Member-only story
Nail Art and Social Media Shape Queer Youth in Life and in New Thai Series
Gelboys: Painting Emotions in Gen Z
I often feel as if I have never truly experienced youth, yet at times it seems I have never left it behind.
This conflicting emotion acts like a hidden thread, drawing me toward an endless curiosity about various youth stories. More than a decade ago, when I first watched Love of Siam (I wrote about it here), I was deeply moved and found it difficult to detach from the film’s emotions.
The Bangkok students, who were my age, wearing school uniforms, active in clubs, and innocently experiencing their first emotions while centering their vibrant social lives around Siam Square, filled me with both envy and reflection. Back then, I could only bury myself in books. Their world felt unreachable, yet their similar emotional experiences left a lasting imprint on my heart.
That is why when Siam Square reappeared in Gelboys, I was almost instantly drawn to this Thai drama. The places I once knew have been completely transformed, with no trace of the old familiar scenery. The four protagonists are no longer high schoolers troubled by their sexual orientation; they seem to have skipped that stage and now face new, contemporary dilemmas.
