Description
About the Author

In this part-memoir, part-manifesto, body image, identity and relationship to self come under scrutiny in the microcosm of Asia’s hot house—Singapore, playground of the crazy rich and OCD capital of the world. Written by former model turned dermatologist Dr Teo Wan Lin, this book is the hot (meaning, sweltering) girl’s guide to keeping cool while staying beautiful…like a tropical extraterrestrial.

Seriously.

Set in the early 2000s, Wan Lin, then a medical student moonlighting as a model, finds herself developing obsessive rituals—endless mirror checking, constant ruminations and self-doubt. Paid to party with the rich while pretending to be hot, what she tells no one, is that all she wants to do is perch under the air-con. She spins often in posh tutus in 6-inch stillettos, only to realise that pretense often isn’t enough, when she finds out she isn’t believed.

Along the way, she compiles a model’s guide to surviving society events for B-listers like herself—she wasn’t exotic Eurasian, but Singaporean Chinese; becoming an A-list Eurasian model’s sidekick, learning to haunt like a polite ghost (who really wasn’t on the guest list) and a doppelgänger known by a different name—these she called, tricks of the trade.

Through a heartfelt telling of one Singapore girl’s story, this book attempts to unravel the complexities of beauty standards, whether self-imposed or societal—it is dangerous to fall for stereotypes. Not just in the world of fashion and beauty, but also academia. Her message? Singapore’s obsession with labels has a price tag, too.
Dr Teo Wan Lin is a board-certified dermatologist, beauty entrepreneur and founder of clinical skincare brand Dr.TWL Dermaceuticals. Widely regarded as a thought leader in the Asian beauty sphere, her podcast Dermatologist Talks: Science of Beauty has collaborated with industry giants like Amore-Pacific, L’Oréal Paris and LVMH, amongst others.

Her published research includes that in the field of the brain-skin-axis, which explores themes of body dysmorphophobia in the age of cosmetic dermatology. Her commentary "On Thoughts, Emotions, Facial Expressions and Aging", published in the International Journal of Dermatology is a position paper highlighting the intersection of philosophy, psychology and biology in the perception of aging faces. She is also an international expert on the skin microbiome, as the author of white papers on maskne and biofunctional textiles in the top-ranked Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Formerly a model, she has been featured in numerous editorials for magazines such as Her World, Citta Bella, Shape, Cleo, Style as well as print/commercial campaigns for Maybelline, Kose, Fresh Kon, Tiger Beer, Citibank, Singtel and Sony Ericsson amongst others—back in the 2000s, when her journey in the business of beauty first began. Her unique perspective she feels, holds an important message for all who desire to see—beauty isn’t what she seems.

Authors

Hot & Sweaty Beauty