Singaporean Men Are Called "Prawns" By Foreign Women & It's Not For The Reason You Think
And it's not because they're "shell-fish".
By Kay Ng — 29 Dec 2022, 03:25 PM
Actor Ayden Sng recently revealed that Singapore has been dubbed "prawn capital" by foreigners, in reference to the local men.
But what does that even mean?
Appearing as a guest on the Men, Explain podcast, the 29-year-old introduced the term to host Sonia Chew in a TikTok clip posted on 21 December.
The two were on the topic of Singaporean men's fashion and grooming, whereupon they stated that local men focus too much on hitting the gym and neglect things that factor into one's overall attractiveness, such as their hair and sense of style.
Ayden then elaborates on why foreigners dub local men as "prawns" by describing the process of eating one, wherein one discards the head and shell to get the meat.
"So, basically, [the term implies] that Singaporean guys all go to the gym and they're very meaty and muscular, but they don't look good and they are not very presentable," Ayden laughed.
"A lot of my friends who are from overseas — that's how they refer to Singaporean guys!"
Yikes. Unfortunately for the Singaporean male population, Sonia agreed that it was a sentiment echoed by her own female friends
"I have a number of single friends and some of them say Singaporean men are nothing much to look at," she said, adding that this is not a sentiment she shares.
A TikTok user seconded this in the comments, saying they overheard a tourist calling Singaporean men "short and not attractive".
However, another Singaporean commenter who lived abroad disagreed with the stereotype, plainly stating that Singaporean men are better looking.
Ayden continued by saying that Singaporean men's hyperfocus on their bodies can be attributed to the nation's "skewed" expectations of the ideal male figure
"Everyone is hitting the gym and if [men] don't look a certain way or have a certain frame, it's just not [seen as] appealing."
He goes on to say that in order to better show off their "assets", men wear tighter clothes that may not suit their proportions, while neglecting the important role personal grooming and clothing silhouettes can play in achieving an overall attractive appearance.
