Baker on the Yingluck campaign poster
By Bangkok Pundit May 26, 2011 12:15PM UTCBelow is a campaign poster for Yingluck that is currently over many parts of Bangkok – since at least early Saturday, May 21:
Source: ThaiElection11
Well-known scholar Chris Baker has a post at New Mandala on the imagery associated with this campaign poster – he also has a higher quality image. Some key excerpts:
Over last weekend, Bangkok was smothered with posters of Yingluck Shinawatra. Probably most of Thailand too. The poster is the first shot in Pheu Thai’s election campaign, and what a shot.
First off, it is a far higher quality photograph than we’re used to on election posters. Its first message is simply “quality.”
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The poster presents Yingluck as simple and serious, but above all as real, physical, close enough to touch.
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The overall feel of the Yingluck poster is cool, quiet, unaggressive. The disturbing factor is the hair which is aggressively feminine.
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The rules and conventions of Thai politics have been shaped by the male domination of the political world. Yingluck’s hair presents a tricky challenge. How do you attack this without looking like a brute?
BP: Chris also provides a contrast with Abhisit’s campaign posters. For an alternative view, see Somtow’s blog post. The image of Yingluck is a complete contrast to how she is appearing on the campaign trail in Udon Thai, where she is decked out in her Puea Thai outfit and is more down-to-earth. Contrasting images….




