8 Singapore celebs who are pushing 50 and proud to flaunt it
(Clockwise from left) Local celebrities Michelle Chia, Diana Ser and Constance Song. PHOTOS: COURTESY OF MICHELLE CHIA, COURTESY OF DIANA SER, GIN TAY
Jeanmarie Tan
Senior Correspondent
Jan 8, 2022
SINGAPORE - Who are you calling a grandma? These body-confident local female celebrities in their mid-40s and beyond are kicking off 2022 by rising above ageism and defying expectations, the odds and the passing of time.
1. Cynthia Koh, 47
When Cynthia Koh went for a last-minute fitting a week before she was due to attend the Asian Academy Creative Awards on Dec 3, she was pleasantly surprised that she was able to squeeze into the blue Michael Kors cut-out gown held together by chains of circular rings that celebrity stylist Keith Png had picked out for her.
After all, it was a US size 2 and she is usually a US size 4.
However, the actress felt less than confident when she first laid eyes on the now-famous dress that boasts a plunging neckline and thigh-high slit.
She tells TheStraits Times: "It was beautiful and unique, not your conventional red-carpet gown. But I was thinking, 'Am I slim enough to carry it off? Can I even fit into it?'
"When I could, I felt like it was a celebratory gift."
She posted a picture of herself wearing it at the awards ceremony - where she won Best Supporting Actress for her role in popular local television series My Star Bride - on her Instagram account, which has 80,700 followers.
While most comments were positive, some netizens shamed her for trying to be sexy, questioning why she wore a revealing outfit even though she can be a grandmother at her age.
The Mediacorp artiste then made headlines when she clapped back at her haters on her Instagram story, writing: "If your grandmother is as hot and sexy and can carry the outfit well, please wear it."
She added that losing weight and maintaining her current figure takes a lot of "discipline and commitment".
She also encouraged all women to "flaunt it" if they have it.
"If you can look classy, still have all the great curves, don't hide them. They don't last forever. Milk it while it lasts."
PHOTOS: CYNTHIA KOH/INSTAGRAM, ADE LAU
The viral saga even landed Koh a spot on a Greek news show, with the female presenters saying she looked great and that the negative remarks were not warranted - something which she shared on her Instagram story.
Koh says she did not want to suffer ageism in silence.
"Because what's wrong? As a woman, why shouldn't I be dolling up and dressing beautifully? Also, an awards ceremony is a platform to showcase the best part of yourself.
"So I'm glad I stood up for myself against that form of cyber bullying, in a tongue-in-cheek manner."
She says her branding is "all about positivity" - which is why she also wants to use her platform to help motivate other women even more this year.
Her weight loss journey began in February last year, when she was 58kg at 1.6m tall. "The wake-up call was when I was going for pants in L size. I never hit L before and I felt lost."
She has adopted a low-GI (glycaemic index), calorie-deficit diet, sticking to 300-calorie meals, servings of quinoa and basmati rice, and snacking on apples, celery, egg whites and cucumber. She in-line skates once a week, and does BodyPump weight training and RPM indoor cycling twice a week. She also weighs herself daily on a Karada Scan scale that measures body mass index, visceral fat level and basal metabolic rate.
Her commitment has paid off and she is now a svelte 51kg.
Koh, who is not married and has no children, jokes that she is "reverse ageing" when it comes to work too. Around 2015 to 2017, she felt stereotyped playing "auntie roles" in her late 30s, but she has not been typecast in the last few years.
A casting director even remarked that she has been looking younger and younger, and she went from playing the mum to the aunt or elder sister.
Koh says: "To those who are battling hormonal changes or slow metabolism, or are pre-menopausal, there's still a chance. It's really never too late to take those baby steps towards living well.
"I just want to be fit and healthy in my old age so I can enjoy the things I love, like travelling and hiking. Your body is a vehicle that travels with you, so you have to take care of it."