Jiggy-Jiggy?

Okay, so one of my readers messaged me:  "I'm not going to be puerile and ask for jiggy jiggy, so 5 on the menu please."

I should stick a disclaimer in here - despite the title, this is actually one of the most serious, thinky posts on the list.  Although it does include the words "jiggy-jiggy" in it, so there's that. :)

A few days ago, as I was walking home from work, something happened that threw me for a loop.
As I was making my way along the highway, I saw a guy get of a truck.  He looked Thai, not farang, but he definitely wasn’t built or dressed like your average Thai bloke.  He must have been at least six foot, with muscles that wouldn’t look out of place on a U.S. Marine (yes, I’ve met Thai soldiers, and no, they don’t look like THAT).  Just to add to the effect, he was in a wifebeater and camouflage trousers – again, pretty unusual (most Thai men I’ve seen either wear short sleeves or, if they’re working, go shirtless).  The most striking thing, though, was that he didn’t move like a Thai.  He had a full-on, aggressive strut, and (disconcertingly, once you’ve lived here for a few months) not a hint of a smile.

Now, I want to make clear that this guy didn’t say or do anything, or even seem to notice me.  What threw me off was my own reaction.  Something about him made me feel the way I’ve almost never felt while living here, but used to feel in London a lot (and all the time while I was living in Leyton, where street harassment is a weekly occurrence):  I felt exposed, incredibly self-conscious about the way I was moving.  And my body reacted automatically.  Head down, eyes straight ahead, don’t step too close to him, don’t make him feel as though you’re challenging him.  Move smoothly, move quickly, and stay off his radar.

First time I’ve done that in a while.  Visiting London for my birthday reminded me that I really do love that city, but sometimes, I also realise just how much easier it is here.  It’s also a lot easier than travelling around some other places in Asia.  Thais might stare, but generally, you won’t get harassed – unlike my experiences in, say, Tamil Nadu state in India, where guys would follow me down the street yelling at me.  (“Hey, you like go out?  Drink beer?  Jiggy-jiggy?  Fucking?  Kama Sutra?  Come on!”)*  It seems to be a question of rules for public behaviour, separate from the issue of gender roles and women’s rights:  both Thai and Burmese society can often feel very restrictive in that regard, and the status boost I get from being a Westerner is tempered by the fact that I’m still “just” a chick.  But when I walk down the street, I don’t tend to feel more vulnerable because of my gender, and that’s new for me.