The Language of Desire: Perspectives on Partner Selection among Modern Thai Single Women, a Case Study of Take Me Out Thailand

Abstract

This study examines the perspectives of modern Thai single women in choosing a partner using a discourse study approach through the linguistic strategies of single women on the show Take Me Out Thailand. The research findings reveal six characteristics of partner selection: 1) Modern women assert the right to choose and decide; 2) Physical appearance and attractiveness play a significant role in partner selection; 3) Partner selection has become an unavoidable process of justification and public explanation; 4) Thai single women are in a position of power to define “appropriate love” for themselves; 5) Partner selection on the show is a negotiation process between moral ideals and social reality; and 6) Participants consider the future and social context alongside personal feelings. These perspectives are reflected through linguistic strategies, including vocabulary, various sentence structures, metaphors, perspectives, pretexts, rhetorical questions, and catchy phrases, conveying these ideas about partner selection to the audience in society, and reflecting the lifestyles of contemporary Thai single women.