SINGAPORE, April 2 — She upcycles discarded goods, co-owns an artisanal cold brew coffee startup and models part-time on the side.
No she’s not a millennial: Ong Bee Yan is 65 years old and a grandmother of two.
Since being scouted to be a model two years ago, the former public relations executive has catapulted to the limelight, most recently gracing the cover of this month’s issue of Harper’s Bazaar Singapore magazine.
Despite already garnering more than 1,800 followers on her Instagram account, where she began documenting her modelling journey half a year ago, Ong is still surprised by the attention she gets.
“I don’t see what’s the big deal,” she said over the phone when this reporter asked for an interview about her appearance in the fashion magazine.
It was only when she began receiving messages from friends and family congratulating her for being on the magazine cover that she realised what an achievement it was.
Seated in the living room of her home in Serangoon, the silver-haired sexagenarian confessed: “I guess maybe I’m out of touch with what people perceive as success.”
Ong, who admits to being camera shy, never set out to become a model. In fact, she said she never saw herself as attractive.
“My image of a model is that she has to be tall, slim, drop-dead gorgeous. So, never in my wildest dreams, have I ever imagined myself to be a model,” she said.
“I think society is more accepting, more inclusive of people — whatever their age, gender or imperfections they have.”
‘Elderpreneur’
Ong first began gaining the attention of the public when she came out of retirement in late 2016 and founded a company called 1degreeC, selling cold brew coffee and tea with her husband, Richard Koh, 59.
When they set up shop at pop-up events, people started noticing the couple selling what Ong calls “millennial drinks” among the youthful crowd. The media soon started terming them “elderpreneurs”.
The turning point, she said, was two-and-a-half years ago when she began growing out her grey hair instead of dyeing it.
“That was the time I decided to embrace my age,” she said.
Not long after, a local clothing label Graye invited her to model for a range of casual t-shirts, which paved the way for her unexpected modelling career.
She has gone on to model for luxury fashion magazine L’Officiel Singapore, local womenswear label Store Unda and American cosmetics brand IT Cosmetics.
Her entrepreneurship and modelling journey has challenged her to embrace a very different industry from the one she left to become a homemaker for 12 years.
She learnt photography and social media marketing skills which were alien to her. She even began picking up the lingo of the younger generation — gig, BTS (behind the scenes) and OOTD (outfit of the day) — which she keenly showed off during the interview.
“I’m very blessed because I get to mingle with young people, so I get to learn from them, much more than they learn from me,” said Ong.
Last year, she started an Instagram account called grey_evolution, to inspire others her age to step out of their comfort zone and to feel comfortable with ageing. She is also planning to host soap- and candle-making workshops for seniors.
It has also been a learning journey for Koh, a self-described chaperone for his wife, who has been tasked with taking behind-the-scenes shots for her.
“There are many people who are older who think they cannot do things, so Yan is a living example of pushing her limits, going beyond where she thought she could have done and being willing to try,” said Koh, his eyes watering with pride.
A family affair
Today, Ong juggles modelling for photoshoots almost every week and running the company on top of setting aside time to spend with her two grandchildren.
She also makes it a point to do strength and weight training twice a week, a habit she picked up when she was in her forties.
Ong said she still gets butterflies in her stomach before every photoshoot.
But when the lights turn on, her alter ego kicks in and her effortless poses exudes anything but nervousness.
Her modelling career has become almost a family affair. Her son, Chia Rong Liang, who is a freelance filmmaking technician, often gives her photo-taking advice.
Everytime she goes for a modelling gig, she will be accompanied by either her husband or one of her children.
Chia, 36, said: “Definitely, my mom has more swag than me.” — TODAY
