Thailand Declares War on Underboob Selfies; Could Lead To Five Years in Jail

Thailand’s military government recently warned local women to refrain from posting selfies revealing the lower half of their breasts.

Underboob selfies have apparently become a viral trend on social media, but the Kingdom’s authorities warn that posting such photos could violate the 2007 Computer Crimes Act and result in up to five years in prison.

While it does not specifically refer to underboobs, or any other type of breast photos for that matter, the Computer Crimes Act does not allow “any obscene computer data which is accessible to the public” or material that causes “damage to the country’s security or causes public panic”.

The stern warning is said to have come from Yupha Thaweewattanakijborworn, the director of the Culture Watch Office of the Culture Ministry, who also asked the media not to play up the trend.

Nobody doubts the Thais are serious about this matter, but they will have trouble enforcing the law in this regard as the ministry’s spokesman, Anandha Chouchoti, told Reuters:

“When people take these ‘underboob selfies’ no one can see their faces. So it’s like, we don’t know who these belong to, and it encourages others to do the same.

We can only warn people to not take it up. They are inappropriate actions”.

Several local websites claim that the trend has not gone viral in Thailand, despite the reports in Western media, and say this is a preventive rather than reactive move by the local government.

Either way, it looks like Thai officials just paved the way for the next viral trend – the sideboob.

[via Reuters | Lead Image: PhyreWorX]