The First Queens: #Englot’s Journey from Pageantry to Pop Culture Powerhouses
- Her in Focus
- Sep 26
- 7 min read
From First Crown to First Couple
What if beauty queens didn’t just wave, but rewrote what a crown could mean? Enter #Englot: Engfa Waraha and Charlotte Austin — the Thai duo who turned pageantry into sapphic pop culture and spotlighted queer visibility in places it rarely shines.
They belong in our “Firsts” saga not because they were the very first sapphics in Thailand (many walked so they could strut), but because they’ve pulled off a string of firsts no sapphic duo has before. Pageantry, GL drama, marriage equality, international acclaim—they’re doing it all, and they’re doing it loud.
From Pageants to Pop Culture
In 2022, Engfa snagged the crown as Miss Grand Thailand and Charlotte landed as the fifth runner up. For a country where pageants are primetime TV, that was a big deal, and for most duos that’s where the story ends. But for #Englot? That was just the prologue.
Their chemistry didn’t fade when the stage lights dimmed — it exploded online. Thailand suddenly had its first pageant-born sapphic ship, and fans weren’t whispering; they were screaming.
Then came “Show Me Love” in 2023. Not a cameo, not a web short—a full GL series led by pageant icons. The show was also the first Thai GL original production, not based on a book like most other GLs, but inspired by their Miss Grand journey. The drama blurred the line between fiction and reality, transforming two beauty queens into on-screen stars.
Hot on the heels of GAP’s breakthrough, Show Me Love kept the fire burning — proof that sapphic love could headline as the story itself, not crumbs on the side. This wasn’t background romance. It was the main course.
Powerhouse GL Icons
#Englot didn’t just get shipped; they became a brand. Their faces, their vibe, even their duo name turned into shorthand for sapphic dreams and Thai pop culture clout.
They brought glamour and visibility. Sapphic stories don’t usually get red carpets and glitzy coverage, but #Englot’s lead role in “Show Me Love” delivered exactly that. They continued to prove that sapphic narratives deserved to command equal passion, press, and fandom as their BL counterparts.
And when you hit that level of icon status? The influence doesn’t stop at the screen. It floods the feeds.
Social Media Queens
#Englot didn’t just dominate television screens, they broke the algorithm.
Engfa’s Instagram boasts a breezy 4 million followers. Together the duo fuels entire shipping economies: reels, edits, and TikToks that rack up millions of interactions.
Their names keep landing in Top 10 Most Engaging Thai GL Couples rankings123, pulling over 12.7 million engagements in May 2025, and then surging to over 22 million in June, making them one of the most talked-about GL duos in the country. Even academics and queer media cite Engfa and #Englot’s reach when tracking how Thai GL has gone global.
And it’s not just Thailand watching. When Engfa showed up at Cannes 2025, her presence generated an estimated USD $6.7M in Media Impact Value—the highest among all tracked celebrities, proving sapphic stardom translates into tangible influence.
This isn’t fanservice—it’s fandom power. Likes, shares, and hashtags made them algorithm royalty. And when you rule both the stage and the feed? Recognition is inevitable.
Recognition & Awards
While “Show Me Love” locked #Englot in as Thailand’s sapphic powerhouse duo, it wasn’t their only series making noise. Their darker turn in “Petrichor” raised the stakes … and then snagged “Best Series of the Year” from Thai Update.
That win mattered. It wasn’t just viral edits (though, let’s be real, there were plenty). It was industry validation. Proof that sapphic-led dramas could stand tall in a crowded Thai entertainment landscape. They weren’t a gamble—they were contenders. For #Englot, it marked the leap from pageant darlings to award-winning actresses.
Trophies sparkle, but #Englot were already stacking something shinier: influence. Hardware looks good on a shelf — power looks better in motion.
Owning the Crown: Beauty Queens with Actual Equity
Turns out #Englot aren’t just wearing the crowns—they own a piece of the castle. Both Engfa and Charlotte hold shares in Miss Grand International Public Company Limited (MGI), the powerhouse behind Miss Grand Thailand. That makes them more than pageant faces; they’re part-owners of the beauty-queen machine.
And here’s the kicker: In 2025, MGI secured the license for Miss Universe Thailand (2025–2029). Translation? For the first time, a sapphic duo holds equity in the company shaping international beauty standards.
This is big—pageants have long dictated narrow beauty ideals. Now, with these women at the table, those definitions can shift. #Englot’s presence reinforces that women—regardless of sexuality—belong in the conversation of beauty, leadership, and success. They’re showing sapphic audiences worldwide that visibility isn’t limited to fandom hashtags; it’s baked into the systems that shape how women are seen.
That’s not just visibility. That’s a revolution.
At the Heart of Marriage Equality
In January 2025, Thailand’s Marriage Equality Act officially took effect, making it the first Southeast Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage.
In the months leading up to the law, #Englot was already showing up. They sashayed through Pride festivals, shared stages with equality activists, and posted from the halls of Bangkok Pride—their names woven into the visibility fabric of LGBTQ+ Thailand before the law even dropped. Fans saw them not just as actresses or beauty queens, but as allies in the fight for recognition.
Activists and politicians did the heavy legislative lifting, but #Englot gave the milestone a face. Their appearance at Marriage Equality Day at Siam Paragon made them one of the first sapphic duos visibly linking themselves to this historic win—something they’d been speaking out for since their rise to fame.
They didn’t draft the law, but they embodied it. Pop culture met politics, and sapphics everywhere felt the weight of advocacy.
International Firsts: Taking Sapphic Visibility Global
Engfa’s stardom didn’t stop at home. From Bangkok billboards to Cannes carpets, she has pushed sapphic visibility further than any Thai GL star before her.
Her 2024 film “The Paradise of Thorns” premiered at TIFF, then made noise at Cannes Market, pulling in over 150 million baht at the Thai box office. Her role was straight, but given her sapphic resume—and her own queerness—the impact was massive. Paired with her breakout in Show Me Love, she catapulted sapphic visibility onto the international stage. Engfa has proven that queerness, whether acted or authentic, isn’t a hurdle—it’s power.
But it doesn’t stop there: In 2025, Engfa walked into the Women in Cinema Gala in Cannes and didn’t just attend—she represented. For a Thai actress tied to GL dramas to be spotlighted on one of the most prestigious global stages was a first, and it planted sapphic visibility where it had rarely been seen before: On the international red carpet of world cinema.
Engfa’s global momentum feeds back into #Englot’s brand. With Charlotte alongside her in series like “Petrichor,” the two are showing that sapphic storytelling isn’t just a local trend—it’s scalable, bankable, and increasingly global. Engfa may have been the one in Cannes photos, but the ripple effect pulls #Englot onto the world stage as ambassadors of Thai sapphic representation.
Firsts Across Genres
If you thought #Englot would stay in their “Show Me Love” lane, think again. Their filmography is turning into a sapphic buffet—and no other Thai GL duo has covered this many flavor’s … yet.
Romantic roots: “Show Me Love” gave us the swoony sapphic fairy tale.
Sultry short form: “Love Bully” proved they could carry bite-sized GL with edge.
Thriller vibes: “Petrichor” pushed them into darker territory—and scored an award while doing it.
Sitcom-style comedy: “Unlimited Love” is lined up as one of Thailand’s first sapphic sitcom, throwing #Englot into comedy chaos.
Mega-crossover: “4 Elements,” the first GL anthology crossover of its kind, will unite #Englot with #FreenBecky, #NamneungNoey, and #AppleMim in an ambitious four-part saga.
That range matters. #Englot isn’t repeating themselves; they’re proving sapphic actors can headline across genres, from romance to thrillers, sitcom laughs to crossover epics. Another first, another flex.
The Ship That Launched a Thousand Edits
Crowns, Cannes carpets, shareholder titles — sure, those matter. But here’s the tea: #Englot are fan-built icons. Their biggest power move wasn’t just what they did, but how sapphic fans saw themselves in them.
They were the first Thai beauty queens sapphic audiences could openly ship—not as a guilty pleasure, but as a cultural moment. Whole accounts are dedicated to their edits, hashtags rack up millions, and their ship name became a fandom identity all its own.
And here’s why it hit so hard: sapphics had been fed crumbs for years. #Englot felt like a feast — glamorous, playful, and yes, authentic. They weren’t selling a fantasy; they were reflecting something real.
Fans may have built the ship, but #Englot didn’t just ride it — they captained it. They made it clear this wasn’t fanservice. It was connection. And that’s why sapphics everywhere saw more than actresses; they saw mirrors.
The Personal Layer
Without prying, here’s what fans obsess over: Engfa and Charlotte have been more open than most Thai celebrity duos about their bond. They’ve dropped hints, given comments, and shared moments that blur the line between “just acting” and “heart-throbbingly real.”
In Thai entertainment—especially in BL/GL spaces—fanservice is the norm. It’s an open secret: Duos lean into staged chemistry to keep the fandoms fed. Fans play along, swoon, and ship, even when everyone knows it’s just part of the job.
But #Englot drew a different line. What you see between them isn’t staged for cameras or fan meets—it’s their actual bond. And they’ve said as much.
These blurred lines between ship and relationship give fans more than fiction: the chance to believe, imagine, maybe even live alongside the truth.
And the impact? Fans talk about it constantly. It makes their edits feel more personal, their hashtags feel heavier, their investment feel deeper. Instead of just shipping a fantasy, we’re supporting a duo who’s letting us imagine a truth. And for sapphics hungry for representation, that’s powerful.
Their Place in the Firsts Saga
#Englot are certainly not the first sapphics in Thailand. They weren’t the first to march, the first to legislate, or the first to kiss on-screen.
But they are the first duo to tie it all together: crowns, screens, laws, and global stages.
What they’ve done has already reshaped Thai sapphic pop culture. What’s next? More roles? More honors? Maybe even their own production company?
One thing’s certain: When #Englot steps onto a platform, they aren’t just visible—they make history.
What’s Next in the Series?
This blog is part of our ongoing “Firsts” saga—sapphic milestones that lit the path for Thai GL.
But sapphic history is still being written, so stay tuned. Another chapter in our “Firsts” saga is on its way, with new duos breaking ground in their own unforgettable way.
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