$ d! e& M; _% ?7 E7 m - Y# g9 X+ c2 V+ DLittle black dress lands actress in one big mess1 N9 Y) |; v0 b1 K$ |
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BANGKOK - A young actress' skimpy dress has sparked a national outcry in Thailand, fuelling debate in opinion pages and chat rooms and earning her a public reprimand. 9 b. b& T) I- Q/ I ! d2 j' W4 Z$ W( AThe black dress in question was long, body-hugging and split from Chotiros Suriyawong's cleavage to her hip by an eight-centimetre wide slit held together by thin strips of fabric. : Y1 I6 Z |+ \# i3 D/ B) j* B% I% [1 G: `
Ms. Chotiros, a 22-year-old liberal arts major at Thammasat University, one of the country's most respected academic institutions, wore it at the Feb. 9 Golden Swan awards ceremony, Thailand's equivalent of the Oscars.; G# B5 b& q* d- `! `9 c
% l) {- F( k$ p5 X0 q+ N' jThe dress is said to have been inspired by Elizabeth Hurley's infamous Versace safety-pin dress, which grabbed the spotlight for the British beauty when she wore it to a London film premiere in 1994.8 x/ a! P$ s' C/ c S/ p1 W1 Q; T
8 V$ E* W* z, R, {* _4 y0 T9 _For Ms. Chotiros, a relative unknown with mainly small roles in low-budget films, the little black dress brought unwelcome attention.8 |0 a0 X* L' e" d
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She was reprimanded by her production company and ordered by her university to do community service and make a public apology for her attire. @ z; ]' h) u/ d8 j4 p
0 V% Y7 k6 |6 v( n$ @ ^* X$ l"I feel very guilty about what happened. I want to apologize," said a teary-eyed Ms. Chotiros at a news conference earlier this week. "I didn't know it was going to be such a big deal."