Singapore magazine takes XXX out of sex
Posted: 31 October 2006 1206 hrs
SINGAPORE - Singapore's first magazine devoted to sex went on sale 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-year-old British woman, who saw the first issue, told AFP.
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.
In recent years, foreign magazine 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.
The magazine's inaugural issue does provide some mild titillation -- an article explores Japan's "love motels" and there are artistic black-and-white photographs of nude women.
One story on the "scent of seduction" is accompanied by a photo of a nude woman with a sunflower superimposed on her genitalia.
There are phallic symbols and erotic advertisements, among them a "love swing" that promises a "comfortable seat and fur-lined stirrups that allow you to explore sexual positions that defy gravity."
"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. We can do a lot more than get our knowledge from pornography and sexual scandals."
Wei told AFP his company has printed about 8,000 copies of the maiden issue -- priced at 4.50 Singapore dollars (2.84 US) -- for sale in bookstores, 24-hour retail chains, news stands, pharmacies and supermarkets.
The subscription base is expected to grow to 100,000 within one year, claimed Wei, who plans to launch an Indonesian version of the magazine next month and sell an edition in India by the first quarter of next year. - AFP/ir
Singaporean self-proclaimed love guru Wei Siang Yu (C)
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stori...238560/1/.html
