The illustration is a reactionary piece to the racial micro aggressions towards Vietnamese women, and by extension foreign workers, in Singapore after a new COVID outbreak was discovered at KTV clubs in July 2021. A KTV is a "karaoke bar" which mostly employ young women from poorer neighbouring countries, who are vulnerable to sexual exploitation and shunned by the wider society. With the new COVID outbreak, the public were quick to blame and make fun of these workers, who were simply trying to make a living during a pandemic. While the workers are complicit in breaking social distancing rules, and had to face appropriate legal actions, the blame is not entirely on one racial group but an entire system of exploitation. Empathy is the way to go.
As the only Vietnamese girl in my grade throughout my schooling in Singapore, I have experienced these small acts of racism disguised as jokes way too often. This piece is very personal to me, it is my way of speaking up.
WORK SCOPE
Illustration
