Are Chinese Singaporeans the 'least attractive'? Viral illustration sparks debate online

"A special kind of ugly."

That is what one netizen called Singaporean Chinese people.

An illustration comparing the facial features of men from various regions of China recently made its rounds on the internet, sparking debate online.

While one X post with over 5.7 million views described the depiction as "lifelike", several netizens responded that the picture seems biased against those from the southeastern areas of Guangdong and Guangxi.

"The creator of this image despises people from the southeast, and has made them look like cavemen," one comment read. 

Another countered that several Hong Kong celebrities, including Tony Leung, Aaron Kwok and Andy Lau, are of southeastern Chinese heritage and are considered attractive.

你别说，真的很传神。 pic.twitter.com/KkbGQgvs5J

— 运动水货 (@shuhongwei22) November 26, 2025

The fact that many Chinese Singaporeans originated from the southeastern regions of China did not escape the attention of local OnlyFans model Grace Hartie, who tried to put a positive spin on the image.

"The ugliest [type] of Chinese but also stereotypically known as the [type] of Chinese who make better traders and are typically more entrepreneurial," she wrote. 

Though she acknowledged that she considered northwestern Chinese people to be "physically more attractive in every way", Grace countered that they were not as well-known internationally.

"We might not be the best-looking, but... in the global leaderboard, Singaporeans have been killing it given our two million [ethnically Chinese] population," she wrote, adding that they were meant to "PVP", or fight player-versus-player with their brains and not their muscles.

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Some netizens agreed with the stereotypes, with one calling Hokkien people "uglier than northern Hans", albeit more "adventurous". 

"Sad to say it’s rather true. Being a Singaporean myself, I don’t find a Vivian Chow or an Edison Chen here," another comment said, paradoxically pointing to Hong Kong stars.

"But that said, I find the climate here does not encourage dressing up or putting on make-up. I mean, even if we try to better groom ourselves, the climate here is always a deterrent."

One particularly inflammatory reply read: "Singaporeans are a special kind of ugly. I am in Fujian right now. I was in Guangzhou." The person noted that the locals in both places are "way better looking" than Singaporeans.

In the defence of Singaporeans, Grace responded: "To be fair, plastic surgery advertisements are banned in Singapore because our government does not want to encourage this sort of culture."

While advertising cosmetic procedures is not banned in Singapore, it is heavily regulated and cannot be promoted by non-medical professionals, including social media influencers, unless they possess a Healthcare Services Act (HSCA) license.

One netizen countered: "Beauty standards are heavily influenced by cultural norms and media representations. That’s the reason we think they’re the 'ugliest'."

🇸🇬 Singaporeans are mainly southeast chinese.. 

The ugliest genre of Chinese but also stereotypically known as the genre of Chinese who make better traders & are typically more entrepreneurial. 

The better looking Chinese typically do not adventure out of China. Idk why..… https://t.co/xCWPd9fuTL

— Gracie Hartie ONLYF (@graciehartie) November 29, 2025

'Racist cartoon'

While some on X appeared to agree with the stereotypes, Redditors clapped back.

"Whoever drew this must be a Cantonese hater," a comment read.

In response, another Redditor wrote: "It's also a bit weird that the angle [of the southeastern man's face] is clearly different from the rest, making it seem like all their features protrude outwards."

Some suggested that the southeastern Chinese features were accurate, but it was the rest of the faces that were skewed.

"The Cantonese guy is the average guy. The rest are like the top one per cent. The average guy from Beijing ain't gonna be looking like that with their Beijing bikini on a hot day," a comment read.

However, others considered the illustration to be a caricature.

"The Guangdong guy is close to a racist cartoon. The other ones are communist fantasy," a Redditor wrote.

Another commented: "Images kinda have a eugenics/19th century crank medicine vibe to them... with a sprinkling of incel energy."

"This looks like phrenology and race science that clearly biases toward a certain aesthetic, but to be honest, there’s also nothing wrong with how the southeastern guy looks," another Redditor wrote.

"It’s like how Chinese people think Lucy Liu is ugly when she really isn’t. Many people look like that, and they look just fine."

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drimac@asiaone.com