THEY call it Tease & Wash - Singapore's first topless car wash.
That's what the founders of a new motoring classifieds website are promising as part of a publicity stunt - a one-off private car wash with topless women for a group of lucky winners.
As a teaser, they've created videos and photos of two scantily clad models posing with various props (think cars, hoses and sudsy sponges), and uploaded them on YouTube, Facebook and their own website.
Some sceptical netizens have posted comments on the portal's Facebook page, asking if the event is for real.
Organiser Gerald Chen, 29, the founder of a new motoring portal, claims it is. The topless car wash is to attract publicity for the portal, which will be launched on 1 Oct.
Anyone who introduces five friends to become 'fans' of the car wash's Facebook page will become eligible for the draw.
The date for the wash itself has not been fixed, but it will be between 26 Sep and 1 Oct.
Mr Chen told The New Paper on Sunday that the company has spent almost $25,000 to film and produce the videos as a run-up to the event.
He estimated that the event itself will cost another $10,000, while he has poured in almost $45,000 to set up the portal, which is still under construction.
'If it's a hoax, it's just a waste of time. People will just flame us,' he said.
'No gimmicks, no men in monkey suits. We are doing this for real.'
He said he has taken steps to ensure the event doesn't run foul of the law. (See report on facing page.)
Mr Chen is upfront about his publicity stunt and admits he's out to court controversy.
He said that sex sells and that advertising has to be something different, controversial at best, to attract attention.
He added: 'And girls and cars, they get paired naturally.'
'Artistic'
His wife of two years, Ms Lisa Chew, 25, is game to go along with it.
She said: 'It's something really interesting and new in Singapore... I will totally enjoy seeing the topless event with him.'
Both have kept the project under wraps from their families and friends to surprise them and see their reactions when it happens.
Mr Chen stressed the car wash event and portal will not be a 'sleaze fest'.
His key word: artistic.
'Many suggestive scenes, but nothing explicit,' he said.
Mr Chen admitted that it wasn't easy to find girls for the topless car wash.
He had a list of criteria for the girls: presentable, moves well, willing to be topless, and not signed to any modelling agency, so there would be no issues with posting the pictures on the website.
With the help of a photographer, he eventually found five girls, aged 22 to 28. Each will be paid about $1,000.
He said all five wished to remain anonymous and did not want to be interviewed.
Mr Chen hired another two models to take part in the videos to promote the event.
One of them is a 19-year-old polytechnic student and part-time model, who wanted to be known only as Jan.
She auditioned for the job not knowing it was for a topless event, and admitted to being shocked at first.
She said that while she had done a nude shoot before for a private jewellery collection, she was not comfortable being part of the topless car wash due to 'networking constraints'.
'Singapore is a very small country, and I don't do this (modelling) full-time,' she said.
But she agreed to be part of the publicity video, after seeing another model's clips.
She said: 'It's very tastefully done. That's why I did it.'
For Mr Chen, the motoring portal and topless car wash gimmick are far removed from his previous job. He said he worked in banks for five years before quitting in April. He was earning close to $100,000 a year then.
Ms Chew, his wife of two years, also works in a bank. She's the silent partner in the online venture.
She admitted she was concerned at first about her husband quitting his job to start his own business.
But since they started dating six years ago, she knew he was into cars, just like his father.
She said: 'Every night, I see him surfing car websites. He likes to design his own car, choose his own specs and show me. I can see he's happier, he's really into this industry.'
After months of market research on existing portals, Mr Chen decided to take the plunge.
Apart from motoring classifieds, the portal will also feature DIY videos on maintaining cars, like how to do basic waxing and polishing.
There will also be photo and video productions with a selected 'girl of the month', alongside feature cars.
Will the website become overly girl-centric?
Said Mr Chen: 'We are looking to create traffic, but at the same time not compromise the objective of the website.
'The photographs and videos in future will be motoring-centred. There won't be a shot of a girl without featuring a car.'
Lawyer: Topless car wash illegal if....
CAN a topless car wash be held legally in Singapore?
Organiser Gerald Chen said he consulted a friend - a retired police officer - before deciding on the event format, though he admitted there were several 'grey' areas.
He has labelled it as a 'private' event, which will be attended only by the 20 contest winners, who will each be allowed to bring a friend.
It will be held on private property, likely a friend's house.
The winners and their friends will be allowed to see, but not touch or photograph the girls.
Mr Chen is hiring an official photographer, but uploaded pictures will be censored to cover up any nudity.
'Bearing in mind the country we are in, we will take the necessary precautions to protect the underaged public,' he said.
When told of the event format by The New Paper on Sunday, lawyer Looi Teck Kheong noted that a person who appears nude in a public place or in a private place that is exposed to public view will be committing an offence.
Offenders can be fined up to $2,000, jailed up to three months, or both under the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance) Act.
The Act also refers to persons dressed in a manner that offends public decency.
Said Mr Looi: 'The question is, is it a private event?'
He wondered if an event attended by 40 people could still be considered 'private'.
He noted that it is a 'grey area', and the more people there are, the stronger you can argue that there is 'public view'.
He said that in the first place, there was a public invitation asking people to participate.
'So there is already public exposure to this so-called private event,' he said.
Those present at the event could also lodge a complaint against those exposing themselves, if they feel offended.
'But I assume the guys will not (do so),' Mr Looi said wryly.
He added that members of the public who learn of the event and are outraged could also ask the authorities to investigate.
Mr Looi said it is not just the organisers, but also the topless women, who could run afoul of the law, so they should think it through carefully.
That's what the founders of a new motoring classifieds website are promising as part of a publicity stunt - a one-off private car wash with topless women for a group of lucky winners.
As a teaser, they've created videos and photos of two scantily clad models posing with various props (think cars, hoses and sudsy sponges), and uploaded them on YouTube, Facebook and their own website.
Some sceptical netizens have posted comments on the portal's Facebook page, asking if the event is for real.
Organiser Gerald Chen, 29, the founder of a new motoring portal, claims it is. The topless car wash is to attract publicity for the portal, which will be launched on 1 Oct.
Anyone who introduces five friends to become 'fans' of the car wash's Facebook page will become eligible for the draw.
The date for the wash itself has not been fixed, but it will be between 26 Sep and 1 Oct.
Mr Chen told The New Paper on Sunday that the company has spent almost $25,000 to film and produce the videos as a run-up to the event.
He estimated that the event itself will cost another $10,000, while he has poured in almost $45,000 to set up the portal, which is still under construction.
'If it's a hoax, it's just a waste of time. People will just flame us,' he said.
'No gimmicks, no men in monkey suits. We are doing this for real.'
He said he has taken steps to ensure the event doesn't run foul of the law. (See report on facing page.)
Mr Chen is upfront about his publicity stunt and admits he's out to court controversy.
He said that sex sells and that advertising has to be something different, controversial at best, to attract attention.
He added: 'And girls and cars, they get paired naturally.'
'Artistic'
His wife of two years, Ms Lisa Chew, 25, is game to go along with it.
She said: 'It's something really interesting and new in Singapore... I will totally enjoy seeing the topless event with him.'
Both have kept the project under wraps from their families and friends to surprise them and see their reactions when it happens.
Mr Chen stressed the car wash event and portal will not be a 'sleaze fest'.
His key word: artistic.
'Many suggestive scenes, but nothing explicit,' he said.
Mr Chen admitted that it wasn't easy to find girls for the topless car wash.
He had a list of criteria for the girls: presentable, moves well, willing to be topless, and not signed to any modelling agency, so there would be no issues with posting the pictures on the website.
With the help of a photographer, he eventually found five girls, aged 22 to 28. Each will be paid about $1,000.
He said all five wished to remain anonymous and did not want to be interviewed.
Mr Chen hired another two models to take part in the videos to promote the event.
One of them is a 19-year-old polytechnic student and part-time model, who wanted to be known only as Jan.
She auditioned for the job not knowing it was for a topless event, and admitted to being shocked at first.
She said that while she had done a nude shoot before for a private jewellery collection, she was not comfortable being part of the topless car wash due to 'networking constraints'.
'Singapore is a very small country, and I don't do this (modelling) full-time,' she said.
But she agreed to be part of the publicity video, after seeing another model's clips.
She said: 'It's very tastefully done. That's why I did it.'
For Mr Chen, the motoring portal and topless car wash gimmick are far removed from his previous job. He said he worked in banks for five years before quitting in April. He was earning close to $100,000 a year then.
Ms Chew, his wife of two years, also works in a bank. She's the silent partner in the online venture.
She admitted she was concerned at first about her husband quitting his job to start his own business.
But since they started dating six years ago, she knew he was into cars, just like his father.
She said: 'Every night, I see him surfing car websites. He likes to design his own car, choose his own specs and show me. I can see he's happier, he's really into this industry.'
After months of market research on existing portals, Mr Chen decided to take the plunge.
Apart from motoring classifieds, the portal will also feature DIY videos on maintaining cars, like how to do basic waxing and polishing.
There will also be photo and video productions with a selected 'girl of the month', alongside feature cars.
Will the website become overly girl-centric?
Said Mr Chen: 'We are looking to create traffic, but at the same time not compromise the objective of the website.
'The photographs and videos in future will be motoring-centred. There won't be a shot of a girl without featuring a car.'
Lawyer: Topless car wash illegal if....
CAN a topless car wash be held legally in Singapore?
Organiser Gerald Chen said he consulted a friend - a retired police officer - before deciding on the event format, though he admitted there were several 'grey' areas.
He has labelled it as a 'private' event, which will be attended only by the 20 contest winners, who will each be allowed to bring a friend.
It will be held on private property, likely a friend's house.
The winners and their friends will be allowed to see, but not touch or photograph the girls.
Mr Chen is hiring an official photographer, but uploaded pictures will be censored to cover up any nudity.
'Bearing in mind the country we are in, we will take the necessary precautions to protect the underaged public,' he said.
When told of the event format by The New Paper on Sunday, lawyer Looi Teck Kheong noted that a person who appears nude in a public place or in a private place that is exposed to public view will be committing an offence.
Offenders can be fined up to $2,000, jailed up to three months, or both under the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance) Act.
The Act also refers to persons dressed in a manner that offends public decency.
Said Mr Looi: 'The question is, is it a private event?'
He wondered if an event attended by 40 people could still be considered 'private'.
He noted that it is a 'grey area', and the more people there are, the stronger you can argue that there is 'public view'.
He said that in the first place, there was a public invitation asking people to participate.
'So there is already public exposure to this so-called private event,' he said.
Those present at the event could also lodge a complaint against those exposing themselves, if they feel offended.
'But I assume the guys will not (do so),' Mr Looi said wryly.
He added that members of the public who learn of the event and are outraged could also ask the authorities to investigate.
Mr Looi said it is not just the organisers, but also the topless women, who could run afoul of the law, so they should think it through carefully.
