Women and The History of Hat-wearing: the Cultural Con ict in the Representations of the Siamese Women in the Absolutist and Post-Absolutist Years

Abstract

This paper aims to explore the role of hats in the bodily repre- sentation of Siamese elite women in two speci c eras: the modern- absolutist state (1868-1932) and the post-revolutionary years of the Cultural Mandates (1938-1942). The bowler hat that had become a popular form of headwear among Siamese men by the reign of King Chulalongkorn (1868-1910) demonstrates a hint of the Victorian-era in uences in fashion of the Siamese royal court. Although bowler hats were worn mostly by the working classes of Great Britain, they represented a symbol of the civilised among the noblemen of Bang- kok in the second half of the nineteenth century. Similar to other western accoutrements introduced in the royal court, the women’s hats were also embraced by Siamese women as the way to enhance their perceived modern self-image. As hats became popular among the palace women under the absolutist regime, they were once again reintroduced to the more public population during the Cultural Man- dates (1938-1942) when General Phibun served as the Prime Minister. In both periods, hats offered the similar connotation of progress and they were used and represented differently by the women of the two eras. By analysing of cial documents, primary and secondary ac- counts, this paper will manifest the comparative political signi cance behind the issue of hat wearing as a cultural con ict among women of both crucial periods of Siam’s social and cultural transformation.