Thai boys love series and idols: a new facet of soft power diplomacy in Thailand

Thailand has traditionally relied on high-culture products and practises as assets for promoting the nation’s soft power. The essence of this approach differs from Joseph Nye’s original conception in that it focuses preponderantly on “commercialisation”; consequently, such assets must necessarily be monetisable. This study explores why the domestic Boys Love (BL) industry—notably BL series and their idols—has recently emerged as a novel soft power source, and how these assets have been mobilised in Thailand’s soft power diplomacy as conducted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). The present study employed qualitative historical analysis as a research method to compile and interpret information gathered from primary and secondary sources. The findings indicate that the economic potential and high monetisability of the rapidly growing popularity of Thai BL have driven the MFA to incorporate BL series and idols into its diplomatic portfolios for soft power promotion. The mobilisation of these soft power assets has been achieved through hybrid models. In addition to regularly held Thai Festivals, these models included live streaming, fancalls, and international fan meetings. Beyond securing economic returns to bolster the national economy, the promotion of BL content has positively contributed to the country’s international image, for instance, regarding LGBT+ openness, as well as to the legitimation of the administrations in Bangkok.