SHENTONISTA

“The Southeast Asian archaeology circle is very male-dominated, and I experienced harassment in my early twenties, so I left the industry and went into film programming.”

“I’m Peranakan, and our kebaya is now on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Wearing it is how I represent my identity.”

“The skate scene in Singapore is honestly very chill lah. Everybody mixes around with everyone. Some people, we don’t fit in on the outside, but here, we accept anyone.”

“I’ve been a hairstylist for a couple of decades, and many of my clients are like friends or even family to me now. In fact, I met my lovely wife when I was hairdressing!”

“I’m curious about what it’s like to set up a music festival. The physical labour, the backstage planning—all of it. I love helping things come together.”

“I’m an introvert, but ever since I got into fashion, I’ve met a lot of people who share the same interest, and have made a lot of friends, most of whom are older than me.”

“To me, life is all about the experience. Through my career switches, I’ve gained skill sets that I can apply in any job and industry, even now as an interior designer.”

“I’m 21 years old now in my third and final year of polytechnic, and in 10 years’ time, I hope to be living a happy life.”

“I’m part of an Indian school of fine arts, and am a classically trained singer. I picked my love for music and the arts up from my parents, who were big music lovers.”

“I like to stare at Van Gogh’s paintings. Last October, I attended the Van Gogh exhibition in Amsterdam and spent 15 minutes staring at each of his works.”

“I usually manifest my dreams and things that I want, and I’ve found that the universe really does guide me towards them. So I’d say manifestation works for me!”

“I thought Singapore was a small city with cool buildings and good food, but when I explore smaller residential neighbourhoods in the west and east, I love it even more!”