Why on earth is a 21-year-old Singaporean blogger dominating the news nowadays? This blogger has an answer, but it seems incomplete to me.
Asian blogging superstar [aka Wendy Cheng] is apparently involved in some Singaporean scandal involving aerosol foam spray, the groping of young Singaporean women by foreign men, and accusations of racism. I do not pretend to fully understand this scandal, and the purpose of this post is not to analyze it.
Another blogger offers lots of links to the Xiaxue mystery, but frankly I just don’t get it. Second time in two months that a Singapore blogger became the nexus of the world blogosphere, somewhat inexplicably.
1
By WTJ
honestly, she’s kinda famous in south east asia region and have winned a lot of blog awards. you should know her more, there’re a lot of ppl dun like her i think
January 16, 2006 @ 7:24 am | Comment
2
By Swifty
She’s like the Lucille Ball of Blogosphere.
January 16, 2006 @ 7:31 am | Comment
3
By Priscilla
Actually it is the third time in 2 months. Humiliating, I know.
January 16, 2006 @ 7:50 am | Comment
4
By myrick
I’ve met Wendy, and have a bit of respect for any Singaporean who will speak their mind pubicly (sorry, made a typo and forgot to correct). But the XiaXue phenomena is cult-like. I half think she’s a tool of the state. The PAP just wants to point to her when they are criticized about the lack of free elections and say “look at the blog awards; they could chose from a lawyer (Sassy), banker (Simon), PR professional (mr b), international journalist (me) and instead they picked a 21 year old who writes about her nights at Zouk and getting her nails done. Tell me, are Singaporeans really ready for democracy?”
January 16, 2006 @ 7:51 am | Comment
5
By Andrew Lim
Totally agree with myrick. XiaXue winning so many vote-based awards shatters my faith in democracy. =|
January 16, 2006 @ 10:57 am | Comment
6
By popagandhi
I work with her at Tomorrow and on other SG-blog related events, and in the course of my work have come to know her better (through meetings and dinners and such).
It’s true that her cult of followers is at first glance inexplicable, and also somewhat scary – BUT her cult of haters are far worse.
The way I see it, the blogosphere needs diversity, and while I may not fully appreciate every byte of her content, there is at least an embryo within it which resonates with most Singaporeans – for which she is rightly popular, and rightly or wrongly hated.
You have to understand the extent of her following and non-following. It has come to the point where everything she says inevitably takes two sides, both extreme ones (“She’s our goddess!” and “We hate everything she does! Completely!”)
It’s mindboggling. But provides for pretty good entertainment.
January 16, 2006 @ 11:11 am | Comment
7
By Capital Region People
XiaXue: Fuss & Mystery!
Even the PEKING DUCK doesn’t get it!!! Say, don’t ANY of you people bother to READ Wendy’s blog? Or does it go DEEPER than that? YES IT DOES!
January 16, 2006 @ 12:08 pm | Comment
8
By Sojourner
But it’s NOT entertaining, is it? It’s infantile, narcissistic and vapid.
She’s the South-East Asian version of a Valley Girl or an Essex Girl.
Jut goes to show how staid, crap and puritanical Singapore is if she’s considered dangerously cutting-edge.
The barbarians are at the gates.
January 16, 2006 @ 5:33 pm | Comment
9
By Tom - Daai Tou Laam
Blogging “success” is often a matter of shameless self-promotion and a willingness to whore yourself to receive attention. From the nonsensical “meme” of overthrowing the emm-ess-emm to Sadly, No! stirring things up until folks like Esmay suffer a complete melt down to outright blogging award vote stuffing.
XiaXue has definitely mastered the art of shameless self-promotion.
{Though every rule has its exception and no amount of shameless self-promotion or proclamations of being center-right will create success for Pajamas Media.}
January 16, 2006 @ 7:19 pm | Comment
10
By Will
Ummm…let’s see. Good looking, enticingly profane woman-child in short skirts writes titillating blog posts.
I’m not sure her success is so hard to understand. Looks like one of the oldest success recipes in the world to me. There’s a really good reason why her blog has a big photo of her up top, and mine does not.
As for what’s considered cutting-edge in Singapore, please, spare me the puritannical Singapore cliches, please. I’m more inclined to think that Xiaxue resonats with people overseas precisely because of their stereotypes of Singapore. It’s gives her a virginal sheen by association that contrasts deliciously with what they see on the page.
January 16, 2006 @ 7:36 pm | Comment
11
By Will
That being said, good for her. The woman has moxied herself into celebrity. She should enjoy it while it lasts.
Oh, and it’s “resonates”.
January 16, 2006 @ 8:11 pm | Comment
12
By Michael Turton
Shit, it’s just like Paris Hilton. I think Naomi Klein wrote on this a few months back, on how different the modern “girl” is from the modern girl of two decades ago. Like Xiaxue, Paris Hilton is basically an idiot who thinks Heidigger is a machine used to move earth for sewer construction and who spends her money on useless consumer luxuries, whereas Madonna, that shameless promoter of self from another decade, was educated at Juliard and when she made good, spent her money on Frida Kahlo prints and first editions of Anne Sexton.
As for Xiaxue, she’s infantile, a problem which I submit is not only common in Singapore, but across Asia. Such women are sort of the apotheosis of the “Asian” view of what women should be, I think. We had a big flap about the infantilization of Taiwan a few years back. Everything is cute with big-eyed cartoons — even the guy who says STOP! DANGER! on signs on construction site fences has big round eyes and a high foreheard like a baby, and the women here on intercoms speak in high pitched infantile whines that drive me insane with desire — to throttle them…….
Gotta run. More to follow
Michael
January 16, 2006 @ 8:57 pm | Comment
13
By Michael Turton
Another thing about XiaXue is that she seems very self aware of what she’s doing — it’s not an act, but it is not the very similar Paris Hilton’s unselfconcious stupidity either. Perhaps Xiaxue’s blog title means something, for to “snow” someone means to fool them.
I think it is interesting that there is a political angle to Xiaxue as someone pointed out. But there is a definite conjunction of infantile and authoritarian, Shenzehn Cyber Cops
Michael
January 16, 2006 @ 10:49 pm | Comment
14
By richard
“Snow” has other implications as well.
January 16, 2006 @ 11:05 pm | Comment
15
By SpyMy
She’s made some serious blunder as off late, starting off with her tyrade against KL (it was racist, elitist and just plain offensive), which was fought against strongly by the Malaysian blogosphere, then she quietened down a bit.
Lately she’s started being racist again, with her new year post..
January 18, 2006 @ 10:12 am | Comment