In this part-memoir, part-manifesto, body image, identity and relationship to self come under scrutiny in the microcosm of Asia’s hot house—Singapore, playground of the crazy rich and OCD capital of the world. Written by former model turned dermatologist Dr Teo Wan Lin, this book is the hot (meaning, sweltering) girl’s guide to keeping cool while staying beautiful…like a tropical extraterrestrial.
Seriously.
Set in the early 2000s, Wan Lin, then a medical student moonlighting as a model, finds herself developing obsessive rituals—endless mirror checking, constant ruminations and self-doubt. Paid to party with the rich while pretending to be hot, what she tells no one, is that all she wants to do is perch under the air-con. She spins often in posh tutus in 6-inch stillettos, only to realise that pretense often isn’t enough, when she finds out she isn’t believed.
Along the way, she compiles a model’s guide to surviving society events for B-listers like herself —she wasn’t exotic Eurasian, but Singaporean Chinese; becoming an A-list Eurasian model’s sidekick, learning to haunt like a polite ghost (who really wasn’t on the guest list) and a doppelgänger known by a different name—these she called, tricks of the trade.
Through a heartfelt telling of one Singapore girl’s story, this book attempts to unravel the complexities of beauty standards, whether self-imposed or societal—it is dangerous to fall for stereotypes. Not just in the world of fashion and beauty, but also academia. Her message? Singapore’s obsession with labels has a price tag, too.
Published: Dec/2023
ISBN: 9789815144246
Length: 208 Pages
