Zoe Tay is upfront about her preference for gentlemanly behaviour. On a recent episode of The Zoe and Liang Show released on Thursday (March 30), Zoe and Guo Liang discussed the criteria for their partners and explored why it is harder for the younger generations to get into relationships these days.
Joining them are invited guests local actresses Jernelle Oh and Kiki Lim, representing the millennials and Gen Zs respectively.
Guo Liang, 52, asked if Zoe had specific requirements for a partner when she was exploring her options.
Readily, the 55-year-veteran actress shared: “I wanted him to be decently pleasing to my eyes, hold a stable job, be filial to parents, responsible and have good manners to older people, and my family had to approve of him. It was important that he gets along well with my family.”
Kiki, 21, then asked if Zoe expected her then-boyfriend to pick her up for dates, as that is an expectation Kiki hears often.
Zoe explained that she could already drive when she first met her husband, but he and other suitors still insisted on picking her up from her workplace when they went out after work.
“He drove me from my office to my home, waited for me to change, then drove me to the club, after which he would send me home after the date. Men should dote on women this way! Right? That’s the benefit of being single [and pursued].
“A man must put in effort when they are pursuing a girl. That’s men being manly and a gentlemanly. I guess it’s also an advantage of being a girl,” Zoe chirped.
Kiki jumped in to add her two cents’ worth on how the effort should be reciprocal.
“I spend time and money on skincare and makeup, and if the guy doesn’t contribute anything, bye bye.”
When Jernelle, 28, asked Kiki if that was the reason she is single now, Kiki insisted that being single is good.
‘He was someone I was looking for’
Guo Liang probed Zoe about whether her husband had met all her requirements back then before they got together.
Zoe replied in the affirmative and elaborated: “He was someone I was looking for. We have our own flaws but we try to accommodate each other. We adapt to each other.”
The younger ones also shared a few of their criteria.
Kiki wants her future boyfriend to be pleasing to her eyes, have a career plan, have decent friends as they reflect his personality, and treat his parents well. He also has to be tall.
“He cannot be shorter than me!” Kiki, who is 166cm tall, emphasised.
Jernelle, who is currently in a relationship, shared that the person she is with now is very different from what she had wanted.
“I used to want my future partner to be nice to me, never lose his temper, look decent, tall, fair-skinned…”
Though her current boyfriend does not meet all of her criteria, she appreciates the fact that her partner gets along and communicates well with her, respects her and her family, and is able to manage his finances.
‘It’s hard to meet new people’
Zoe also wondered if there is a problem with people’s expectations as more and more people are staying single. Guo Liang offered his insight, saying that some people have too many criteria and cannot compromise at all.
Jernelle offered a sobering take, stating that many people simply don’t actively look for a partner.
“For people who work, it’s hard to meet new people. They may not socialise much, or they have a small social circle, so they may not meet new or suitable people. That’s in addition to their high criteria!”
Kiki seemed content with her single status, though, saying that the biggest perk is that she can “go clubbing anytime I want, nobody can control me!”
Everybody also chuckled at her self-confessed relief that she does not have to spend money celebrating her partner’s birthday.
