Do Singaporean men have no sense of style and personal grooming?

Welcome back to another episode of Men explain Thanks for joining us today. I got a handsome man in our midst. All our men that join us are handsome just for the record, but we have extra handsome one here today. It's Aiden, Welcome

thanks for the warm welcome. I'm very happy to be here at man explain

Finally, Finally, I think we've been talking about this for a

long time.

The record confronted me and he was like, how come? I'm not on an episode explained yet

on the record I've watched, I've listened to all the diff. Thank

you, appreciate it. Um I think we couldn't have found a more perfect guest for today's topic because we're talking about dressing up. Do men dress up enough and then we're also going to touch on personal grooming and I'll share a couple of horror stories, you know, just a casual weekday. So before we begin, maybe you can share a little bit about yourself with our audience.

So my name is Aiden and I'm an actor. I was a host at the same time. I'm very interested in fashion and fragrances and grooming, right?

And you're also not shy or embarrassed to admit like, hey, you know, I do skincare. I of course in our line also makeup is kind of a normal thing for us. You do that too. Right?

Well I think it's very important for more guys to kind of like step up and own this part of you know, wanting to look good for yourself for the people around you and for more people to be advocates of, you know, personal grooming.

Never thought that advocates of personal grooming, it sounds like you should come naturally.

There's always a stigma about guys who want to look good. Yes. Right? Yes. So beyond your buying an expensive watch, like a Rolex or like a pp beyond your buying a, like a very nice car. There are other ways of presenting yourself actually a lot cheaper

then a sports car

go on much longer way.

Yes, Yes, I do agree. But unfortunately, the thing is when a guy comes across too conscious of like, oh my skincare routine or like my hair needs to be perfect, you know, and a little bit vain and so to speak, people kind of stereotype them or like box them up, like, oh, you must be fabulous or you're so vain or you must be in this industry, they put them into these boxes, right?

Yeah, I mean, I feel like I get a free pass because you're an artist Actor. So it makes perfect sense for me to understand how to do makeup out of the like 10 mil artists, I know probably 8.5 of them know how to apply at least basic,

make sure

because that's part of our job. But outside of this industry then people, I was actually talking to a friend recently, he was asking me for makeup tips,

like a normal person, like regular in

the industry and then I was sharing him, okay, you can use concealer in this way. And then I stopped in my tracks and asked him, you know, if you apply makeup with people think that you are too feminine or you're too vain. Like as a guy, I'm asking him whether or not that is a consideration that he should have. So I feel like even for me, I also have certain notions about what people would perceive as, whether it's a feminine behavior or whether it's behavior that is not considered masculine.

Right? But does that matter to you?

It doesn't matter to me because like it's something that I do and I hope that more people can,

there are a few

basic steps that every guy can take to make themselves look much better. Yes. Right. So if you have like acne prone skin, you just put some concealer look a lot better than going out with a face full of like red marks.

It's just about being more presentable.

But I was also thinking with your colleagues because he works in the corporate setting, right? Like your colleagues think that you are too,

Why are you

wearing makeup? Why is a guy wearing

makeup? So

actually this is a question for you.

Yes. Yes. I

don't know whether you have friends around you because you're doing this? You're very used to guys dressing up for sure.

100%. I feel less pretty when I'm around you guys. But

what are your girlfriends?

My girlfriends,

they think like if any of them are like ol like they work in a corporate setting. If they see a guy in the office with makeup on, what would they think?

So, you know, that's an interesting question because for for me, like I helped my boyfriend put some concealer before, sorry, this reaction this entire seriously, this entire series, I've altered him like so many times. He's going to yeah, I know. Right? So no, but he asked me for help because he was going to film something like for corporate video or something like that and they didn't have time to, he didn't time to go down and actually get proper hand makeup and it's not really necessary

marks or

even some redness around this area of the chin.

Maybe some pencil,

Okay, we're adding one more, well not part after the other as for my friends. I mean most of them are in media industry as well. That's loosely related also to the media industry. So I think them also being so exposed to K pop. It's so normal. Right to see all these men on screen also having a full face of makeup, even colored contacts and stuff like that.

actually a lot of it is very easy to easy to pick up. But my point is, I feel like we should normalize guys looking good. Yes. If they want to look good and if makeup can help them do

that then why not

then how do we change the public perception? There is some thing that is frowned upon because it is viewed as non masculine.

I think it's slowly changing and I noticed with, you know, even brands like Chanel, they have like a line of makeup from national. Yes, exactly. So, and you know that you're familiar, but anyway, so, so I think it's starting to become a little bit more normalized in that sense. And then now do you notice that a lot of guys are getting manicures too?

And pedicures? Yeah, you

have nice feet, don't you? I'm very sure you have nice.

I haven't gone to that level

yet. Okay. Not yet. But I think, you know, with the big movers in the industry, like the big brands, once they start rolling that out, yeah, there might be some resistance at first. But do you think people will just slowly follow and think that, hey, it's okay if I walk into a store and find my shade or some?

I think then that's what people like us are here for

looking too.

We need more people to advocate for guys to pursue beauty in that sense. Um looking good comes in many different forms of expressions I think for the standard, like heterosexual guy in the Singapore setting. It's always about like I said, just now watches and maybe like credit card and mouse

and they don't care about anything else

and cars. Whereas like if you venture, if you branch out more, then it goes down into like what you're wearing, what perfume you're using, whether your skin care is good, whether or not you're putting some makeup, if your skin isn't very, it's not in a very good condition. Like all these help to complete the entire presentation of who you are as a package.

So, you know, you brought up a very good point and I think it's particularly useful, Let's say first impressions drop interview stuff like that. Right? But I have a question also in regards to that because every time we talk to our guy friends or even our partners or whatever, they always say like, oh you girls take like an hour to get ready. But us guys, we only take like what 5, 10 minutes. All I need to do is wax my hair a little bit out. How long do you take to get ready Aiden?

Well I'm not lying about this, but I can get a full face makeup done plus my hair probably in 20 minutes.

Okay 20 minutes. That's, that's not, that's not too bad.

Like 15, 20 minutes

when you say full face makeup, what consistent

with like your skin care routine and then your primary foundation concealer, basically everything that a girl would do other than eye makeup.

You can do it.

So for example, I go filming most of the time, right? And actually do my hair and makeup by myself. Oh, a lot of the days. So I can wake up, do my hair makeup at home and then drive to location and

waste

time like traveling to a makeup artist wherever he or she is. So if my film is at eight o'clock, right? I just need to make sure that I wake up by seven, you know quickly, like

you can make it

really can make it, it takes a guy like maybe 10 minutes like wash up max, you brush your teeth, wash your face Shower or whatever and then after 20 minutes of your hair makeup and you have 30 minutes to like drive to location. So, and it works

and it works. That's impressive man.

So it's about efficiency and skill and I believe anybody can,

you need to sleep like more, you need to sleep every minute counts every minute.

Who likes to call time that starts at like 6 37 or 7:30 a.m. You

know, this is real life for me every day. I start work at six a.m. So no one gets to talk to me about early call times anyway, so aside from hair makeup, skincare and all that, I wanted to touch on dressing as well. So there's some memes that float around, you know, the internet. Have you seen those? Like about singaporean men? Like their standard wardrobe, their standard looks and stuff when they go out and

I think there's some truth to that

they're not going to like

when you go outside, where do you, even if you go to like orchard road and maybe not so much. You walk along orchard road, you will definitely see people wearing that like t shirts. It's just one color and maybe a pair of shorts and definitely fine with it. Um Again, I think dressing is your personal freedom. You can wear whatever makes you feel comfortable. It's just that overall as because we are in the fashion industry kind

of. Yes. Yes.

So we also think about like things from a macro level, like when people think of Singapore, they probably don't regard it as like a

fashionable city city. Yes. Yes, I

agree. And a lot of it comes from the fact that so called like the fabric of our society is is used to dressing down and dressing as casually as possible.

And I think a lot of people also use the excuse of, oh, it's so hot, what else would I wear Except for a T shirt shorts and flip flops.

But I do think that there is a lot of, it's the this call causation is quite strong here. I study in the States for a few years and whether it's your session and sweat pants, that would be the equivalent of our T shirt and shorts, but there can still be some styling to be done because there is layering that's involved. So as the seasons change, you are encouraged to to change

your look. But

here there's

Only one season, 1

season and therefore people don't have a need to buy clothes frequently.

No motivation. Right?

And you want to just in a way that so like layer dressing for guys is very, very important because we don't have so many

see that? Yeah.

We don't have something different types of clothing. Like

Yes.

How many types of skirts are there many? How many types of tops are there many? And jewelry accessories?

Like my, you know, my my friends and my boyfriend sometimes they can't figure it out there. Like where does the arm go for this top? Like where does this go? Like there's so many things to play around

with guys. It's always just about dressing in Singapore addressing means that it's going to get hot. So do you, are you going to sacrifice your comfort for beauty? Well, most guys don't even get to that point because I would rather just not think about it. Yeah.

Like why?

I think two

minutes to pick out the same t shirt that I wear every day that I know so many colors.

I know so many guys who have that, they do that. They believe in that kind of routine, like one T shirt by like

six whatever colors available,

it might be something that's expensive. You

know. Oh yeah, for sure. I know guys like this can

go to like,

okay,

$1, and then just like by 10 of it, I'm going to wear this on Monday Tuesday

my shopping for the year, I'm done, I'm done for the year.

I think the whole climate becomes kind of um it's just tough for fashion to become a thing in Singapore, but that's what we're also seeing change nowadays. A lot of the youngsters, I don't think it's an issue of being materialistic is an issue of like they're just focused more on self expression and that comes with being more fashionable and dressing up a lot more and following trends.

I agree. I mean, I think it was quite evident in our generation, you know, the millennials, the gen z's we care a little bit more about how we dress or how we look for example, I don't know whether the fact that we're exposed to more content online or more celebrities that you know, lead the way in terms of trends, but since you brought up the fact that here in Singapore, we care less because of the climate.

Do they? It will be a generalization, but my observation would be yes, right. But then then then again, they have a much larger population. So the population of people who are more fashionable also,

maybe it's relative is

right, I think Singapore just needs to with any of these huge cities like metropolitan cities but in Tokyo in new york city they have a lot of history there and they have their own culture, right? So what is Singapore's culture and how do we harness it into something that makes sense beyond just t shirts and shorts or

your orientation? T shirt from

camp, there was this it wasn't this incident of the of the Mr Singapore or whatever who carried a Singapore flag and what the army shorts with boots

was it? Oh my God really? I forgot about that.

So that happened quite recently and that's his way of representing what Singapore fashion is about.

That that's it

every every other country representative for something that is culturally unique to the country, right? And then he, I mean he was this poor boy was kind of bashed online because

like like

that is not just what profession is, you know? But when people think about it this way then then the question should be what is what is the part of our culture that we can harness into something that makes sense on a regional or even a global stage when it comes to fashion. So

so how have you done that then as Aiden as yourself? Like how have you incorporated that blended that in and still keeping yourself your personality.

I think for me because like I'm very interested in fashion to begin with. So it's more about like identifying what your personal style is. There are some brands that, I mean I work with a lot of friends, but some brands that I resonate with a lot just

fashionista, by the way, just letting you know, okay, if you haven't already seen his instagram page, you should for some inspo

well, thanks for that. But it becomes more of like, do you go on the personal journey to figure out what works for you and what doesn't, you know, something I like about Sonia,

She's

very versatile, she's always trying out things with hair. I mean, number of like hair extensions and wigs that she's done in the past six months. It's just crazy, you

know, you should see my house, it's just like hair lying around everywhere. No one remembers what my hair length is anymore to be honest. But

but the whole thing about self expression is that you want to be as experimental as possible because you don't know what you can possibly look like until you give it a go, right? And that's something that I feel like a lot of singaporeans wouldn't, they wouldn't venture to that point because they care a lot more about comfort or they just care a lot about being in within that zone. Yes, that they're very comfortable with.

I mean, I think, okay, the most basic example, right? You know, we have a lot of friends or I have a lot of girlfriends to that struggle to even cut their hair, like if it goes past like, or above a certain length, they're like, I can't that's considered very short. So because they're very resistant to change, it is unlikely that they're going to go all out and be like, try this new look or, and I guess in industries that's not media, they have little reason to try so

the thing. I have this conversation with

industry industry specific.

We were so used to being in this whole like, fashion, media, landscape, whatever comes, we don't, we don't bat an eyelid

and I'm excited to try a new look

shows up wearing a kilt. We will applaud him for it because like, you own it, you work it. But the people that are outside of these conversations with them, why don't I go shopping with you one day and like, why don't you do something like this? And actually what I find is that they're quite receptive to it.

Okay. It's just that

there's a lot inertia, you leave it up to me. I'm not gonna do anything if you do it together with me.

I

just have like, a free, like, personal shopper with me, Right? And then how do we get more people to be open to this kind of conversation. Yeah.

You know, that's that's a very tough question. I think it's only going to be, has to be a natural progression in that sense, right? Like you can't force a guy who is, who's never been interested in fashion before unless you like what you said, you know you offered a shot with your friend however, and he actually sees

People who venture to that and understand what quality means, it's great. But on the other spectrum of things, I also think that even things that you buy from, they can look fantastic

for sure,

right? So you as long as you got exposed to it, which I feel like one very good thing about social media like you said just now, the fact that people are consuming so much content on a daily basis, they follow influencers here in their local regional international, They just see all these different ways of dressing and a lot of them get absorbed into their subconscious how they should be dressing.

everybody

seems to be, you

see his eyes, he was like, not again,

I wear that a lot too right, but the next time I see your essentials.

Yeah, but you know that's that's the thing, right? People just gravitate towards their comfort zone And when we talk about that, when did you realize what your personal style was? Because you talk so much about personal style and you know, you mentioned that, but to some of us who may not understand how to get there, it's just like branding, right? You know, in our industry, when did you realize like, okay, I think I vibe with this style and what is your style?

So I mean, firstly we divide into guys or not just guys, both guys and girls. People who understand what they want or will be able to navigate to that point by themselves. And then the other spectrum, the other side of things, People who just don't have a clue, right? So let's suggest that first, you know, you're not, no man is an island. There are people around you who

can help. I

don't know about your partner. But like if he is clueless like that, it's great that he has you

around. And precisely

if like, if you don't know anything, ask your girlfriend, I

could help you.

Have you have, you must have come across this in your life at some point where people come up to you and be like, oh, I think you look pretty good in this. You know?

And then you're supposed to be like, okay, I noticed that and then I have this assurance,

right? And then you move on and be like, oh, maybe I look, I do look quite good in this and that's how a lot of your style gets shaped like people start identifying, oh, you can pull off that whole like street wear pants or some people just look very good in suits. Some people look very good and you know, denim, you know, you just have to find something that that that you, your body proportions works for. Yeah, nobody looks at it in every single thing out there.

You're supposed to dress to complement your body type. Also. I feel

so, I mean guys don't really understand that.

You know, they

don't think about proportions.

They don't, so

a lot of times they're like, it's not that I don't want to look good. I don't know what I can possibly look good, right? And they just need somebody to tell them or maybe you should try going for this in Singapore. I feel like a lot of guys are focused, You know, there's this, I've heard this one way that people describe Singapore outside of our country is, I'm

curious to know, what do they say?

It's called the prawn capital? Uh,

prawn capital

because with the prawn right,

we're very shellfish. People know

prawn, okay? You eat the meat, right? Which is the body. So you take the head and you throw it away.

So

basically saying that Singapore and guys are like all, they all go to the gym and they're very me and muscular, but they don't look.

And it's not very

presentable. So you take away the shell, all you left that is the muscle and

you know, I never heard of this before. Where have you, where did you hear this from? I've never heard of this.

A lot of my friends who are from overseas, that's how they refer to Singaporean

guys. Okay, Okay. The sad thing is, I mean I have a number of friends, some of them are single and some of them say like singaporean men are nothing much to look at and I, you're like, oh no, okay. I didn't say it. Okay,

well at least they go to the

gym and go to the gym. That's good,

very like skewed expectations of what you guys are supposed to look like in Singapore. Like everyone is hitting the gym and if you don't look a certain way, you do have a certain frame, it's just not, it's just not appealing in that sense. But because of that, if you keep going to the gym, you know, you want to show off your assets and as a result, everybody keeps wearing clothes that are very, very

tight, right?

But it might or might not be suitable for your proportions,

You know, so

that's when you need to like go on that journey of like figuring out maybe instead of wearing very, very tight clothes to show off your muscles, you are more suited for an oversized look,

no one is going to have this thought process. I think in that moment they're like, I want to show off my assets, right? And that's what they're doing.

I don't know. I mean at some point at the end of the day, you just want people, you want to feel confident in whatever you're wearing and ideally, if you're single, you can make other people think you're attractive.

Okay, So I, in that sense have a very low barometer. So my, I generally, I love, okay, yeah, I know it's going to sound weird. I love a guy in a crisp white shirt and like proper tailored pants. You know, I see some of the producers and the people behind camera's nodding away. So basically I walk into the CBD and my type is there like, right, okay, But it also makes a difference if they're wearing like a proper, you can tell if it's like a proper fitted shirt blazer, I think it

Guys know this is very important. So just sharing some words of gold with you. It's not just about, you know how expensive your clothes are or even how intricate or complex they are. Girls have this ability to see

through the

Bs and understand, oh, this guy has actually spent some time to look the way that he does.

Exactly. Exactly. And it also, I can also tell when it comes to personal grooming. So,

okay, so

let's talk about that. What are some, I have a story. I have a story, but what are some of your pet piece? Let's just not saying it doesn't mean it has to be in men or in the opposite sex or whatever. Just in general. Like when you first meet a person, what are some of your first impressions, what's important to you and that you notice

first personal

grooming wise?

Personal grooming wise. Okay, so I really don't like facial hair.

Really? Okay

for guys. Okay. So what irritates me a lot is like nose hair.

Oh, that's like speaking out. It's like picking out right here. Okay. I

just feel like that's a representation of like you probably not looking in the mirror enough,

but they just don't realize. They're like, oh, it's nature. Like it's just natural.

But I don't know to me, that's just one of my pet peeves and like it's a very good telltale sign of like how detailed you are when it comes to your grooming.

I mean, I know a lot of my male friends who actually go for like trimming or like they do the, what do they wax your?

Yeah, I think I believe that is the process.

Yeah, but that's honestly quite painful. So most of them just like trim it at least. Yeah, I can imagine that

or nails, nails.

Yes. Oh, I can't, I can't deal with.

Imagine like, you see a guy who has like meals that like this

along with

girls, right? Because I like girls, they don't go for like, manicures. So

it's not groomed

groomed. Yeah. I think that's a that's a representation of like you perhaps not really caring about personal grooming that much, which would be perfectly fine for yourself. It's just a turn off for the girls. Yeah.

So I have a I have a story, not going to name names as usual. Most things stay anonymous here, so I don't even think he knows I exist anymore. But anyway, so one of my biggest pet peeves would be oral hygiene.

Like teeth.

Okay, so the moment you talk to a person or you actually is any food? My teeth. I did not ask.

Mr

Okay. Always check. Um you know, you can tell if someone hasn't been to the dentist in your life the entire life. Like I know people who have never stepped into a dentist and you can see the plug and the Tatar just building up around.

She's going down to the details,

the details again, because there's nothing more satisfying than going for like cleaning every few months. I'm like, oh it feels so great. But then I also wonder sometimes when I meet people for the first time,

you know?

And I noticed that their teeth like not in good shape or like bad breath and stuff like that. That is an immediate like, whoa to me, like, I don't know if I can continue this conversation. So there was this guy I met before and he was actually like an old acquaintance. Okay. And I got got reunited with him again, like a few years down the road after we have lost context and I was like, wow, he got cute. I was like, he got cute. Hello? What's up?

okay,

okay. I was like, oh no. I was like, oh no, I think he has not brush his teeth in like probably five days. I was like, okay, I don't think I can do this.

Another another

point in the podcast

where guys need to take notes. You

must know something. I allowed the kids to happen and regretted it immediately.

She Condoned the behavior. I

lived to tell the tale and we never met again. I never really told him why because I was afraid to be offended, but you should have told him. I don't know. Maybe I should

have like

should have given it is not

your responsibility and that's the thing, you know, but

then what if he's just going through like no one tells him and then he's still out there, he's still out there with Tatar and his teeth

guys the same way the girls take responsibility for how they look, how they present themselves, you know, as much as you know, you have to wait for them for half an hour, an hour or two hours to get ready. That's their way of being responsible towards themselves as well. The people that are going out with

and showing that I care about this meeting.

So if you're a guy then you kind of have to do the same and oftentimes that just involves you know being a little bit more diligent consistent with a routine and staring yourself in the mirror more

just a bit.

Yeah, I mean not, I do that very proactively when I do my makeup

but I think it's a job hazard for us because we were constantly when we're not in front of the camera or recording something or doing something. We're sitting in front, we're doing makeup, but some makeup for us before,

before work, you're doing that in between work. You also have to do that because you have to get ready for your next thing. Yes, so you spend a lot of time in front of mirin were forced to notice things that you don't want to know.

Exactly and you fixate on things as well. So Yeah,

but I mean for if you are a regular guy out there who's not in the media landscape in the media industry then you kind of have to take more responsible for that because nobody's going to tell you in a bar that your breath stinks.

Exactly. Nobody's

going to come up to you and tell you that your nails are turn off. You know like you didn't shave properly shaved half way. Yeah,

I know that's the thing. So I'm afraid that like maybe you know your partners need to be more vocal about it or if you're single,

you have to, you know,

self aware,

self aware and reflective and that's why you're still single. Oh,

shots fired, Shots fired. Okay, so aside from what you mentioned earlier with the nose here, is there anything else that turns you off? Like just first impressions? Doesn't even have to be a romantic setting.

Oh yes, I can't then clothes that are not steamed or

ironed, especially

if it's that kind of material. I mean like honestly with denim it doesn't really matter. But if you're wearing something that's like, I don't know silk or like a t

shirt, like

a sweatshirt that crumbles easily.

Yeah, I know. But so do iron and you have a steamer at home.

I wash and steam all my clothes by myself,

wow. Yeah.

And it's like a routine. You know, you can by a steamer on like shopping or

the miniature steamer. It's very

Cheap. It's less than $30. You can even get like 10 plus, right?

But then the effort,

it's less than a minute

to

steam one T shirt. It probably takes you 20 seconds.

And nowadays

are the steamers, right? They heat up so quickly so you really have no excuse. You're telling me that you have to like set up the ironing ball and like, you know, wait for the iron to like, I mean and that's B. S. Because like if you do that, sure if you buy a steamer, it really takes you less than 30 30 seconds.

So I need to I need to to say this is my partner doesn't really iron any clothes. Right, okay, okay, we have a helper. He has a helper that comes in once a week to help with. Like, you know certain his work shirts and stuff. Okay. Like he will send it off to directly. No, but in regards to regular t shirts. So what we do is we will hang it in a way that is very straight. Do

what you need to

Do. It crumples minimally and I don't have to take out the iron which he spent $800 on, which I don't get it because he never used it. You know why because I cannot figure it out. I'm like why don't you just get like an $80 ironing board. Don't ever let men go out and buy home appliances. This is another episode for another day

back again, we can talk about that, you

know? But I do know a handful of men who are conscious about this and they definitely have these pet peeves as well,

especially with the shirt.

Yes. Yeah, I

mean he's going to walk into the CBD and then she's going to like not steam steam steam

steam and I mean the steam in terms of the shirt, not like, you know, so yeah, these are, it's interesting that you you picked that out because I think it's so underrated, like it's not talked about

enough. It takes me because I understand how how quickly you can get it done. Yes. And for you to not even spend that additional minute. Yes. I'm always running late for shoots to be honest,

because you're steaming like now I know he's like, I'm almost there. But

no matter how late I am, I will not leave house with a nice steamed piece of shirt.

I get it. I mean, you take people understand

Take a pic. You either spend 30 seconds or one minute steaming this or your photographer spent two hours doing for the shop.

Oh, that's true. Some people would rather let the photographer, which is very mean,

please be nice to your team

and then and then if if you come across people who are not in this industry, they're like no one's going to take photos of me what, you know,

but

I feel like we got a lot of one liners from Aiden like we need to say we need to cut out, Okay, so you obviously seem very exposed to not just beauty but fashion styles who are some of your biggest influences or like how did you become exposed to so many different options, styles and and all

that?

Do you actively search or do you actively

look? I think I was much younger, it was really about finding brands that wasn't an aesthetic. Yeah. At some point everybody was like crazy about Zara right? Yeah. And then as I started doing this more, you know, actually like, you know, one ft into the fashion industry, then you

it's flattering

it's better somehow, this just makes me look better than I am and as you go on this journey then you'll like try out many, many different types of designers, right? And you forget that some work for you and some don't

and you know on that note as well, you're talking about fit and cutting and how it makes you feel more confident. I think there's a misconception also like girls are the only ones that care about dressing for their body type because yeah, for sure. Like my girlfriend and I will talk about this all the time because you know it's a very mean girls moment. We sit around a circle and then my friend was like, oh my God, I hate my brows today. Or like the other girl goes,

feel like if there was a guy in the midst just like rolling his eyes the entire way

Like 100

is what they look perfectly fine fat where the fat. I don't

understand exactly

Dress didn't just buy this for like $500 what you're complaining about. So

that's why I wanted to quote this. Also this incident between one of my friends and her now ex ex okay, they're not together anymore. He doesn't get when she wants to cover up certain parts of her body because she is not confident in them. She wants to dress for her body. He's like why don't why are you so you know conscious about it like it doesn't matter. It's all the same. It's all

think? I completely agree with that and I mean on behalf of all the guys out there, it's a bit difficult to understand your own proportions

even down to the length of the shirt with the blazer and stuff

just because like guys just don't spend as much time

and then

freeze

it funny because we just had some conversations with our other guests as well about what we talked about during their conversations amongst each other. It never comes to beauty and grooming and fashion.

That's something that you just need to do by yourself and surprise people with. So it's hard to figure out what works for you. I mean for me and not that we can cover a lot today, but like some simple tips if you haven't had a big head right? Right,

okay.

I feel like my head is like figure.

You

just need to go with oversized clothes because it makes your shoulders look broader and your head will look smaller.

Is that why you wearing oversized denim jacket?

That's one reason. Okay, so that's like figuring out figuring out what works for you, right? If you have like if you're like a bit more strangely the types of guys that look the best in suits, guys that have a very straight cut. So you think that the perfect male body is that V shape?

Oh you mean like the in with the muscles on the

broad shoulders very tight ways? But actually people like that don't, they don't look the best in suits because they end up being this like space at the side,

right? And then the arms fill up like the fill up the sleeves

precisely. So interestingly if you're someone who is like that, which a lot of people think, oh this is not the ideal cut because like your shoulders and your waist, like it's just about this shape, very blackish. You look very good in suits because it falls very nicely and this is the type of person that can go to Zara and buy like off the rack and look perfect.

You need to do like an online version of this consultant work or something, you know,

that's basically it, right? You look at the mirror and be like okay, where it's very, very small and unfortunately this is something that we all have to live with, right? It's not like we can go to plastic surgery and change the size of our head

exactly your height,

right? So there's one way to go about it for

it looks

very stylish and there's a certain way that they dress that feels very casual dress down but it seems very comfortable and

effortless, effortless,

that's very suitable for singaporeans actually, I

think I think also sometimes I don't know whether it's specific to Asia as well. There's a larger amount of guys who are maybe not as tall as you know, people in the US or maybe even Korea, not sure what the situation is over there. But I have a couple of guy friends who feel very insecure about their height and I think for guys it might be even tougher to dress for your height. You know what I mean?

So with short guys, Right. I mean if you happen to be a little bit more like

you have a tip for this, okay, I'm

ready. Most like stock ish. Right. I think you can go for that Hawaiian prints anything that's printed a short sleeve button down soft t shirt that allow, it is very, very nicely on your body and you look a bit larger than life.

Oh, so it's distraction technique. I'm

not actually short.

I've actually just

look at the flamingos.

Yes, pineapples, flamingoes. Oh my God. Okay, so on that note then what is the one essential item you think all men should have in their closet. If you could narrow it down to an essential item if you have a few is fine as

well.

It's like where do I start? I have like 20 essential items are all

important. I think

what I said was true. What I said was true

basic pieces are very very important right? Like a black t shirt and a white t shirt basically with anything black shorts, white shots. They also go with everything. Makes a match, right? You're like all the standard colors. Your your cream color, your your black your white your gray. You know this is just like makes a match every day. You just have to find something that's fitting

right?

So maybe you can go to there's nothing wrong with buying a unique low if it works for your body shape. But the harsh reality is that some people can't wear, you know like I can't wear most of the basic tees because they don't fit me. Oh

you have broad shoulders,

they're just too short

or the length.

So whether the L. XL right? It just

doesn't make a difference,

right? Because the cutting is not suitable for me. So even though like and I've seen guys look fantastic. Right? So it's not about the brand is about me not being in the weather's brand. So if you want to buy some essentials then you have to find a brand that suits you. So it's about going on that journey right? And whether whether it's just a plain white t shirt it can white teachers that look good on you and what teachers look very bad

for sure. 100%. And on the note of Unico, I just have to not a sponsored post, but they have the best seamless underwear. Okay sisters out there. Seriously? And they have seamless for men now. F. Y. I because okay, I know that camera guys here who are like, what is she talking about? No visible panty lines. Okay. Even for men, it's true. Like, you know, some some outfits that you wear over some materials sometimes when you're going to like beach party in Miami or something, don't go and wear

white shorts and the beach. And then you were like black color underwear.

It's

not exactly

asking for it. So you know, close seamless underwear for men and for women, you know, next episode. I'm actually

very curious what would you want in? I mean, I know the answer. She's going to say like a white pressed shirt,

well fitted white shirt, but

beyond that. What do you expect out of a man's closet?

Wow. I mean that's an interesting one. So let me let me share with you how I changed my partners. You should do like a

renovated, but like I

know, right? Yeah,

Estonia's I

that's the thing. So when I, when I met him, he already looked like, you know, you look presentable, there was something that would change, but it's okay, so so

moderately acceptable.

Yeah. He, he did walk out in a, in a white shirt and like well fit pants and stuff and you know, I know that for sure. This guy kind of knows what he's doing. Like he definitely got it tailored because he's like a working professional. Um he used to work in a bank and stuff, so I knew that he definitely has an eye for it, but the haircut was one thing and okay, before you think all guys have someone just go QB house one time, $10 is it still $10 or is it like 15 now? I have

no idea, it's

probably probably more expensive now. And that's the thing, a lot of people do that because it's accessible, it's affordable and there's nothing wrong with that but a haircut can make all the difference, I feel. So I brought him to my hairstylist who's very good at men's cuts. Okay? And he was like, oh, do I really have to go because I've been going to this barber barber, nothing more bubbles, but he's

been going to the

Yes, no, I'm not kidding since he was a child. And I said, Okay. But the thing is he's doing the same haircut for you as he would maybe as you were, you know, 20 years old or 18, so you don't have to change it up and make a difference. So he said, Okay, give it a chance-based five times more probably to go to the hair stylist. I go to got a haircut. He never turned back because he was like, everyone's complimenting him. Yeah, everyone was saying you look so different.

course, and that's the thing with gentlemen out there. It's really, some know the smallest of things can make the huge, the biggest differences. Think of changing your hair. Think of, I don't know, perhaps going for a facial.

Yeah, yeah. So

I actually suffer from like really sensitive skin. So my skin is very prone to breakouts. And that's why, you know, some little, like makeup gadgets, like a concealer, even some foundation. They just make a world of difference. That being said if you or someone out there who suffers from such issues is not just about your skin care routine. It's also about your diet and perhaps some underlying conditions. So you can do a few things, right?

No. 100%. I used to suffer from acne actually when I was a teenager and it stretched all the way till I was in poly. So when into my adult years a little bit. And you know, that was when I started meeting guys, I was like, oh my God, I'm hideous. I'm like, I don't want to go out that that feeling. I

cannot imagine like that.

Yes, I will find photos or did I delete them? I don't know

what did not happen. But were you like on like,

so I did everything like antibiotics. Um What was the anti that starts with a D I can't remember anymore. And then a form of Accutane

doxycycline.

Doxycycline. Yeah. Look at us pharmacist,

It's not uncommon for people to you know, use medication to combat against skin issues. And if you're somebody who is like, you know, you go to like Watson and you bought like, I don't know, 20 balls of oxy and it still doesn't work then perhaps you consider not going from outside but from the inside and speaking to a dermatologist would definitely help you with that and doesn't really have to be those expensive like skin clinics, you can also go to national skin center.

it. You need to identify these things and, and on that note of, you know, small touches. Right? But nothing that was to say is um, you know, glasses actually make a big difference to like the choice of frames. Okay, So, so so my partner wears glasses and I like him with glasses because I like the slightly nerdy, you know, like look and with the white shirt always like, you know, Yeah. So, so he wore these like glasses that are very thin rimmed,

that or like, you know, the army like black

frames together.

Yeah. Yeah.

It looks no, it doesn't know for you. Is

it? Yeah.

So I got him to go like, you know, just own this or whatever, wherever they have fashionable frames just go see and I'm like, okay, this one looks, looks much cooler. It makes you look so much younger as well. All of a sudden you're faces lifted. You know, and it's not even about wanting to look 10 years younger. It's about looking fresher. So these small touches make a difference,

spectacles or glasses. That is another look in your arsenal setback.

Yes, exactly. Some

people are like, ok, I'm just going to laser, I'm going to context and then I go home, I'm going to put on my nerdy glasses. Why the glasses have been nerdy? Or if you're, if it's going to be nerdy, then you look like a hot nerd.

Exactly. That's I dig that. I dig that. Yeah. So these small touches definitely making a world of difference. Right? Any other articles of clothing that's very important to you in your wardrobe or or that's about

it? I think a good single, it's very important.

Single. It's

because like with layer dressing, right?

I don't want to perspire. Like

if you don't want to wear something that's too thick, I can imagine you wear a sweater, like a hoodie and then you wear

a jacket on top,

you wear a jacket on top because you want to layer it. How hot would you be? Right? So why don't you just wear a singlet or

tank instead? And

then you can layer on and if it really gets very hot, just take it off. But you have to go to the gym.

Yeah. All kind of goes back to seeing you at the gym anyway at some point, Thank you so much for joining us on this really fun topic that we had here today. You know, it was a pleasure. It's the thing is you don't realize that these things also can contribute to a person's confidence, a person's life, you know, relationship and stuff like that. People underestimate these things, right? Okay. Before we wrap things up, any last tips you want to share with our sometimes clueless men out there.

I think with guys really just don't be afraid to look good. Right? Yes, there's still that stigma about like if you know, if you care too much about your appearance, about what you wear about makeup and skincare and

so feminine,

very feminine. But it's a lot, it's really beyond that. I think we've come to the point where we are progressive enough to understand that, you know, people should just embrace their self expression, right? So you know, along that train of thought. If your self expression is to really stay at home and like wear

You know, that's that's a very good tip, Very good point and I think the clarity team should consider getting it in an eye on for a makeover series. We just get some people make them over. I'm sure you have so much fun with it.

Honestly, I know some friends that would be happy to sign up.

Okay. Okay well thank you for sharing your tips and you know you always look so fabulous. You follow him up on social media. He always looks great. So thank you for joining us. Finally we made this happen.

Yes, I have lost my version. Experience them and explain and now I can look forward the second time. Hopefully not like 34 years

later. No, no, no definitely will be sooner and we'll get a juicier topic for you as well.

So why not this?

Just a warm up. Thank you so much for listening to this episode of Men explain. Aidan you are such a treat. Thank you for the tips and tricks my

pleasure. Yes,

hope to see you again soon. If you liked this episode, please hit the follow button were available on Spotify and Apple podcasts.

You can also follow its clarity co on instagram and Tiktok for more contact like this. See you next episode. Bye