Week 22: The Singapore Girl to SIA
I was interested in seeing how The Singapore Girl is sold on the Singapore Airlines Website.
https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/us/flying-withus/our-story/singapore-girl/
Channel News Asia: Interview with the first Singapore Girl
In 2014, Channel NewsAsia (Singapore's local news outlet) created a short episode for their segment 'Treasure Hunt' on the history of the Singapore Girl. The video is currently on YouTube under Channel NewsAsia's channel entitled, "Treasure Hunt: 1970s Singapore". In the episode, they interview one of the first Singapore Girls. Here are some snip bits I found to be very interesting:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_A1sV-TUXs&spfreload=1
Introduction:
"It was an image to be carefully cultivated. Nowhere more with the newly formed Singapore Airlines, which for many around the world, would be their first encounter with Singapore. If the airline was to be the face of Singapore, that face had to be rather special. Madam See Biew Wah was one of the very first Singapore Airlines stewardesses. You could even say she was the template."
Interviewer: From your perspective, what does it mean to be a Singapore Girl?
See: Oh...it's my life, you feel on top of the world, especially when you're flying and if you like interacting with people from all over the world. Interviewer: So is it true that they say, 'once a Singapore Girl, always a Singapore Girl?' See: It's true, just look at me. I'm still well-groomed!...and ready to serve! "The Singapore Girl came to represent many different things: sophistication, quality of service, a warm welcome. But there was more to Madam See's job than just be elegant. Even more than her colleagues, she was an Ambassador for airline and country." "Looking at us, we look very glamorous. We have to be strong and independent because that's the reason why we would go on these assignments because they know I have emotional stability, I've got my facts correctly because I've got to do a lot of talking...we have to make sure it becomes a global brand together with the growth of Singapore..." -- See See was not only an ambassador for the airlines, she was the model in which designer Pierre Balmain created and fitted the uniform. He made her dimensions the template of the Singapore Girl. It is interesting to note how much pride Singapore Airlines has that the designer of their iconic uniform was created by a European white man. In my opinion, it's kind of a shame that it wasn't designed by a local or a Southeast Asian designer at the least. Maybe having the top designer of France is a way of showing the worth of Singapore and its airlines - That we are worth looking at in the eyes of the Europeans (which is a sad realisation of Euro-centrism and Westernisation). In fact, maybe the Singapore Girl would not hold it's success today if not for the influence of European ideologies.
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Week 22: Imagery & Depiction of the Original Singapore Girl
The persona of The Singapore Girl is one thing, but the depiction of WHO the Singapore Girl is, is one that is cultivated in commercial and advertisements. I started to pay attention to the commercials that aired from as early as the late 1960s and to see its transformation over time. The two images are snapshots from one of the first Singapore Airlines commercials showcasing the Singapore Girl. It is currently under The Singapore Airlines' Youtube Channel titled, "The Beginnings of Our Singapore Girl | Singapore Airlines". Link is posted below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAdC-oULUSE
The Singapore girl is seen doing a couple of things: - Putting on make up and fixing hair in the mirror (getting ready with other Singapore Girl friends) - Walking through a tropical green forest - Taking private transportation - Serving drinks on the aircraft - All this while talking, smiling and giggling with other Singapore Girls The commercial is shot with a soft focus, creating something of a fantasy. I noticed there were a lot of focus and close-ups on the stewardess' faces. They were selling the girl (her face) instead of the technology and design of the aircraft, which was a new and unorthodox approach of the time. The facial expressions capture the essence, femininity and beauty of the SG Girl. When the uniform is showcased, I noticed that the women were never singular or alone; they always walked, laughed and talked in a pack. They all never engaged with the viewer but were always engaging with each other (and then the customers, which were never shown in the footage). As they flaunt in a pack through the jungle and other public spaces, it creates a sense of exotic voyeurism - like looking at a beautiful rare or exotic animal in its natural wild habitat. In many ways, the Singapore Girl is being looked at like a Tiger or Peacock in a National Geographic Wild Life Documentary. It creates that sense of wonder, mystery and attraction, where you want to get to know the Singapore Girl and experience her.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAdC-oULUSE
In another commercial under The Singapore Airlines Youtube Channel, titled "Half the World and More | Heritage | Singapore Airlines" reinforces these ideas. The images above are screenshots from the video: Screenshot 3: The scene opens with 3 Singapore girls by the calm ocean waves in the warm-light sunset (or sunrise). It highlights an element of a relaxed and easy-going life style. There is are small instances in video where the Singapore Girls hold hands. As subtle as it is, the male gaze is emphasized heavily. It is important that the girls looks like they are happy and are all good friends, which additionally makes them look more attractive. The experience is sold as tropical and exotic, very similar to the way Hawaii is sold in the tourism industry. Screenshot 1: Unlike the first video, the stewardess is seen up close with a blonde white passenger boy in the aircraft. It shows her having direct interaction with him, smiling and patting his head (in a friendly, playful and motherly way). It is important that the boy is blonde and white to contrast the exotic 'flavour' of the Singapore Girl. Screenshot 2: The shot transitions from the boy to the stewardess's face, where she poses for the camera, looking directly at the viewer. This is to solidify the image (the face) of the Singapore Girl, so when people think of the Singapore Girl, they think of the beautiful, innocent, warm, graceful woman with a beautiful smile looking straight at them. Screenshot 4: The video ends with two Singapore Girls riding a western horse carriage with a white (most likely American man) steering it. The scene involves the two girls talking and smiling with the man, as if they are having a very interesting conversation. The carriage is also very small, so the 3 of them have to sit touching shoulder to shoulder. The snapshot is carefully and subtly composed. It is very important that the white man is in the shot however, the two girls are more centralised, as they are the main subject/object. Notice he is in the shot, but just briefly. It projects the desires of the viewer in respect to the girls, through the perspective of the male gaze. Singapore Girl, you're a great way to fly
If the Singapore Girl is a marketing icon, it most definitely has a distinct slogan. The commercials are always paired with very organic, melodic, instrumental audio that complements the soft and warm tone of the film. They are also paired with lyrics, always alliterating the phrase "Singapore Girl, you're a great way to fly" (again selling the Girl as an experience more than the aircraft itself). The use of "you're" is important too - it is like we are interacting with her, talking to HER. The commercials we have examined were launched in the late 1960s and 70s. Below is an examination of an updated commercial released in 2002.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeCwBl6-J9I
Snapshot 5: This is one of the opening scenes of the video. By 2002, Singapore Airlines have found new ways of 'revealing' the face of the Singapore Girl. It is a lot more dramatic and cinematic than the ones in the 60s and 70s. "The Reveal" involves a scene where the Singapore girl (the subject) obscured and then beautifully uncovered, creating that "Oh, hello there" feeling. Snapshot 6: This element of the reveal is shown in this scene, where the lady unveils herself using a blanket in the trademark Singapore Airlines blue, matching her uniform. Snapshot 7: Similarly to snapshot 4, there is a white man engaging in a deep conversation with a stewardess. I had to watch it twice to notice the other stewardess in the corner, sitting and listening - a very similar cinematic composition. There are a few differences where the man appears to look quite wealthy. There is now a focus on the landscape in juxtaposition to the Singapore Girl. Here, the iconic Sydney Opera House is featured. The warm glow from the sun is still evident, where it creates a distinct silhouette of both the man and woman's figure. This is very important in underlining femininity vs. masculinity. It is indeed another projection of the male gaze. Snapshot 8: Warm glow, exotic umbrellas, and nature landscape and children: consistent imagery that hasn't changed over the years. Again, there are two women holding hands, touching and talking like best friends. Snapshot 9: This is an interesting shot, as it is something quite new. In this specific video, the landscape seems to be an important element and is more than the foreground. Here, the woman's figure is emphasised instead of her face. She is looking away, back turned toward the viewer, beautifully poised on a rock and waving at someone out of shot. She resembles a depiction of a mermaid, emphasising again, the viewer's voyeuristic position like they are gazing at an exotic creature from a far. Snapshot 10: As mentioned before, the pairing of the Singapore Girl with the landscape has become important in the 2002 SIA commercial. Her engagement with the world creates the imagine that the Singapore Girl is a traveling girl - to experience the Singapore Girl is to experience the world (at times, with her). In the past, cinematography was still in its primitive stages and stayed humbly close to ground level. With money and technology, the newer commercials show shots taken from helicopters (creating a dramatic flying/floating sensation that couldn't be achieved before). The Singapore Girl could also be viewed as Mother Nature or a creature descendant of Mother Nature, making her a goddess or a bridge between you (the viewer) and the world. Snapshot 11: The scene ends with the Singapore turning and twirling slowly revealing her beautiful happy smile. Simultaneously, the SIA logo appears and the jingle "Singapore Girl, you're a great way to fly" plays. This creates the brand: a video and auditory association with the airlines. The music was redone for the commercial as well. The music is more upbeat, featuring more drums making the experience for lively and exciting. The genre is still instrumental, sticking with the concepts of traditions and 'exotic-ness'. 2011: Drastic Changes
2011 was the year where Singapore completely re-invented the tone of their commercials. The sold the Singapore Girl as calm, quiet and easy as breathing. The 2011 commercial was an ambitious (and expensive) project where it was all filmed in one shot (never cutting away from the Singapore Girl) and filled with subtle trick shots. The music has been completely re-worked as well. The melody is resembles a lullaby - where only a soft piano is used and a woman's angelic voice sings the lyrics:
such a gentle way about you, all around the world. let it go away without you, Singapore Girl, you're a great way to fly. The singer's voice is almost like a whisper and the lyrics talks directly to the Singapore Girl, creating the perspective that the song is sung by us, the viewer. The song is to capture the easiness and peaceful experience of flying with Singapore Airlines (it's so good, you'll be sad to leave), which is a different approach from the previous commercials. The whole video takes a minimalist approach - the idea that "it's simply that good". Below is an examination of the 2011 commercial, which is still on the Singapore Airlines Youtube Channel. The Youtube video description states: "Experience the romance of travel with the Singapore Girl in her latest journey around the world, from Singapore to France, India, China and the USA."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIkNzhM2b70
Snapshot 12: The Singapore Girl casually hops of a SanFrancisco (USA) street tram and happens to help a lady who almost forgot her coat. Note the lady is also white and her identity isn't very important. Snapshot 13: Without a miss of a beat, the camera follows the Singapore Girl a different location (India) where her beautiful signature smile is displayed before she turns her back to the camera. Snapshot 14: She walks pasts a herd of Indian locals including children who run past her as she holds her hand out as a friendly yet protective gesture (very much like a mother). Her slim hourglass figure is distinct and the highlight of the shot which follows into the next landscape (of France). Snapshot 15: Again, her position and relationship to the landscape becomes important and is showcased in this composition. Snapshot 16: She casually comes across a white couple, only to save them from a bicycle accident. She does this all with ease, never failing to drop her bright smile. Snapshot 17: "The Reveal" comes back when she sits on the floor in a prayer-like position where the camera is hovers from above. Only her jet black hair is seen, along with a slight shot of her chest which is covered up by her uniform. Snapshot 18: The reveal doesn't happen until this scene and she stands up to effortlessly assist another couple. She her bright grin is brought to a gentle smile where she strolls towards the camera. Snapshot 19: Her gaze is shifted to the left of her and she appears content and endearing. As alliterated in past commercials, the sun sets behind her giving a warm glow. The glimmer of sunlight appears shyly behind her head, a very important element in creating that glow. The SIA glow slowly transitions when the famous melody finally ends the commercial - Singapore Girl, you're a great way to fly. 2017: Singapore Girl Today
The Singapore Girl hasn't changed much since 2011, however she has been made out to be more caring to create a more personal and intimate experience. Singapore Girl is already a distinct and successful icon and therefore SIA has decided to focus on other aspects of their service such as quality of food, beverage and their seats. It was then that they created a new slogan #nodetailtoosmall to indicate its high quality and perfectionism. In the newer commercials, the Singapore Girl is seen engaging with 'local and authentic' humble masters (including tea/herb makers and hyde/leather craftsmen).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8f1AWJkXX0
The most interesting part of this video from their Youtube Channel was the top comments section:
There is a clear indication of the iconography and and successful branding the uniform has given to the Singapore Girl but also a cultivated sense of nationalism in Singaporeans. What started as an marketing experiment became part of Singapore culture, just like the Merlion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dv5Jt-nMfxw
Just another example: A Singapore Girl interacts with what seems to be a man who owns a antique/vintage collection of film. Week 22: The SIA UniformCultural displacement is also evident in the concept of The SG Girl, but not just because of its influence in media and commercial flight experience. The iconic SIA uniforms are called sarong-kabayas (a traditional and cultural dress originating from Indonesia and Malaysia). 'Singaporean culture' is similar to The United States in a way that it doesn't have a 'original' culture and is in fact a fusion subculture of its own. The most interesting part is that the SIA sarong-kabaya was designed by French Designer Pierre Balmain. I find it interesting because a French man was made to design a uniform that is to represent a very distinct South East Asian nation particularly using a women's figure to model it. To give it more significance and importance, the uniforms come in different colours to represent different rankings:
The ranking system gives the uniform a sense of importance, very similar to Army rankings. It is interesting to note that male steward also have uniforms and ranking distinctions that compliment them, however the male steward uniforms are less flashy and aren't part of the SIA campaign. The ranks were initially identified using different colour ties, but that now changed to the colour of trousers and jackets.
I originally wanted to post a photograph of the male SIA stewards with the updated design, however I it was extremely hard to find in Google search...it is a reflection of the double standards of men and women in media, fashion, the commercial airline industry and society as a whole. Women have always been more glamourised, sexualised and fantasised than men (hence, the male gaze).
Week 22: An Experiment, an Icon, and a Key to SurvivalI want to experiment with the idea of the persona in close relation to my culture, identity, body and femininity. What better way to talk about iconography and female Asia-exotica than The Singapore Girl. The Singapore Girl can be viewed in comparison to Marilyn Monroe: The goddess representing the ideal beauty of oriental women. The following are particular snapshots from a Channel News Asia (Singapore news outlet) article by Kim Wong titled, "The Singapore Girl: From an experiment to an icon". To summarise the article, the Singapore Girl is nothing but a marketing tool for the economic survival of the new independent nation. I am extremely fascinated by this icon - she represents the Singapore nation in ways, and at the same time she is a figure that the nation doesn't associate with on a local level. This can be seen with Singapore's iconic Merlion - the half mermaid, half lion animal that is to be official national animal created in the last 1960s too boost tourism. Both the Merlion and The Singapore Girl was created FOR its independence and BECAUSE of its separation. Some people may find this as problematic for the nation, in a way that it creates a plastic, un-authentic image of Singapore, however I view it to be just the opposite. I find it very reflective of Singapore's history and mostly its new global presence. To me, the success of The Singapore Girl wasn't just created out of cleverness, but really out of desperation to survive on a global scale. As mentioned in the article, the Singapore Girl is caring, graceful and charming... qualities that are very similar to a housewife or mother. She alone embodies the experience of commercial flight, very similar to ways female Thai masseuse are depicted to be - a beautiful woman ready to serve you. The male gaze is something we can't ignore, like with many other female icons representing a standard a beauty. Week 21: Self Portraiture vs. The Persona in Iconography (part 2)'Yasumasa Morimura is a Japanese artist who produced a series of self-portraits through recreation and appropriation, so it's no surprise that he is one of my inspirations for my current work. He recreates portraits of famous and iconic figures using himself as the model, labelling them as 'self-portraits'. My favourite photograph from the Self Portrait series, is Self Portrait #56 (After Marilyn Monroe (1995). Using costumes, wigs, jewellery and make up, the audience immediately associates the portrait with Marilyn Monroe, a Hollywood sex icon. Morimura makes me realise that appropriation is not just about creating connections through similarities, but more importantly its differences. There are two two major things of focus: Gender and race. Marilyn Monroe represented the epitome of female beauty in the West (flawless alabaster skin, golden permed locks, smokey eyes, fluttery lashes and sexy red lipstick). Morimura makes me challenge notions of classic beauty and its impact on Asian women, like myself. The differences are very apparent in the eyes, as western-looking eyes are still very much desired in the East today. I hope to talk about issues of beauty and race using eyes, but I might save that for another project. Being a man impersonating a women, Morimura brings up ideas of gender in respect to identity. At a moments glare, I was fooled to think he was actually a women. It was not until I realised that the portrait was of the artist himself, that I started to pay attention to masculinity in contrast to femininity. I ask myself - if Morimura sees this as a self-portrait, then what does gender have to do with identity? Is he impersonating a women, or internalising her women-ness? Why do I not consider this drag? I hope that my audience responds just as I did with this photograph, where more questions are asked more than answered. Week 21: Self Portraiture vs. The Persona in Iconography (Part 1)Mariko Mori is a Japanese artist that has also grasped my attention. She uses herself in her 3-D video installations where she takes on the persona of an apsara a Hindu angel. Here, she takes on a 'character' that already exists as an well-known icon in the context of religion and 'the legend'. With the growing popularity of video art and virtual reality, some artists explore the impact of technology in pop culture. In her video Nirvana (1996-98), she explores artificiality in a society driven by our obsession with the virtual world. The artificial and colourful setting, paired with a surreal landscape filled with magical creatures, create the illusion of Nirvana, a world where troubles fade away. The viewer soon realises the weightless world they are in is nothing but a fantasy in which everything we cling to melts into nothingness. The viewer is confronted by ideas of religion and tradition in a new way of storytelling— creating unreal worlds that, ironically, have a larger impact in our lives than ever before. I find Mori's work intriguing because of the contrast she creates between ideas of the 'old' and 'new'. She not only expresses this with the medium (3-D video) but also way the story is constructed. Using a religious icon such as an apsara is important because it a figure that people can quickly recognise. Even if the audience were not aware of the Hindu connotations, it is still evident that the figure has religious or god-like aspects. I still wonder though...is it important that the 'star' of the performance was the artist herself? What if she hired an actress play her part? Would it still be the same? I think of these questions in respect to my performance. Why is it important that I play the persona of the Singapore Girl? Week 21: The Pink ManManit Sriwanichpoom's also uses the idea of a persona or character. This is evident in his performance called Pink Man (1997) where he created a character called Pink Man, a metaphor of his fears of Thai society in a world infected by consumerism culture. The persona Pink Man is played by his friend, a plump man dressed in a bright pink suit who pushes around a matching supermarket trolley. Pink Man is part of a performance and is photographed aimlessly wandering the streets of Bangkok like a robot, living only to consume. Sriwanichpoom worries that consumerism is morphing into nationalism in Thailand: “What I am satirizing is the conspiracy to mythologize the nation state…My intent is good: I don't want to see Thailand become a fat man in a pink suit.” –Manit Sriwanichpoom I find it quite interesting that he does not directly use himself in the performance, but I still consider The Pink Man as the persona of the Artist. He uses his friend as a puppet, a material for his work and the artist documented the public performance as a series of photographs. The photographs are shot carefully in juxtaposition to western symbols and ideas, such as the KFC Kernel Sanders Man. I hope to bring a similar experience in my work, where I interact with the public audience in a public space and have the whole performance filmed/photographed by a friend. Instead of using a friend to play a persona a created, I want to use myself and my own body to impersonate a Singapore Girl, an icon that already exists. This type of performance allows for different layers of audiences where the work slowly unfolds within the video/photographs. In a way, it doesn't just exist as a performance, but it exists as a performative installation. Iconography and Symbolism:
One of the most interesting photographs he has taken involves other icons and symbols. In the case of Pink Man in Paradise #2, it is a reference to traditional culture, religion, and ultimately nationalism. Similarly to Sriwanchipoom, I hope to bring other symbols or metaphors into my work that reflect cultural displacement, Westernization and possibly elements of nostalgia. Week 21: Appropriation, Labels & StereotypesNikki can be a little confusing, something of a contradiction. She wants to create a sense of authenticity with a careful approach. She wants to learn and assimilate into other subcultures but not associate with it. She wants the audience to have a taste of her real experiences with different people, but also affirms their stereotypes. Because of this, many have criticised her work as racist and shallow. One of these people is a writer from contemptorary.org, Eunsong Kim. She wrote an article titled, "Nikki S. Lee's 'Projects' --And the Ongoing Circulation of Blackface, Brownface in 'Art'." and this is what she had to say: "I’ve been avoiding writing about Lee. I am incredibly over the position of discussing things I find to be deeply deeply racist, hurtful, and at the same time: basic. I want to spend my contemptorary time discussing things I want to talk more about, energetically. Thinking about Nikki S. Lee’s “Projects” exerts all of the energy out of my body. I hope it’s fun to make appropriative racist “art” cuz it’s fucking exhausting, pointing it out again and again." Though I don't share the same anger and frustration as Kim, I did find some of Nikki's work stereotypical. This was really evidence for me in The Lesbian Project (1997), where she took on the the character of a butch or a manly woman. This was also evident to me in The Hip-hop Project (2001) where she tanned her body to its darkest colour possible. She constantly dives into and pulls away from these subcultures and it has become a part of who she is, willingly or not. To this day, I still don't know how to feel about this form of cultural appropriation. All I know is, she is relatable and relevant because she is able to reflect the feelings of many migrants and Third Culture Kids, like me. Also known as TCK, Third Culture Kids are children who are born and raised in one of more cultures different from their parents. I spent a lot of my childhood and teenage years moving around, so I spend a lot of my life questioning my own identity and ideas of cultural displacement. With the world becoming more globalised, more people are dealing with these notions and I aim to bring these themes into my work. I don't know if Nikki is racist or being unfair towards these subcultures, but I do believe she has sparked a major conversation about race, personal identity, collective identity, culture and hybridity. Week 21: The Camera ChameleonNikki S. Lee (aka, The Camera Chameleon) is a New-York based Korean artist who is famous for her photographic series called The Creators Project. She uses art to confront her own personal issues of identity by insinuating herself into different subcultures like drag queens, strippers, and Hip-hop musicians. Though the photographs appear simple, they are extremely thought out and crafted to create something effortless and genuine. She uses a point-and-shoot camera which is operated by everyday (non-professional) people. There is a sense of irony, where she attempts to assimilate into a foreign subculture but does not spend more than a month with each project. The following quotes are from an interview she did with INNERview in 2013: “I didn’t even know what identity [was]… I always feel I have different various characters inside […] I could be any girl and it makes me too easy to be different types [of women for men] …that’s the kind of identity issues I probably have. [Now] I’ve decided to be honest and just forget it […] I think I have more guts about myself through this whole experience.” - Nikki S. Lee 2013 “I think people understand my concept easily because everybody has the fantasy to […] live other people’s lives. I think a lot of people come to my shows and think ‘I can do this’ […] and it makes me feel good because [they] can go home and think about it.” - Nikki S. Lee 2013 The process of creating the work can be seen as a performance (performative) which almost makes it more interesting than the photographic series itself. She comes into every project with a specific method in mind, where she sets up rules and restrictions for herself. She challenges the lines between assimilation, appropriation and adaptation.
“I didn’t want to go over a month because it seems like it [is] becoming real life…I don’t know, it’s just my feeling…because after a month, it doesn’t seem fake. It’s probably a ridiculous process to think that a month is fake and over a month is real but that’s my rule.” - Nikki S. Lee 2013 When the interviewer asked if she lived in the local area with local people during The Hispanic Project (1998), she admitted: “No, not really. I go there and make a friend, hang out with them and spend time with them for a month, but [I will] go back home at night and watch Korean dramas.” - Nikki S. Lee 2013 Here, I start to ask myself, 'Who am I to them?’, ‘Where do I fit in and where do I not?’ and 'How and why do I project myself to others?' Week 21: SparksI wrote an essay last month about what it means to be an contemporary Asian artist and it inspired me to explore Asia-exotica (the exotifying of Asia through Western lends). In my essay, I focused on a varied range of male and female Asian artists such as from China, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, Korea and Singapore. There are two artists that I am particularly interested in and that is Nikki S. Lee and Manit Sriwanichpoom. They both use the idea of 'The persona' to discuss cultural identity and cultural fusion/displacement and I aim to explore The Artist as a Persona in performative artworks this term.
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