27 Dec 2011 - Shirtless men clad in
red sweatpants have been lining up for days in
Singapore’s prime shopping district, part of an advertising gimmick
revealing not just muscle but also a gradual unpeeling of the city
state’s puritanical ways. The feverish reception given the “shirtless greeters” by the
Singapore public, both in real life and online, where it has gone viral
in social media, signals how the notoriously conservative city-state has
been loosening up in recent years, experts said.
A
woman poses for photographs with a shirtless model outside a department
store in Singapore’s Orchard Road shopping district on December 14,
2011. — Reuters pic
On a recent evening, women stood with the
men for pictures, touching them on the chest or receiving a friendly
embrace. One even jumped up on a greeter’s back.The men, from the United States, Europe and Asia, are on a mission to
drum up excitement for fashion retailer Abercrombie & Fitch
(A&F)’s flagship store in Singapore, which opened today, using a
campaign also employed overseas. “There’s no way such advertisements that push the envelope slightly
would have appeared about 30 years ago,” said M. Thiyagarajan, a senior
lecturer at Singapore Polytechnic’s business school who specialises in
advertising and public relations. “I think as a society we have moved to a different level. We are far more accepting of such things.” He cited the spread of the Internet, education and overseas travel as
factors that have helped open minds in Singapore, which officially is
still such a strict society that a ban on sales of chewing gum was
renewed last year.
Local theatres have recently staged plays exploring traditionally
controversial themes such as homosexuality and religion. Gay sex can
still lead to a jail term of up to two years, although such laws are
rarely enforced.
In October, a performance by French dancer Sylvie Guillem also contained “some scenes of upper body female nudity”. However, conservatives in the city-state are still making their voices heard.
A letter to the editor in a local paper last month complained about
naming an orchid after singer Elton John, asking if homosexuality was to
be “openly encouraged and endorsed by the government?” In September, the Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore told
A&F to remove a giant billboard showing a naked male torso after
some members of the public complained that it was too racy. “It is probably the response of a vocal minority, a storm in a
teacup, who would use any occasion, however small, to raise the alarm,”
said Tan Ern Ser, an associate professor at the National University of
Singapore’s sociology department.
The shirtless greeters appear, for now, to be reaping more positive than negative attention.“I think it’s a pretty effective way to publicise the brand leading
up to its launch, and I like how it’s an outdoor campaign which has
taken its own life online,” said Cathryn Neo, a recruitment consultant.
“And I do find them hot.”
