Show me half the world and more
Show me all the places
Singapore Girl, you’re a great way to fly….
That’s the original Singapore Girl song in the 1970s.
Where are feminists who keep shouting that wimmin shouldn’t be called gals? Where are the feminists who keep shouting that it is sexist to portray wimmin as demure, alluring with a sexual slant to attract customers? Where are the feminists who keep shouting there should be equal treatment in the workplace, yet only fall silent when these gals have to retire at mid prime?
SIA cabin crew want more flying years
THE union representing the Singapore Girl is hoping to convince the Singapore Airlines (SIA) management to add up to three years to the flying time of the carrier’s cabin crew.
The Straits Times learnt that this is the key subject in talks between the Singapore Airlines Staff Union (Siasu) and the management, aimed at crafting a new three-year collective agreement.
You can consider that lucky, if you get just three years extended. Why can’t the SIA Girl work all the way to 60?
More importantly, where all the feminists who have been shouting for equal treatment?
Why is everyone, feminists included, accepting the fact that the SIA Girl has to be young (and pretty, and sweet, and demure, and feminine, and attractive to the male eye, and about everything that would be called sexist if the same requirements were to be expected of say a nurse, teacher or even waitress…)?
SIA is a well known carrier. The SIA Girl is an icon that the world is familiar. Yet, note the deafening silence. No one ever lobbies for wimmin’s rights (to retire later) for these SIA gals.
Why?
The answer is simple. The world loves it. Never mind it is sexist.
This is going to make the lobbyists who go round calling for women’s rights and equal treatment more difficult.
To give you an idea how this sweet, young and demure Singapore Girl image came about, here’s a documentary aired on Discovery Channel.
5:40 min – The stress is on fantasy built on the Singapore Girl. It became an instant success!
6:50 min – Look who’s talking. For the Singapore Girl to be attractive, she has to be on the “right side of 30s”. If you have Unions fighting for the Singapore Girl to work to 40s, you won’t get to see the youth, freshness and eagerness (of the sweet, young and demure thing) and that’s going to be a problem. So from the very start, it has to be made sure that everyone understands this.
(“Eagerness”? Eagerness of what? Isn’t he implying eagerness to please (men)? Bcos for sure, I don’t think he meant to say a 40 year old woman is less eager to work diligently than a 30 year old!)
So there you have it. The “godfather” of Singapore, the sexist old man, justifying the whys of the short life career of the Singapore Girl. After more than thirty years, the most unions can get for the Singapore Girl is just another three years extension.
Hardly anything to celebrate about, be it for workers’ rights or wimmin’s rights. That’s especially when your (feminine) curves are more important than anything else to your employer and customers.
The modified Singapore Girl song could have well been…
Show me all your world down there
Show me all your …… (insert whatever you love to insert)
Singapore Girl you’re a great way to ….(insert whatever you love to insert)
Now that’s fantasy built on the Singapore Girl! Sexist? Who cares? The world loves it!
