Prawn capital? Ayden Sng shares why some Singaporean men are dubbed 'prawns' by foreigners

Prawns are one of Singapore's favourite foods – it's present in our Hokkien mee, laksa and the list goes on. 

But are we what we eat? Well yes, if you ask local actor Ayden Sng.

Appearing as a guest on the Men, Explain podcast, the 29-year-old introduced the term "prawn capital" to host Sonia Chew.

It is a nickname given to Singapore by foreigners in reference to local men, Ayden said in a TikTok clip posted on Dec 21.

Elaborating on, he said that like a prawn — in which you "eat the meat" and throw the head away — Singaporean men are "very meaty and muscular" from religiously working out at the gym but they "don't look good and are not very presentable". 

In a nutshell, local guys have the body but not the face to go along with it.

And sadly though, Sonia was inclined to agree with Ayden's point as she shared that it is something that has been echoed by her single friends.

"I have a number of single friends and some of them say Singaporean men are nothing much to look at."

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@itsclarity.co/video/7179208153484037377[/embed]

Digging deeper into the issue, the pair spoke at length on how fashion and grooming can make a big difference to a man's appearance.

Touching first on the importance of a stylish haircut, Sonia brought up the example of bringing her boyfriend Jeremy Sng to her hairstylist. 

She noted that most local guys aren't fussy about their hair, and they usually opt for the "affordable" option like QB house where they are "doing the same haircut" for clients as if they were 20-year-olds.

Despite paying probably five times his normal haircut price, Sonia said that Jeremy "never turned back" after that and continued to go back because of all the compliments that he was getting for his new “transformative” hairstyle. 

In addition, Ayden and Sonia also touched on the importance of a man’s wardrobe. 

Ayden brought up the point that local men need to develop their own personal style and they should dress according to their body type as "nobody looks good in every single thing out there". 

He also felt that it's not a case of Singaporean guys being sloppy with their fashion choices, but rather they are clueless on what type of clothing looks good on them.

What's more, Ayden implored local men to put in the effort dressing up as he suggested that the ladies can tell if a guy "has actually spent some time to look the way he does".

Unsurprisingly, netizens' response to the topic of Singaporean men and their 'prawn' ways were quite mixed.

While some never ever heard the 'prawn' description, one commenter echoed Ayden's point by saying that in Hong Kong, they felt that Singaporean guys have "nice bodies" except for their "farmer faces". 

Another netizen was blunt with her comment, saying that even with a guy who has the perfect body, "if your face ain't good-looking, it probably won't work". 

Others leapt to the defence of local men, with one netizen relaying how she has been living aboard and came to appreciate "most guys in Singapore [who] are more good looking than where I currently live".

And despite knowing about our 'prawn capital' reputation, one commenter said that on the contrary, "all the Singaporean guys [she] met are hot".

Guess this goes to show that not all stereotypes are not always true.

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timothywee@asiaone.com

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