Do you think Star Award kiss is offensive?

[Sim TT]

I wonder who are all these people making a big hoo haa about this case. When I was watching star awards I didn’t even think of lesbians when the kissing happen. I was like thinking Vivian Lai didn’t deserve to win because her acting very unnatural.


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Girl-on-girl kiss to be censored in re-run of awards show

Kiss between two actresses upsets some viewers and will be censored in re-run of Star Awards show. -TNP
Teh Jen Lee

Sun, May 06, 2012
The New Paper

In the movie classic Casablanca, the famous song As Time Goes By has a line that goes "A kiss is just a kiss".

Apparently not in Singapore, at least among the more conservative populace.

A kiss between actresses Vivian Lai and Kate Pang during Sunday’s live telecast of the Star Awards Show 2 has caused a stir.

When actress-host Lai, 36, was announced as one of the Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes, she stood up and turned to hug Pang, 29.

Then came the peck on the lips - which took all of one second.

To paraphrase singer Katy Perry, she kissed a girl and other people didn’t like it.


Strong reactions

Lianhe Wanbao reported that the kiss drew strong reactions from viewers, with many calling its hotline to say that they were offended.

A reader named Mr Tan, 29, said that women kissing each other seems to be "trendy" but he was not used to it.

A 16-year-old boy said that he found it strange to see female artistes dressed sexily and kissing each other.

Since the outcry, the Media Development Authority (MDA) has told The New Paper that it is investigating the incident to see if it breached its content guidelines. (See report on facing page.)

A spokesman for MediaCorp also told TNP yesterday that the "kiss" will be censored for the repeat telecast this Sunday "as some viewers may not be comfortable…".

Lai, who is married with two young daughters, was surprised by the strong reaction and said the kiss was a "natural reaction" to express her joy. (See report on Page 27.)

TNP polled 100 people, divided evenly between those aged from 18 to 35 and those 36 and above, to find out what they thought of the kiss.

While some were fine with it, others felt it was offensive and were vocal about their disapproval. Overall, slightly more than half (54 per cent) felt the kiss was acceptable.

The approval rate was higher in the younger group, with close to 70 per cent approving.

Among them was Ms Cheryl Ng, 32, an administrator, who said: "It was probably not intentional. She might have been too happy when it happened. I don’t see a problem."

Among the older group, 60 per cent (30 out of 50) disapproved.

Mr Sebestian Soh, 53, a bank executive, said: "It could impart the wrong values to kids who are watching. Teenagers will see it and think that it is normal to behave in such a way."

There were also those who went against the grain in their age group.

Programme manager Lim Keng San, 32, was strongly critical. He said: "I do not approve of gratuitous acts of passion. If it is in the public realm, it intrudes into my space and my rights to decency."

In contrast, retiree Tan Sai Sai, 72, said: "These are modern times, there is nothing wrong. It’s not a big deal.

"It’s just a form of conveying congratulations. They are not doing it in some secluded place, they are not hiding anything."

The respondents were also asked if the kiss was a big deal.

A clear majority - 62 per cent - said no. Most of them - 84 per cent - were from the younger group.

One of them, air steward Lance Kwok, 27, said: "These days, you see kids doing the weirdest things on Facebook. It’s somewhat of a norm to see girls posting photos of themselves kissing other girls." In the older group, 60 per cent felt the kiss was significant.

Logistics manager T. Subramaniam, 47, said: "Even in the Academy Awards in the West, a kiss between two female celebrities would create quite a buzz, so what more in an Asian context? It is a big deal."


‘Mixed signals’

He is concerned that such episodes would send "mixed signals" to his son, 16, and daughter, 17, on what is socially acceptable.

"Such actions are more from the Western culture. We should not follow it because we have our own values," he said.

Mr Paul Chan, vice-president (branding and promotion) for Channel 8 MediaCorp, highlighted the context of the kiss, which he called "a peck".

It was "a spontaneous reaction of joy by the winner’s colleague on the spur of the moment".

"…it should not be construed to promote, justify or glamourise an alternative lifestyle as we are mindful of such issues," he said.

"Nevertheless, as some viewers may not be comfortable with such etiquette, the shot will be deleted for the repeat telecast scheduled for Sunday at 2pm on Channel 8."

Assistant Professor Nicholas Harrigan, a sociologist in the Singapore Management University, said research has shown that the young today are generally more accepting of affectionate behaviour between members of the same sex .

As an Australian living here for the past four years, he has observed that hugs and kisses are more common among the expat community as well as those who have studied overseas.

He said: "It is possible that this kiss reflects changing norms as Singapore is definitely becoming more Westernised."

Associate Professor Tan Ern Ser, from the National University of Singapore’s department of sociology, feels that if it is just a peck on the lips, most people would not bother too much.

But if it comes across as sensuous, then some people would find it unacceptable.

He added: "On a scale of one to 10, one being very unacceptable and 10 being very acceptable, in the distant past, the score would have been one, but it would probably be a five now."

This article was first published in The New Paper.

[Oppsgal]

For me, I didn't even bother watching the Star Award (I am trying to save electricity and time. :evil:) and also I can't be bother if kissing happens between same gender in this program.


Why the fuss anyway :?

[auntieM]

Main thing on her mind is to 'hit' it bigger while celebrating, get people yakking about her, get massive exposure and advertisers will come knocking at her door..

Wander how she explains her 'kisses' and changing face to her two young girl de.. :razz:

[BeContented]

I dun like. Peck on cheek .... ok. Lip to lip.... :sick:


Looks like our youngsters are not just learning from the Western culture, they are learning from their role models too ie. parents. :scared:

[janet88]

BeContented:

I dun like. Peck on cheek .... ok. Lip to lip.... :sick:

A warm hug or peck on the cheek would be more decent on TV at primetime. Why kiss on the lips :yikes: ? I am still a conservative person.

[auntieM]

janet_lee88:

BeContented:

I dun like. Peck on cheek .... ok. Lip to lip.... :sick:

A warm hug or peck on the cheek would be more decent on TV at primetime. Why kiss on the lips :yikes: ? I am still a conservative person.

I think girl girl lip to lip kiss is not that widely accepted at all..especially on primetime TV..

[janet88]

Sorry to say this…it’s only Star Awards not Grammy Awards. Why must kiss on lips ? It’s yucky. Although seen as just a peck but obviously not acceptable. If it is acceptable and harmless, what about a male actor giving her a peck on the lips ?

[sall]

janet_lee88:

Sorry to say this...it's only Star Awards not Grammy Awards. Why must kiss on lips ? It's yucky. Although seen as just a peck but obviously not acceptable. If it is acceptable and harmless, what about a male actor giving her a peck on the lips ?

Even Grammy Awards, it's also not acceptable to kiss on lips for 2 ladies. What if it is man to man, lip to lip kiss. :yikes:

[pinky]

what fastest way to attract attention than this :evil:

anyway, dun like her arrogant answer after being questioned about viewers' reaction.
I never watch the show, just saw the comments in the papers and I-weekly.

[LOLMum]

sall:

janet_lee88:

Sorry to say this...it's only Star Awards not Grammy Awards. Why must kiss on lips ? It's yucky. Although seen as just a peck but obviously not acceptable. If it is acceptable and harmless, what about a male actor giving her a peck on the lips ?

Even Grammy Awards, it's also not acceptable to kiss on lips for 2 ladies. What if it is man to man, lip to lip kiss. :yikes:

If brad pit lock lips with tommy cruise, will have a larger pool of gay support. No 1 idol in gay community. So no problem.