Singapore's first magazine devoted to sex went on sale on Tuesday, but anyone looking for lurid pictures and articles will be disappointed.
The Love Airways magazine is the brainchild of self-styled sex guru Dr Wei Siang Yu, who goes by the name “Dr Love” and hosts a similarly-titled television show aimed at promoting open discussion of sex in this conservative society.
The magazine's debut November issue features articles on two forms of vaginal enhancement surgery, but readers seeking X-rated content will soon realise that specialists are dissecting the issues from a medical perspective. An advertisement urges readers to participate in a “design-a-vibrator” contest, while a former Singaporean beauty queen, who is now a veterinary doctor, writes about the “frisky mating style” of the tiger.
“I think the magazine tackles the taboo subject of sex very well. The magazine has an art magazine feel to it and the issues discussed are dealt with a good balance of information and entertainment,” a 21-yearold British woman, who saw the first issue, said.
Magazines like Playboy are banned in Singapore, whose government frowns on liberal Western social values but at the same time is alarmed by the city-state's falling birth rate and trend for people getting married much later in life.
Only 36,000 babies were born in Singapore last year, short of the 50,000 needed annually to naturally replenish the population. This has prompted the government to offer cash incentives to couples having more than two children, encourage foreigners to take up citizenship and ease up on previously taboo subjects like sex.
{{/usCountry}}Only 36,000 babies were born in Singapore last year, short of the 50,000 needed annually to naturally replenish the population. This has prompted the government to offer cash incentives to couples having more than two children, encourage foreigners to take up citizenship and ease up on previously taboo subjects like sex.
{{/usCountry}}In recent years, foreign maga zine franchises like FHM and Maxim, featuring scantily-clad cover girls, have been allowed to hit news stands. The easing of restrictions on discussing sex gave the Australian-educated Dr Wei a business opportunity — teach Singaporeans to be more open about their sexual feelings and, hopefully, have more babies.
“This magazine would have been impossible without the trust and support from the people and authorities of Singapore,” Wei writes in an editorial. “It's about time we get modern, positive and objective in managing sexual issues.”