Teatime: Singaporeans are all about 'face'
This is part of a weekly column in which we talk about anything under the sun
In primary school, it was about who had the pencil box with glossy, magnetic covers and a sharpener that popped up at the press of a button.
I had the plain, plastic box that came in two halves that needed a rubber band to ensure they would not come apart in my bag.
When I got to secondary school, it was about Sonia Rykiel bags and Ixiz wallets – the only wiggle room as the school had absurdly strict rules that even dictated the maximum number of plain, black hairpins we could wear in its bid to make all the girls feel equal in one another's eyes.
I carried my cousins' hand-me-downs. My dad taught me that the amount of money I have must always be more than the cost of my wallet, so I had only a clear card holder that cost 50 cents.
As I grow older, I realise the constant race to one up each other does not seem to end – cars, holidays, jobs, boyfriends, husbands' jobs, baby prams, meals and, during the pandemic, plants.
"Singaporeans are brand-conscious, that's why they buy pets," MP Louis Ng said at SPCA's Voice conference where animal welfare advocates gathered to tackle the animal-related issues plaguing the Republic.
So it seems that Singaporeans care about their "face" even when it comes to pets.
Just like how Singaporeans toil to buy cars despite ridiculous prices, they want to be seen having a refined taste in their chattels with their pedigree animals.
Now I understand why my pets' Instagram account has not made it big since it was created in 2016 – a couple of my rescues have faces that only a mother could love.
The cat bailed out of SPCA looks like a long-nosed stargazer and the chihuahua rescued from a puppy mill many years ago, although it has now doubled to a healthy weight of above 3kg, has only one blind, bulgy eye left and its tongue constantly lolling because there are no teeth left to hold it in the mouth.
These two beauties had zero chance of getting adopted, thanks to Singaporeans' obsession with "face".
As long as we care about our "face" and what others say about us, Singapore will never see its animal shelters emptied out, eradicate pet abandonment, ease road congestion and reduce the price of its public housing in the resale market.
Funny how parents don't dump their offspring in a park far from home when the children are not up to scratch or scratch the family's expensive, Italian sofa.
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