2002; St John, 2006; Reilly,2012; Asian Development Outlook, 2017).One of the reasons that economic integration has been slow and haphazard is that thegovernment is fearful of the impact that economic openness may have on the cultural andpolitical life of the country. The Lao government’s policies controlling traditional cultures andnational identities were launched in 1999 to subvert cultural incursions regarded by governmentas contaminated by Western values and ideologies deemed contrary to the traditional culturesand values, particularly of the role and place of women in society. As Pholsena (2006) argues,a nation-state can impose a strict agenda and various types of control mechanisms in order tomitigate the impact of cross-border communication from neighbouring countries. On 14October, 1999, the Ministry of Information and Culture of Laos issued Notice No. 848 in anattempt to mitigate cultural erosion as a result of external influences. From this perspective,nation and culture are inseparable entities: there is no nation without its culture, and culturecannot exist without a nation. Xayxana (2005) also suggests that culture and nationalism, asideologies, are emphasised and widely disseminated through Lao media and through Laotians’lifestyles, especially with Lao women depicted by the state as enthusiastic, economical, andpillars of the family dedicated to their husbands and children. This government statementembodies the fear that the country’s strategies have of cultural subversion:Culture, tradition and nation are inseparable elements. If the nationhappens to be lost, culture would be affected and on the verge ofdestruction. The ruin of the nation is the death of the culture. If theculture is swallowed up, the nation will no doubt lose her identity.(Xayxana, 2005, p. 36)The implementation of the 8th National Socio-Economic Development Plan (NSEDP) 20162020 represents the fulcrum of the Lao government’s development initiative to eradicatepoverty and provide a prosperous future for its citizens (UNDP in Lao PDR, 2017). Capitalist3
development entails a process whereby a feudal or aristocratic system of government is replacedby a new bourgeoisie, an enterprising, urban middle class that engages in trade, banking,industry, and innovation (Kuan-Hsing and Huat, 2007). An example of this in the context ofLaos is the large growth of trade in 2007 prompted by Chinese investment valued at 496.06million US dollars.5 Moreover, Laos has reformed the economy through developing its linkswith non-communist Southeast Asian countries including Thailand, which has long been a tradehub for Laos (Ku, 2016). Both China and Thailand, which share a land border with Laos, aresignificantly enabling the acceleration of economic growth, social progress and improvedproduction, transportation, health and communication in Laos.6 With these economic changescome changes in other aspects of life, including the media.As Thailand and Laos’s economic relationship strengthens, there are also overlaps in thepatterns of media consumption of the two countries. Throughout its history, Thai television hasbeen very popular among Laotians. Dr Linda Reinik-Smith, a geologist in the United Nationswho lived in Laos from 1992 to 1996, discussed the television watching habits of La
where Thai television soap operas are undergoing a revival of popularity. This study identifies three key themes to explain Lao women’s agency, identity, self-satisfaction and social aspiration through the lens of their Thai television soap operas viewing. Firstly, brand name
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