S'porean provides amusing commentary on PM Lee's iconic pink shirts over the years

Not quite fifty shades, but there have been a lot of pink shirts.

Ashley Tan | March 15, 2020, 12:22 PM

Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong tends to make public addresses for big events or in times of (potential) crises.

On Mar. 12, a public address of his regarding stepping up measures for the Covid-19 outbreak went international.

And it seems his calm and soothing address garnered him quite a number of fans overseas.

Running commentary

During the address, PM Lee was clad in a pink button-up shirt, which you might have noticed that he has a habit of wearing over the years.

One Singaporean, Izyanti Asa'ari, a graphic designer, certainly took note.

She took to Instagram to document this trend, with some insightful comments of her own.

Screenshots of her stories were subsequently reposted to Facebook.

Photo from Izyanti Aza'ari

Starting off with the address on Mar. 12, which Izyanti rated "very good".

The shirt was paired with a subtle tie in a different shade of pink as well.

Photo from Izyanti Aza'ari

There's PM Lee's address on Feb. 8, where he urged Singaporeans to remain calm and not to hoard goods.

This particular pink shirt of his did not fare well in Izyanti’s eyes—it resembled Pepto-Bismol too much.

Along with some other concerns for the wellbeing of Singapore's prime minister:

"That slouch cos they make him sit in a low-back chair and he probably haven't sleep how many days already.

PMO HOW COULD U [sic]"

Photo from Izyanti Aza'ari

This rather bright shirt appears to have been worn during PM Lee's 2013 National Day Rally speech.

Photo from Izyanti Aza'ari

Photo from Izyanti Aza'ari

Here's one of PM Lee's classic pink short-sleeved shirts.

Photo from Izyanti Aza'ari

And this one paired with an outstanding deep pink tie.

Photo from Izyanti Aza'ari

This screenshot might have been of a speech PM Lee made before 2011, when spectacles were still a part of his wardrobe.

The specs did give him a rather studious look.

Photo from Izyanti Aza'ari

Why pink??

PM Lee and his pink shirts have become something of an icon.

And this has certainly drawn the eye of a number of Singaporeans, so much so that it has spawned a Reddit thread and even a Quora question wondering why this colour (apparently) dominates so much of his wardrobe.

Some commenters have come up with a number of hypotheses, and speculated that the colour might lend him a softer visage, making him look kinder and more affable.

Meanwhile, this is the reason PM Lee himself gave during a Ask Me Anything session in 2015.

Screenshot from Lim Zhenghong / Quora

If you're interested, here are some of his other pink outfits.

Including this particularly flashy one.

Top photo from Izyanti Aza'ari