Intimates
Don't shy leh; let's talk about intimacy.
From dating to sex toys, male-pattern baldness to body image, Intimates is where we talk about our private parts—both physical and psychological.
As society shifts towards franker discussions of our relationship with the intimate self, we dive deep into the culture of intimacy, and all the messy, personal shenanigans that come with it.
Articles in Series
Intimates
Oh Nothing, Just Me and My Mum Trying Out Vulva Care Products Together
Photography by Zachary Tang. These days, talking about our bodies isn’t as taboo as it was anymore. Even in conservative Asian cultures such as ours, we’ve shifted towards franker discussions of our relationship with sexuality and self. In our ‘Intimates’ series, we’d like to kickstart ope
Intimates
This Polyamorous Commune in Singapore Aims to Help People Find Authenticity in Relationships
Photography by Liang Jin Tey / RICE Media. Gabe and Elle first met through a dating app. They watched Jumanji on their first date, and it just so happened that they had the same lifestyle philosophy about open relationships. For both of them, the scripted Singapore relationship is far from appeali
Intimates
Singaporean Gen-Z Boys Don’t Want To Be Like Their Fathers
Top image: Shahzan Ariz. Photography by Marisse Caine. This is part one of a series of articles about Singaporean masculinity and how it is changing. In this episode we speak to Gen-Z boys who are confidently male, yet have an evolved idea of how this should be expressed. In the following episodes w
Intimates
The LOLs and Loneliness of Being Lola, The OnlyFans Girl
All images by Zachary Tang; screenshots from Lola's Instagram. Thousands of people know what Lola Woo looks like semi-naked, but there's much more to her they haven't seen. Here are some things I’ve learned about her, better known as beforeiko to her legions of followers (and not a few lurke
Intimates
After A Lifetime Of Being Sidelined, People With Disabilities Are Reclaiming Their Sexuality
Illustrations by Ansh Sirohi. Like many millennials in their 20s, Anna* (not her real name) knows what she wants and is not afraid to express it online. Her blog Disabled Fables is about sex. It has black-and-white pictures of her lying—naked, with a lace cloth draped provocatively over her brea
Intimates
“I hated looking in the mirror”: Plus-sized Pole Dancers On What It Means To Be Sexy
All images by Zachary Tang. Top image: Wan Ridyaton posing in The Brass Barre, a pole dancing studio located at Orchard Central. The moment Wan Ridyaton’s hand makes contact with the cool steel of the pole at The Brass Barre, her face relaxes, the muscles in her body tighten in anticipation, an
Intimates
For Trans Women In Singapore, Appealing To High Beauty Standards Is A Matter Of Survival
Photography by Marisse Caine. Benitha Naagarajan was in secondary school when she realised she was trans, so she set out to look for other girls like her. But there was only one place in Singapore where she knew she’d find other trans women: Geylang. Upon meeting trans women for the f
Intimates
Queer And Over 55: Older LGBTQ+ Singaporeans On Coming Out, Finding Love, and Making Their Lives Here
Top image: Nick Karvounis/Unsplash A year ago, while conducting interviews for a series on LGBTQ+ Singaporeans, a question kept churning in my mind: where are all the older people? Ageism exists across society, and is in no way limited to the LGBTQ+ community. But combined, the two pr
Intimates
Sex, Wellness & Satisfaction in Singapore: Debunking Myths On Sex Toys
All images by Marisse Caine for RICE Media. Maybe you’ve seen some oddly-shaped water bottles at Don Don Donki, only to find out that they were sex toys, not water bottles. Or maybe you were curious about that teal blue silicone banana-shaped thing at Watsons, but immediately shied away be
Intimates
“We’re The First To Go, Last To Come Back”: The Precarious Lives Of Nightclub Dancers In A Pandemic
Top image: nightclub dancer Ingelica Lee As we hit the middle of June, I think of how this is one of the best months for partygoers in Singapore. Summer anthems start taking over the airwaves, schools are on holidays, and friends living overseas come back to visit the red dot, calling for instant c
Intimates
OKLETSGO: Misogyny Is Just The Tip Of The Iceberg
Image credit: Nuria Ling / TODAY Famous Spotify podcast stars of OKLETSGO (OLG) have been accused of propagating misogynistic content in their series. On 15 June, President Halimah Yacob asked the channel’s three DJs to apologise for objectifying and debasing women. On his Facebook post, one of
Intimates
The 15 Days No Food Challenge
For the next 15 days, you are only allowed to drink meal replacements. Three scoops, three shakes, three times a day. Strictly. No. Food. Allowed. Would you accept this challenge? Two of our colleagues, Nate and Marisse, investigate the gains to be had – or lost.
Intimates
Is It Wrong To Use The SAF Uniform for Fetish Play? A Sex Therapist Explains
Top image: Bao Menglong / Unsplash. All other images: RICE File Photos. Earlier this week, photographs of two men, clad in the SAF uniform, and engaging in BDSM activities, went viral on Twitter. Someone bored retweeted the post, said “LOL”, and tagged MINDEF. A police report was subsequently f
Intimates
How Becoming A Cam Girl Freed This Singaporean Woman Of Her Self-Esteem Issues
Everyday at around noon, Dana sits in her bedroom and starts a live show for her fans. There’s a routine to it: Dana announces when she will go live on her social media channels a few hours early, she sets up her iPhone and a ring light in her bedroom, and voilà—dozens of viewers join her strea
Intimates
Meet The Singaporean Woman Who Went From Corporate HR To Selling Sex Toys
Images by Marisse Caine. “Since this virus outbreak, I have been so busy,” Janice tells me as we sit down for a chat in her home. Finding the time for the interview amid this pandemic was not easy—she has been getting plenty of new clients looking for new ways to fill their days.
Intimates
A Dominatrix, Drag Queen, and Sex Worker Tell Us How Covid-19 Has Hurt Their Jobs
In a matter of weeks, most of us have had to change our working habits because of the Covid-19 outbreak. Working from home, practising social distancing, and even self-isolation have become a norm for many workers—or at least for those with jobs that allow for this. While some of us are able to
Intimates
Between The Sheets: Monica and Vitiligo
Sex is empowering because we bare all of ourselves to someone else, forcing us to love (or come to terms) with our bodies. But what if you have a condition which makes you look different from everyone else? Diagnosed with vitiligo, a skin condition, at 12, Monica was taught to bury her white patc
Intimates
Growing Up With Vitiligo, I Was Bullied—Until I Became A Bully
All Images by RICE staff. “Panda eyes.” “Inverted zebra.” These are just some of the names Monica was called in class when her skin started turning patchy due to a condition called Vitiligo, which she was diagnosed with at the age of 12. Vitiligo is a disorder of the pigment
Intimates
We Know That Beauty Standards Are Unrealistic. But What Does It Mean to Opt Out of Them?
Top image: For their #NOCOMPETITION campaign, SK-II has teamed up with Olympic athletes, including gymnast Simone Biles, surfer Mahina Maeda, swimmer Liu Xiang, table tennis player Kasumi Ishikawa, badminton duo Ayaka Takahashi and Misaki Matsutomo, and Hinotori Nippon, the Japanese national volleyb
Intimates
The Awkward LGBTQ+ Guide To Chinese New Year
(Cover image: Ching, with her partner.) “For the past years, I have been escaping Chinese New Year by travelling.” In recent years, James, a 29-year-old creative, has stopped showing up for the festivities. “Growing up, it was fun to visit each other's families. But as you grow
Intimates
A Brown Girl’s Guide To Navigating The World Of Online Dating
Illustration by Marisse Caine. After a terrible introduction to the perils of young love, I stayed clear of boys (yes I mean boys, for men were a far cry from the kind I was surrounded with) for quite some time. Yet if dating—be it online or through friends—was not something I was keen on,
Intimates
To Level the Dating Playing Field, Debunk the Myth of the Female Biological Clock
Illustration by A Good Citizen. It was a busy Friday night at the cosy rooftop restaurant Mr Stork, a chic establishment overlooking the Singapore skyline. My date for the night was a portly man in his late thirties, carrying a British passport. He was a successful hedge fund manager from the Uni
Intimates
I Was One of Those Crazy, Dieting, Fitness-Obsessed Guys
All images by Zachary Tang and Cheryl Tang. When Terence takes off his singlet for our photoshoot, RICE’s photographer involuntarily ejaculates a very audible, “Oh my god”. I can’t quite capture in words the sense of awe sheer musculature and physicality ca
Intimates
Advice From A Professional Dominatrix: If You Want Better Sex, Talk About It
All artwork by Lady Lola. This piece contains content which is NSFW. Reader discretion is advised. Halfway through talking to James about dildos, I remember the family sitting at the table behind me. James and I are having lunch at a cafe near his office. We look like your average young pr
Intimates
What Can Sex Addicts Teach Us About Love?
Illustrations by A Good Citizen This story is part of a series on addiction where we try to unpack the psychology behind addictive behaviours, as well as the cultural and medical complexities that make kicking the habit so difficult. Sex is that one thing we all love to not talk about. It
Intimates
I Got Dumped For Sweating Too Much
All illustrations by Lydia Tan “Shaun! Your shirt is drenched. How on earth are you going to be able to pay attention in my class?!” she asked, exasperated. It was after a particularly sweaty session of football during recess, but I was the only one who was singled out by our English teac
