The untimely death of Thitima "Lunlabelle" Noraphanpiphat, a popular product presenter, from alcohol poisoning has raised a number of questions that the media has attempted to address as police continue investigating the circumstances leading up to her demise.
The obvious issues include the perils of becoming a product presenter or "pretty" -- a career choice known for attractive remuneration in exchange for becoming a seductive object of desire to please a largely male audience -- and the fatal impact of heavy and fast drinking.
In my opinion, a pivotal issue yet to be addressed is the objectification of women, which I see as the root cause of tragedies such as the one that befell Lunlabelle, the mother of a three-year-old girl.
We live in a culture where young women working as sales promoters, be it at bars and even pop-up booths, find themselves in precarious situations. Often they are under pressure to drink large amounts of alcohol and are even molested by customers and venue owners. They are highly vulnerable to physical, verbal and sexual attacks.
People putting on parties in private homes also hire attractive young women to mix drinks for their largely male guests. This is an even higher-risk environment, as the Lunlabelle case shows. When someone is within the confines of a house, the chance of outside intervention is slim if she shouts for help.
News reports tell us that 25-year-old Lunlabelle died in the most pathetic of circumstances. While my sincere hope is that such a tragedy never repeats itself, I am not optimistic as long as Thai society continues to view the objectifying of women as common practice.
Studies tell us that sexually objectifying women leads them to objectify themselves, and often harms their emotional well-being. Researchers have described how, when women are treated as objects, they view their own bodies from the perspective of the person objectifying them. In turn, they become preoccupied with their physical appearance and sexual value to others.
I wonder just how much Lunlabelle was affected by this during her short life. If her Instagram account, which had over 100,000 followers, is any indication, she was well aware of how her male audience responded to her sexy persona.
It is unfortunate that we live in a culture where viewing women as objects of gratification rather than complex people with feelings, wants and needs of their own, is considered part of being an alpha male.
In many cultures men are taught from a young age to view women as prizes to win. The belief is reinforced in the media, education, or simple everyday conversation.
It becomes a red flag when males are taught that an entire gender exists purely to satisfy others' needs. Not only does it dehumanise the female gender, it makes it very difficult for men to have empathy for someone they don't view as a real person.
Such conditioning appears to have influenced the behaviour of Rachadech Wongtabutr, the male model accused of taking Lunlabelle's unconscious body home, boasting online about his sexual exploits, and leaving her lifeless body in the lobby of his condo instead of taking her to the hospital.
I believe one way to combat media objectification of girls is through writing, petitioning or joining organisations that promote gender equality and balanced gender representation in the media.
We can also get involved in organisations for girls, by girls who are building innovative solutions to combat sexualisation, objectification and pervasive images of violence against women. These need to be replaced by positive imagery of women and girls.
There are also numerous research-based organisations working in the media and entertainment industry to influence producers to improve gender representation in films.
Maybe this is a good time to get involved in their work, to help stop stereotyping of girls and women; and to help build diverse female characters in entertainment targeting children.
Through education and mentoring, we can encourage more boys and girls to not fall victim to unhealthy practices.
Children are impressionable and require positive role models to build a strong character. If they grow up in an environment where the focus is squarely on material goods and looking sexy to attract male attention, don't be surprised if this attitude persists into their adulthood.
So step up to the plate parents, teachers and community leaders. Our children look up to you for guidance, especially now when society is grappling with the sad loss of Lunlabelle.