Keep Singapore Girl image

By Philip Lee - Jan 15, 2007
AsiaOne

THE past week’s most sizzling issue was about whether it is time to shed the “dated” image of Singapore Airline’s Singapore Girl seen over the past 35 years as a young somewhat subsrvient woman clad in tight-fitting traditional Malay sarong and kebaya.

This story got more than 1,500 hits on AsiaOne and a flurry of opinions from more than 50 readers, some posting from England, Luxembourg and New Zealand - within 24 hours. And more postings are coming in at this point of writing.

Among the emails was one from a former Singapore Girl who, needless to say, speaks with some authority about this issue.

Signing herself as idee-loh, she says: “My reaction is simple: If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it!

“As a former Singapore Girl, I was hounoured to be seen and to have worked in the sarong and kebaya. Passengers, old, young and even children, sometimes asked me to be in the photographs they took of themselves.

“Ms Zaibun Siraj of Aware Association of Women for Action and Research said that the Singapore Girl is seen in ads bending down in a subservient manner to serve customers and is also seen romping about in wheat fields. She said this is very demeaning and sexist.

“Advertisements are always open to interpretation. I’d say that many SIA ads depict the Singapore Girl as graceful, genuine, humble and warm.

“As for the suggestion by present Aware president Tan Joo Hymn that the kebaya could perhaps be replaced with a business suit, I say please don’t. Few in Singapore dress like that and it might not be the best attire in an emergency. Other than enhancing the female figure, the sarong is comfortable and has a lot of room for movement as it is pleated. So it is not as tight-fitting as one might think.”

The Singapore Girl, said most of the readers, has come to be synonymous with qualities such as professional excellence and service quality.

Here is an edited sampling of other views:

CW Yap:

I am a regular traveller on SQ flights and what really irks me is the way our SQ girls have to kowtow and go all the way for passengers, even those who are difficult and obnoxious.
Being professional is about being able to firmly and politely say no to unreasonable requests or demands. It is time to put a stop to this and train them to behave more assertively and with confidence.
I will vote for retiring the Singapore Girls’ overly submissive image but I would like to vote not to retire the Singapore Girl.
Call her whatever you like, or change her uniform - these will not help them achieve a paradigm shift in her image.
Let’s be brutally honest about it, most, if not, all the western airlines lack the gentleness and service warmth provided by SQ girls. So here, we will always have the competitive edge.
What needs to be changed is not the sarong and kebaya but the unquestioning subservient demeanour of these workers. They need to bring back some professionalism in their jobs.

Lu Kheehong:

Is it time to retire Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew? After all, he has been working for more than the 35 years that the Singapore Girl image has been around.
My answer is: Of course not!
Of course, the ad boys want to see some image change for our SQ girls, a change which will meant big bucks for them.
But do the passnegers want this? Have they been asked?
Long Live the Singapore Girl! We all have fallen in love with her long ago.

Perry Melton, London, England:

I think the SQ Girl image has evolved over the years. It has been mordernised and it would be sad to see SQ lose this unique edge it has with its crew’s dresses in sarong and kebaya.
The image embodies the exceptional level and quality of service that has made SQ the standard setter for all other airlines.

ucd87:

I look forward to each and every opportunity to fly SIA for one reason only: The Singapore Girl. She is the paragon of great service and comfort. Some things should never change.

Alice:

For long-haul flights, no airline comes near the care and attention SQ girls and their male colleagues give passengers, and this includes clean toilets! As for the Singapore Girl outfit, it is graceful and elegant. Why change just to be modern? The sarong and kebaya is elegant and had deep cultural roots.

Why did Ms Zaibun Siraj, former president of Aware say that the act of bending down to serve passengers make the Singapore Girl subservient? There is nothing demeaning in this: it is the Asian way of showing graciousness and sincerity.

chyeo:

Keep the sarong and kebaya. If there is any change, then perhaps change the colours but not the design. The design has become an icon for great service.

jfratteree:

This hard-earned image of the Singappore Girl in her sraong and kebaya cannot be replaced because of some silly notion about the need to be more modern in design. To me, the kebaya has come to stand for professional excellence.

sebastopol:

I was a kid living in Switzerland in the 1980s when I heard about Singapore for the first time, thanks to the SIA ad with the Singapore Girl. I remember I was stunned by her exotic beauty and I wanted to learn more about the country. Many years later, my professional life led me to Singapore. I have no doubt I would not have made this move if the Singapore Girl had not existed. The Singapore Girl is what the women living in Singapore is all about, whatever their ethnic origins - the embodiment of elegance, independence, charm and intelligence.

patukgal:

Taking away the sarong and kebaya is like taking away Singapore’s icon, the Merlion.

MR:

It is a crime even to think of messing with the Singapore Girl’s attire!
For me, with 100,000 miles annually and countless lousy airports, the Singapore Girl remains the best part of the journey.

uglysingore:

Retire the Singapore Girl? Retire the thought!
Put these girls in business suits? Being on business trips frequently, the last thing I want to see and be served by is a person in a business suit!

Thierry:

SIA’s indisputable level of service and the Singapore Girl is part of Singaporean image when we discuss this country with foreigners here or overseas.

Henry:

Whoever suggested dropping the Singapore Girl and her sarong and kebaya image ought to be shot!

Augustine Oei:

Images and icons are only trade marks. The most important thing is good service, reliability and performance - these will be the winners. There is no harm to retire the Singapore Girl just as SM Goh Chok Tong and MM Lee Kuan Yew will also retire one day. Let new ideas continue to push SIA to higher levels.

June Poon-Malmer, Luxembourg:

The Singapore Girl image is not about Singaporean women being “infantile and immature”. It is all about a distinguished airline which is immaculate and modern with a gentle touch. If anyone has noticed at airports, it is always pleasant to see the Singapore Girl in her uniform which is eye-catching compared to the drab and “macho” attires of stewardesses of other airlines. You see this SQ uniform and you know you are in for a pleasant journey.

Robert Chan, New Zealand:

The Singapore Girl is 35 years young. One does not throw away something just because it is “old”. The criteria is whether the Singapore Girl is still effective in providing efficient service with grace and femininity. There is everything to be proud of when we have the Singapore Girl who is recognised and appreciated by travellers. They are the well-trained crew with beauty, brains and brawn.
They can be depended on when the need arises. What else can one desire on a jetliner journey?

Suh Bin:

I don’t think it is necessary to change the Singapore Girl image. The sarong and kebaya make them look unique. However, I pity them as most of the time, part of their chests are exposed when they have to bend to serve passengers.

singapore, singapore boy, singapore gal , singapore news, singapore image, singapore embassy, sq girl, singapore girls

Technorati Tags: singapore, singapore boy, singapore gal, singapore news, singapore image, singapore embassy, sq girl, singapore girls