At a rowdy Bangkok stadium, BG Pathum United’s Rabbit Girls dance to a drumbeat and cheer their team on — the Thai League 1’s last band of female promoters.
Nightclubs, brands, shopping malls and car shows in Thailand often hire young women for promotion purposes.
Only unmarried women are eligible to become Rabbit Girls and there is an age limit of 30.
Photo: AFP
However, the BG Pathum United club says that the role of the Rabbit Girls — named for the team’s logo — is evolving, and the women are not just cheerleaders, but club ambassadors.
Phatlita Lertphaholphat, 29, known by her nickname “BB,” is now in her sixth year as a Rabbit Girl.
She arrives three hours before the match to change into her uniform of blue T-shirt, white shorts and white trainers.
“We are brand ambassadors, so it’s important to have a good appearance,” she told reporters after perfecting her make-up, adding that she spends about 50,000 baht (US$1,400) a year on beauty products.
BB, who has more than 9,000 followers on Instagram, promotes the team and sponsors in person and on social media, as well as pumping up fans in the stadium.
She said the Rabbit Girls help to keep things polite in the male-dominated soccer crowd.
“When there is a beautiful girl or calm girls there, the atmosphere will be soft,” BB said.
On the club’s social media channels, as well as choreographed dance routines, the Rabbits hand out prizes to fans and push green messages about recycling and sharing transport to games.
Pathum United, fourth in Thai League 1, began using promotional women in 2009, starting a trend followed by other big Thai clubs.
However, financial problems have led others to ditch their cheer squads and cut “unnecessary expenses,” said Nuengrutai Srathongvian, a soccer expert and former Thailand coach.
Nonetheless, Pathum United said that the promoters are here to stay.
The women’s game is booming in many parts of the world and last month the Football Association of Thailand named its first female president with the election of insurance tycoon Nualphan Lamsam.
However, women’s rights advocates criticize Pathum United’s use of the Rabbit Girls.
Sukrittaya Jukping, a professor of gender studies at Thammasat University, said that the focus on a woman’s appearance — particularly body shape and skin tone — was common among companies in Thailand.
“It’s like capitalism and patriarchy shake hands,” she said.
The club said that the roles of Rabbit Girls have become “more modernized,” particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic, when the club realized the importance of social media in brand promotion.
“When we look for the new generation of Rabbit Girls ... we look for talented ones who have speaking skills,” said Nittayaporn Tharasuk, the club’s director of sponsorship and marketing, denying the club used the young women as “objects.”
The Rabbits are paid at least 20,000 to 30,000 baht a month and many hold down other jobs at the same time.
BB rejected the idea that she was being exploited, saying the job helps her to save while supporting her family of five, paying for a house and car loan.
She is confident it will lead to other work.
“There are skills I have picked up in this job ... like speaking and time-management skills,” she said, adding that experience is more important than looks.
“I plan to do this for another couple of years, then I want to set up my own company,” she added.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
The Minnesota Timberwolves, with so many promising performances spoiled by late mistakes fresh in their memory bank, sure timed this strong finish well. Jaden McDaniels scored a career playoff-high 30 points and spearheaded Minnesota’s stifling defense on an ailing Luka Doncic, and the Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-104 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday night. “Jaden never looks tired. He looks like he could play 48 minutes,” said teammate Anthony Edwards, who had 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Julius Randle added 22 points for the Wolves, who outscored
Inter’s defense of their Italian Serie A title was hit with a setback on Sunday as they lost 1-0 at home to AS Roma, while Scott McTominay netted a brace as SSC Napoli beat Torino 2-0 to go top of the table. No fixtures were played on Friday or Saturday because of the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome, meaning the full round of Serie A matches took place on Sunday and yesterday. Matias Soule’s first-half strike for Roma knocked Inter off top spot earlier in the day before new Napoli opened up a three-point buffer with victory in Sunday’s
Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa yesterday set a women’s only world record of 2 hours, 15 minutes, 50 seconds as she won the London Marathon, while Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe put a star-studded men’s field to the sword. For 28-year-old Assefa it was ample compensation for finishing runner-up in London and the Paris Olympics last year — especially as bitter Dutch rival, the Ethiopia-born Sifan Hassan, finished third. Assefa dropped Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei as the race, played out in blazing sunshine and with thousands lining the route, entered its business end. She came home almost three minutes clear of the Kenyan. Hassan, who beat her in
RSS