Sukhumvit crowded with Katoeys?
I was walking back from Gullivers last night to the Majestic Suites, and was just amazed at how crowded the street was. For years, I've seen 5-10 girls (and a few rats) in the two or three blocks on the way back, but with the 1am closing, it is hard to even walk through with all the sellers and tons of girls and Katoeys blocking the way.
I was glancing at some of them as I passed by, and noticed a guy in a conversation with a couple of ladies. One looked nice, the other nothing special. I heard the nice looking one say, "I ladyboy, you like?" to the guy, but didn't hear his response. It seems to be quite dangerous these days, and while many of these Katoeys are obvious, some aren't.
My room in the MS overlooks Nana, and when I got to my room at 1:10am, it was totally dark there.
Katoeys hard to spot? really?
This topic has been debated and discussed ad naseum and I just don't get the constant paranoia.
I don't want to get cocky (lol), but I've never, ever even remotely been fooled or in doubt about any katoey I ever saw. You can spot them a mile off. I've had them as students many times and just watching them walk in their uniforms, alone (yes they get to wear female uniforms) is a dead giveaway.
As amazing as the surgery has become, there are still some fundamentals that so far science cannot address.
The main one is the pelvis. Of all the bones, the pelvis shows the greatest male/female differences. The female pelvis is designed for childbirth. It is broad and shallow since the infant must pass through its bony openings at birth. The male pelvis is much heavier, denser and narrower than that of the female because it is designed for thrusting (aren't we all glad of that). The way a real woman walks (ie. hips from side to side) is largely due to the shape, flexibility and lightness of her pelvis (the hour-glass shape). In the same way, the relative density and heaviness of the male pelvis that gives us that boxy shape causes men's hips to be directed forward in movement rather than side to side like women. Therefore, katoeys over-compensate by immitating female walking which just doesn't come normally with their heavy male pelvis'. How they accomplish this, besides the exagerrated swinging of the hips from side to side is to do the 'model walk' placing one foot directly in front of the other rather than the normal way of walking for women which is slightly to the side and diagonally. Models are taught to walk one foot in front of the other to exagerrate hip movement which accentuates the clothes (in a former life I was a fashion photographer/videographer). Watch the fashion channel sometimes and you'll see what I mean.
Other aspects of katoeys such as a voice that sounds like they've been sucking down helium, their stature and physique which is generally taller and larger than almost any Thai woman I've ever seen and their fashion sense or lack thereof are other tell-tale signs. There are other things that are almost cliche. They primp and preen a lot that prompted a friend to quip that the easiest way to tell is to simply stick a mirror in front of them. They'll stop dead in their tracks like deer caught in headlights.
Lastly, one of the main things that probably newbies just wouldn't get is manners and behavior. Thai women are taught from birth a certain way to behave, speak and conduct themselves which becomes innate after awhile. These wannabe girls are still Thai guys inside and just have a different social and mental construct. Even if they're gay, they're still Thai men. When they 'come out' or 'really come out' by becoming katoey, then they just add in the gay behavior factor that just isn't anything like Thai women.
Identifying Ladyboys (Kah-tooeys)
1. The most obvious is they are way more aggressive than natural born Thai girls. They'll immediately approach and proposition you. In general, most Thai girl free lancers show noticeably greater reserve.
2. Most of them are at least 6 inches taller than a Thai girl.
3. Their makeup seems almost professionally applied, to the point where if they were female they'd be stunners.
4. In addition to their aggressiveness, they often dress in extreme hooker getup, i.e. micro-minis, hotpants, etc. -- clothing more appropriate for a go-go bar and that a Thai girl would be way too shy to be seen in public wearing.
Katoeys are boys, never girls
The bigger hands and feet test isn't that full-proof. The Adam's apple check is passe as they remove it in the surgery, which partially accounts for Katoeys' rather Donald-Duck like voices. Height isn't always a key, either as there are lots of short, small Katoey's. Also, there are lot's of ugly Katoeys, but also many that would pass for pretty.
I think 'Kinda Nast' has a point in the aggressiveness, the professional make-up and the clothing.
But, honestly, if you know women and how they move and act, you should NEVER have any trouble telling the difference even with the best surgery in the world.
Fool Proof..(So I have heard)
I have heard that a fool proof method to tell if "She" is indeed a "He" is that the vagina cannot get lubricated on its own. The person who had the operation must use KY gel or some other form of lubrication.
Can anyone verify this fact?
