Have you heard the term katoey or ladyboy before? These creatures have been encountered by many first timers (and even some second and third timers) in Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya, much to the chagrin of the unsuspecting mark. What is a katoey? It is quite simply a transsexual or transvestite and they are quite common in Thailand.

The thing is that many of the Thai ladyboys are actually quite beautiful and unless you know what to look for can be easy to miss, even if you are close up and personal with them. Of course copious amounts of alcohol doesn’t help matters, so here I’ve put together the top 10 ways to spot a ladyboy or katoey when you’re in Thailand. Avoid reading this list at your own peril.

1. Look at your new friends hands and feet. Thai girls typically are small and their hands and feet are very small and petite to match. If the girl has lumberjack hands or size 12 heels on there is a distinct possibility she is a he.

2. Look for an Adams apple. Girls don’t have them, not ever.

3. Too much makeup. Thai girls generally wear very little if any makeup. If the girl has a thick layer of foundation on and enough makeup for a Vegas dancer then she is probably a ladyboy.

4. Tall. Thai girls are generally short, 5′ 4″ or less. If the girl is near to 6′ tall then either she is a model or a katoey. If she’s flirting with you (a foreign tourist), then the odds are she is NOT a model (unless you look like Brad Pitt), you are very likely being targeted by a ladyboy.

5. She is more beautiful than you can believe. If the girl is tall and beautiful and is NOT a model then it’s a good bet she is a ladyboy. Katoeys work very hard to make themselves as beautiful as possible, even going to the length of having surgery done. Eyes, lips, breasts, and even the cut and tuck, though from all accounts most katoeys are cross dressers without the final surgery.

6. If she has facial hair she is a katoey. Don’t laugh, I’ve actually seen guys dancing with girls that have a 5 o’clock shadow. Thai girls are for the most part hairless, even on their arms and legs and certainly on their faces.

7. Thai girls are very feminine, quite likely some of the most feminine women on the planet. If your girl is muscular or has a hard athletic body there is a chance that she is a katoey. This can be sometimes confusing because Cambodian girls are typically more muscular than Thai’s, but they are also generally very short and dark skinned.

8. If the girl has a penis (not TOO hard to figure out is it) then she is a ladyboy. Many katoeys will go for a grope of your crotch shortly after meeting you and this is the perfect chance for you to return the favor. Sometimes it isn’t as easy to tell if there is a bulge there or not as some ladyboys will go as far as to tuck or even tape their privates up underneath their crotch.

9. If she won’t undress in front of you or wants to have sex in the dark all the time she may be a katoey. Thai girls are shy in public, but can be quite forward in private and most have very little shyness when it comes to sex. I’ve heard stories of guys who had no idea they were with a ladyboy until the next morning which is actually believable if the girl wants to suck you off all night or do it from behind or if you’re that drunk. If there is a question in your mind do a quick grope or throw some surprise light on the subject, it may be YOU who ends up with the bigger surprise.

10. Take a look at her friends. Ladyboys tend to run and hunt in packs like wolves. If her group of friends are obvious katoeys themselves then your little lady may be one as well.

I’m sure this list isn’t comprehensive and there are other ways to tell if your prospective hookup is a katoey or ladyboy. Please leave a comment if you have other ways that you use to figure out if she is really a he or if you have some interesting or fun stories about the katoeys and ladyboys of Thailand.

Special thanks to Conan Stevens for providing the inspiration for this ladyboy article.

Check out these similar posts:

• Thai Girl or Ladyboy?
• Miss International Queen 2009 Ladyboy Pageant
• Are All Ladyboys Prostitutes?
• Good Thai Girls vs Bad Thai Girls – How Can I Tell if She’s a Bargirl?
• New Toilets for Ladyboys

Take the test below and see how good you are at spotting the differences between ladyboys and real Thai girls.

Can you be fooled?

In each of the following photos, try to guess which member of the couple
is a girl and which is a guy. There are 6 pairs. Look closely, then pick left or right to identify the guy.

(Answers are at the end. Don’t cheat!)

ALL OF THEM ARE GUYS!

Sorry for the little bit of cheating by misleading you to think that 6 of them were girls. To be honest I would have guessed 10 out of 12, but no one is perfect. How did all of you do?

Check out these similar posts:

• 10 Clues That She is a Ladyboy or Katoey
• Connecting with A Hot Thai Girl
• Getting A Thai Girl as Your Girlfriend
• A Thai Girl Responds to “Why Thai Girls Marry Foreigners”
• Miss International Queen 2009 Ladyboy Pageant

The 2009 Miss International Queen was a huge success, having hundreds of spectators in attendance and reportedly millions of others tuning in via television. In the end the contest was won by Miss Haruna Ai of Japan. Everyone seemed to agree that her performance was one of the best they’ve seen in several years at the pageant.

Sunday October 31, 2009 [PDN]: – On a wonderful night at Pattaya’s Tiffany Theatre, Miss Haruna Ai was the stand-out contestant after a very entertaining event, to take out first prize with a stunning display enjoyed by all. The two runner-up awards went to Miss Kangsadal Wongdusadeekul, the Thai entrant and a Miss Daniela Marques, who is from Brazil. Both of the other two contestants performed admirably, however it was Miss Haruna Ai, who was just too special in the end, and deservedly received this year’s title.

Ladyboys or kathoeys as they are known in Thailand are people that were born as males, but choose to live their lives as females. While many never undergo surgical alteration, many of them do take female hormones and some do have breast implants or even go as far as having their reproductive organs surgically altered. Thai doctors perform more sex change operations than any other country in the world. Thailand is known as a popular place for ladyboys due to the easygoing attitudes and acceptance of the Thai’s to homosexuality and transgender people.

Check out these similar posts:

• 10 Clues That She is a Ladyboy or Katoey
• Thai Girl or Ladyboy?
• 10 Things I Miss About Thailand
• Are All Ladyboys Prostitutes?
• New Toilets for Ladyboys

It seems that a rural high school in Thailand may start a an economic boom for signmakers around the world. Just see the photo to see what I mean. Don’t know what it is? It is a new sign designed by the administration at Kampang Secondary School, located in Sisaket province in northeast Thailand, to mark the toilets meant exclusively for the ladyboys at that school.

The symbol representing them combines a male and female figure. Since the school population is comprised of roughly 10% ladyboys the new toilet facilities are pretty popular.

Tolerance of transsexuals, at least those born as males, is widespread in Thai society. They maintain a much higher public profile there than in most countries, working in a wide range of jobs.

Likewise, sex-change surgery has become a Thai medical specialty, common and affordable.

The challenge facing Kampang School officials was to spare girl students the embarrassment of sharing their toilets with (lady)boys who in turn didn’t want to share toilets with the regular boys, whom they consider a different breed.

“These students want to be able to go in peace without fear of being watched, laughed at or groped,” said Sitisak Sumontha, the school’s director.

The solution to this was to create new toilet facilities for the group and the designation for these toilets is a sign that combines the male and female signs, cut right down the middle.

Currently there are 50 universally accepted signals for signs, including the standard male and female, airports, hotels, etc. If this new sign catches on internationally there could be a huge new market for the sign makers of the world!

Check out these similar posts:

• No Draft for Ladyboys
• Are All Ladyboys Prostitutes?
• Thai Girl or Ladyboy?
• Thai University Girls Skirts Too Short?
• Miss International Queen 2009 Ladyboy Pageant

It seems that many of the men that visit Thailand have a preconceived notion that all of Thailand‘s ladyboys are also prostitutes. It’s true that normally foreign men only meet the ladyboys that work in bars and restaurants, however this is only a small percentage of all the kathoeys in Thailand.

I’ve met and been talking with several ladyboys on Hi5 and they cannot understand why so many think that just because they are kathoey’s they are prostitutes as well. This isn’t just limited to foreigners either, I’ve been told that many Thai’s hold this preconception.

When spying a ladyboy in tourist areas or going out late at night, immediately the idea that she is a prostitute starts to circulate. Why would people think this just because the person is a ladyboy?

I can tell you from my conversations this makes many of them quite sad. Thai ladyboys may be different from you and I that’s true, but in many ways they are the same too. They have the same feelings, needs and wants as most people. Many of them are looking for a stable relationship and would love to settle down with someone special.

Most ladyboys work in traditional jobs such as clerical staff, hairdressers or waitresses and they work very hard, just like the rest of us. It’s not fair that they have to labor under two prejudices. They are thought of poorly because of their lifestyle choice and then to compound this prejudice are often thought of as prostitutes.

I have no idea how many kathoeys exactly work as prostitutes in Thailand and yes the number is probably statistically higher than men and women, however most are still just normal hard working people. Please consider this the next time you meet a ladyboy, don’t immediately assume that they are looking to sell sex because you might be hurting, embarrassing and humiliating a very nice person.

Check out these similar posts:

• No Draft for Ladyboys
• New Toilets for Ladyboys
• 10 Clues That She is a Ladyboy or Katoey
• Miss International Queen 2009 Ladyboy Pageant
• Thai Girl or Ladyboy?