Together with this good friendly service and the efficiency and security typical of Singapore, SIA has always been the preferred choice for air travel.
Now they are thinking of reviewing the SIA Girl image. Well, review, refresh, remake are always welcomed. Just hope that we don't overly skew to comments that don't really bring in the $$$ to destroy our competitive edge over the rivals, what with budget travel and a whole host of challenges ahead. Ultimately, when we travel (perhaps not so much we economy types), especially those in business and first class, surely they are looking for good service (and of course, security) and those who are pleasant in manners and on the eye (while remaining professional, of course)?
And the kebaya is unique to us. Though requiring dieting - but who would want to totter down the plane aisle during choppy weather, serving food and drinks when one is a heavyweight?
We wait with abated breath to see if it remains a Great Way to Fly. But the public interest is encouraging - for it signals that the public feel a certain ownership of the SIA Girl image and all want to contribute their ideas and views. :)
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The Sunday Times, Jan 14, 2007
Is it time to retire the Singapore Girl?
The 35-year-old icon has been instrumental in placing SIA on the world map, but some say her image may now be dated
By Nur Dianah Suhaimi
HER makeup is immaculate, her hair neatly coiffed and she is immediately identified by the figure-hugging kebaya she wears.
She also fronts many of the advertisements for Singapore's national carrier where she's often seen in exotic locations such as India and Africa greeting the natives with her warm smile or hugging and playing with children.
Born in 1972, the Singapore Girl has become almost synonymous with Singapore Airlines (SIA) itself and is indeed such an icon that she has earned a place in Madame Tussaud's wax museum in London.
The airline, in recognising the symbolic power she wields, calls her 'one of the airline industry's, and Singapore's, most prominent figures'.
But at 35 years old, is it time for her to retire gracefully?
The question arose recently when SIA called for ad agencies to tender for an estimated $50-million-a-year contract for five years. It has been with Batey Ads all these years where its founder Ian Batey was the brains behind the Singapore Girl.
While recognising the undeniable role she has played in propelling SIA to become the internationally recognised airline it now is, some creative industry experts are saying that her look and image could now be dated.
Women's groups and media academics also allude to the unflattering 'subservient Asian woman' stereotype she represents.
Former president of the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware), Ms Zaibun Siraj, said the very word 'girl' suggests that Singaporean women are infantile and immature.
She added: 'She's always shown bending down in a subservient way or romping about in wheat fields like a sex object... This is very demeaning and sexist.'
This is not the first time Singaporeans have called for the Singapore Girl image to be changed. In 1993, a string of in-flight molestation cases sparked off a heated public discussion. Some blamed the sexually suggestive image of the Singapore Girl depicted in the ads.
In today's context, the argument still holds, if not even more so.
Teacher Nurdianna Malik, 24, said: 'Sex appeal may sell 30 years ago but today, people appreciate intelligent, thought-provoking ads more. So maybe it's time that the Singapore Girl moves on.'
SIA has made it clear, however, that it intends to retain the iconic 'Singapore Girl image'.
The general sentiment, as well, is that the Singapore Girl is too powerful a symbol to do away with, just yet. But she would need a long overdue makeover.
Associate Professor Lee Chun Wah, from Nanyang Technological University's Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, called it an 'absolute waste' to junk an icon which has taken years to build.
'But certain things will have to change. For one, she doesn't have to marginalise the image of women,' said Prof Lee.
Others say that it's time for the Singapore Girl's archaic look - thick foundation, garish eyeshadow, flaming red lips and even the kebaya - to be updated.
Founder of ad agency Religion, Mr Francis Wee, said: 'When I travel on SIA, some of the stewardesses are still using the same blue eye shadow used in the 90s.'
Current Aware president Tan Joo Hymn suggests the sarong kebaya be switched to business suits, such as those used by some airlines.
'No one in Singapore dresses like that. And it might not be the best attire for difficult situations,' she said.
Responding to queries, SIA's vice-president of public affairs Stephen Forshaw said: 'It is simply not true to say the image hasn't changed since the 1970s. Even a cursory examination of the airline's advertising will show that the ads have kept pace with the contemporary look and feel of the airline's image over time.'
But to Crush Advertising's creative director Kelvin Pereira, the changes have been 'quite subtle'. 'SIA may be aware of the changes but people like us who don't study her every day will not notice anything.'
Do you agree that it's time to retire the Singapore Girl? Or do you think an image overhaul is long overdue? Send your views to Stomp at www.stomp.com.sg .
ndianah@sph.com.sg
Jan 14, 2007
Flying the SIA brand through the years
THE FIRST SINGAPORE GIRL advertisement showed a simple profile of an air stewardess with the slogan "This girl's in love with you".
Related stories
Is it time to retire the Singapore Girl?
It's not such an easy way to fly
AT A time when most airline advertisements centred on displays of aircraft and their safety features, Singapore Airlines' strategy was to sell its impeccable inflight service.
And nothing personified this better than the inimitable Singapore Girl - the brainchild of British-born Mr Ian Batey, the founder of home-grown Batey Ads.
Back in 1972, marketing a fledgling airline by casting the spotlight on its air stewardesses - or by selling sex appeal, some say - was considered a bold move.
But if there had been detractors, the success of the winning formula over the years would have put paid to it.
The first Singapore Airlines ad in 1972 showed the profile of a girl with her lips parted slightly. 'This girl's in love with you,' said the copy.
Mr Batey could not be reached for comment.
But in an interview with The Straits Times in 1976, he said: 'When everything else is equal, a top-quality personalised inflight service has a strong customer appeal, and this was where SIA stood apart from the airlines in the world.'
Each ad which followed consistently featured the Singapore Girl in various cities and carried slogans such as 'Caring for you as only she knows how'.
It was not long before the image of the Asian girl in a figure-hugging sarong kebaya became synonymous with top-notch inflight service.
The kebaya was designed by French haute couturer Pierre Balmain in the 1960s.
Although SIA's print ads shifted its focus to the aircraft's hardware in the 1980s and inflight cuisine in the 1990s, the image of the Singapore Girl remained, although she was sometimes reduced to a tiny figure at the bottom of the page.
But in television ads, she continued to take centrestage. More than three decades later, the Singapore Girl remains just as appealing to some.
Said ad agency Asylum Creative's creative director Chris Lee: 'There's a certain charm and sense of mystery to her that is very alluring. She cannot and shouldn't be modernised.'
Nur Dianah Suhaimi
Jan 14, 2007
It's not such an easy way to fly
Under the glossy exterior: Rigorous tests, diet curbs and long list of kebaya rules to keep up image
THE glamour, attractive pay and free travel are some of the perks commonly associated with the Singapore Girl.
But beneath the glossy exterior, life as the face of Singapore Airlines (SIA) is no mere stroll down the aerobridge, at least, according to five current and former Singapore Girls The Sunday Times spoke to. All declined to be named.
To begin with, landing the job is no mean achievement as the selection process is known to be notoriously rigorous.
Candidates have to go through six rounds of interviews and tests, including a reading test, public speaking test and a water confidence test.
And then there is the 'kebaya test'.
'We had to wear the kebaya and then we're scrutinised on how we look in it, the way we walk and carry ourselves,' said a 27-year-old stewardess.
Last year, SIA had more than 1,000 vacancies for the job, to cater for the new Boeing 777-300ER and Airbus A380. The number of openings this year is expected to be similar, it said, declining to indicate how many applications it gets a year and how many applicants it turns away.
Once the job is secured, the women still have to undergo training for four-and-a-half months - and there is a two-year bond too.
When she starts flying, the full-fledged Singapore Girl faces an entirely different set of challenges.
First, there is the long list of rules she has to adhere to religiously when she is in her sarong kebaya.
'There are so many don'ts when we're in uniform. We can't take public transport, can't loiter in public, can't talk loudly or misbehave and can't be seen without makeup. The Singapore Girl image has to be protected at all times,' said Siti, 26.
Even when they are out of uniform, they often come under the scrutiny of their supervisors, particularly about what they eat.
A 25-year-old who quit the job after one-and-a-half years recounted: 'My friend and I were eating fast food and gorging on fries. This earned us a warning from our leading stewardess who told us to watch what we eat.'
Singapore Girls who put on weight will be grounded and made to do office work until they shed the extra weight, said those interviewed.
And as with any workplace, politicking can be part of the deal as well, with some junior stewardesses claiming they often get bullied by the seniors, especially when they are fresh and inexperienced.
It is apparently an unspoken rule that the seniors get the first pick in choosing duties or sleeping shifts, they said.
The job can be physically draining. On a long flight such as the 13-hour flight to London, rest time is limited to three hours.
The Singapore Girl has to be a proficient multi-tasker, juggling chores, keeping her cool even when dealing with cranky passengers - while constantly touching up her makeup.
A 24-year-old former stewardess, who left the job after two years, said: 'All people see is the glamour of being a Singapore Girl. They don't realise that a lot of work goes into being this girl.
'Who said it's an easy job?'
Nur Dianah Suhaimi
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