Before dating Justin, I never thought I’d go to a car show… but here we are. I’m at my second or third one, but this time we took it international. He explained to me how car shows have all but lost popularity in the US – how they used to be an event that ALL carmakers and auto parts companies would attend and one would see regular everyday cars, tricked out cars, upcoming car technology, and more. But post-covid in particular, it’s become less of a big deal and fewer companies end up finding it worth their while.
In Thailand though, apparently the car show is alive and well. Somehow, Justin found the BKK Auto Salon, where we saw major automakers (Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Suzuki, and a couple other brands not typically found in the US), crazy car mods, e-sports racing tournaments (yes, video game race car driving), remote control car racing…
One thing I struggled with was the presence of booth babes. Women were there with crowds of men around them taking their pictures. Many of these men had professional photography equipment, so presumably were not creepos. But honestly, after going to Japan and seeing how many at the women’s wrestling show had professional equipment too, and how many of these men had this caliber of equipment, I think it’s a bit more common in Asia to use instead of one’s iPhone. So let’s not count them out for being creepos just yet. What I really struggled with though was just how tiny these women are. It’s difficult being here in Thailand and not having my own ingrained body insecurities get triggered big time. (Listen, I’m a woman. It’s just an inevitability that I’ll be insecure about my body, no matter how beautiful or smart or strong I am.) But now, to be in an environment where the women being featured are the tiniest of the tiny and wearing attractive and well-put-together outfits was even more difficult. It’s really forcing me to a lot of introspection. Why am I so triggered? Where are my values and are they where I think they are? Should this matter to me? It’s a lot. WIP.
Bringing it back to the more light-hearted side of the Car Salon though – I found the only car that matters. There were so many to appreciate, but honestly, this is the only one anyone needs to care about. Kirby car. Yes, that’s right… Kirby car! Take a look here.
