Critics call ‘poverty porn’ on Thai fashion house Boyy’s Bangkok bag campaign

World-famous Thai fashion house Boyy was accused today of exploiting Thailand’s poverty to promote an expensive bag in a day-old ad campaign.

In a new social media campaign, the brand paired its Bobby bag with “authentic” Bangkok backdrops such as a fruit cart, public bus, tuk-tuk and motorcycle taxi. For associated the THB42,000 (US$1,350) bag with the underclass who could never afford it, Boyy was accused of romanticizing those at the other end of the nation’s deep inequality. 

“Poverty is not your accessory. Poverty is a problem. Stop romanticizing and dehumanizing. Nobody wants to be poor,” Instagrammer Peachji wrote.

The bags start at THB20,000 (US$635) and go up from there.

“What the brand is representing [are grassroots] Thais, not the wealthy class that the brand is targeting,” Instagrammer Natt.krai wrote in reply. “It’s so ridiculous…