A student by the name Ploy staged an impromptu protest in Siam Square last Saturday, pictures and videos of which were posted by two Twitter handles @BadStudent_ and @NuttaaBow. She sat on a chair hands-tied behind her back and mouth taped shut. A placard hanging from her neck reads, "This student violates a school rule by wearing her hair long past her eye lobes and in bangs, destroying the unique identity of Thai students. Please punish her." It ends with a hashtag "#เลิกบังคับหรือจับตัด (#StopForcingOrCutting)". A call to stop forcing Thai students to have a certain type of haircut or having their hair cut by the teachers against their will.
A pair of scissors was provided on her lap and next to her was a bin for the cut hair. Anyone who knows how a hashtag works would see that this stunt is a form of activism, not a real invitation to "punish her". A timelapse video showed that her stunt attracted attention from passersby.
In a video filmed after the stunt, Ploy expressed her gratitude to those who have shown concern or offered help as she took it as a sign that the society realises that students are human beings. She added that what she endured today is small compared to what a student actually goes through at school and they can't say anything about it. She wore hair extensions but some of her real hair was cut off as part of the stunt, a small sacrifice she was willing to make so she could be the voice of other students.
After zooming in on pictures and videos of her protest, I noticed her full name (although she covered her school's initials with duct tape) and, if I'm correct, this isn't the first time she has spoken out publicly about student hairstyles.
You see, while the Ministry of Education announced in the Royal Gazette in May that male and female students are allowed to wear their hair long so long as it's neat and tidy. Some schools are slow to embrace this and still force their students to wear pudding-bowl bob cuts for girls and army-style crew cuts for boys.
Her protest sparked the age-old debate over student hairstyle rules. We've heard it all before. Those who are for it say if a student can't comply with this rule, how could they grow up to be a law-abiding citizen. On the other hand, people don't see how hairstyles would affect a student's ability to learn or make them too vain to focus on learning.
Some may find Ploy's stunt too provocative, understandably so since it's intended that way, but that isn't the most shocking part of this incident. A majority of comments and reactions to her action is positive and encouraging as it's nothing short of bravery for someone of her age to take a stand to highlight the right to her own body and freedom to self-expression by putting herself in a vulnerable position. On the other hand, her campaign also received some truly vile, misogynistic and threatening comments from adults, as well. Some apparently feel that being older gives them the right to talk down to her and belittle her for no good reason.
"Your pubic hair just started to grow. Don't rush things. You little b***h."
"How many husbands have you had, b***h?".
"What's wrong with the brains of this new generation?"
"Go find a new school that does things your way. You don't respect any rules and always try to change them. Find a new school. When you work for an organisation or go out in society, you're gonna protest too." (always referring to Ploy with mueng pronoun).
And I hope these are the worst ones.
It seems like schools that these commenters attended, didn't teach them about civil debate when they disagree with something. They hide behind their keyboards and freely hurl hatred towards her as a girl, a student, and someone younger when her only crime is trying to make a point through a stunt. A reasonably one to make, if I may add.
Ploy exposes not only the backward thinking of Thai education and some of its products in one sitting but also exposes what's dearly missing in the curriculum; how to express different opinions like an educated person and a lesson in misogyny and discrimination based on different social categorisations.
Education isn't about doing maths and remembering how long the Ayutthaya era lasted. I hope Ploy's stunt awaken many to recognise a student's right to self-expression and what does education really mean. And, for all the aforementioned reasons, she gets my huge respect.
Be brave. Be like Ploy.