Why are Singaporeans arguing about morning showers?

To shower or not to shower in the morning? This is the burning question that’s got everyone in a chokehold lately. And yes, there most certainly is a correct answer if you ask me. 

It all started with a TikTok, as all modern discourse does, when user Ms Steph Leong, or @mianbaobreadpan, made a public plea for Singaporeans to shower in the morning before leaving the house. 

In the video, she called out the un-showered directly and lamented the all-too-familiar odour she often catches a whiff of on public transport: “Y’all smell like you have not washed your bedsheets in months and you have marinated in months of night sweats and hair oil.”

Unsurprisingly, her choice of words drew attention and divided the nation into two camps; those who are pro-morning showers and pro-night showers.

This age-old debate about hygiene and shower habits is certainly nothing new; we’ve seen the same public uproar in the past. Remember when Kristen Bell admitted that she didn’t regularly bathe her children?

So why does it seem so much more heated and divisive this time around, to the extent that even our neighbours up north feel compelled to chime in and write rap songs telling us to shower?

The case for showering in the morning

If it weren’t obvious enough, I fervently belong to this camp. Freshening up with a good, cold shower in the morning is a necessity for me to start the day. It wakes me up and washes off whatever’s been marinating on my skin at night. Above all, it makes me smell clean.

When I was living on my university campus, I even opted to pay more to get a room with an attached bathroom, so that I wouldn’t have to wait in line for the communal shower. Morning showers are that important for me.

But the personal benefits of morning showers are almost always never the focus of TikTokers in this camp. They are particularly frustrated by the odour from those who skip their morning showers, which becomes more noticeable in crowded, confined public spaces like on the MRT and buses. 

Aside from Ms Leong, other users have also voiced their frustration.

User @benwhoah, known for his explosive rants, described the smell as something that could “kill the entire community”.

Another TikTok user, @runnerkao, touched briefly on nose blindness, where those who only shower at night may think that they don’t smell bad because they’re used to their own scents, but strangers pick up on them instantly.

Ultimately, the bone that those in the pro-morning shower camp have to pick with their counterpart is their lack of consideration for the people around them.

As Ms Leong put it: “Showering in the morning is just basic courtesy to the people that you’re going to interact with throughout the day.”

From here on out, the shower debate became more about how to navigate the fine line between collective responsibility and personal autonomy; what we owe to others and what boundaries we should respect when it comes to others’ individual preferences and lifestyles.

In defense of the night owls

The most popular argument for not showering in the morning is the fact that we are a sleep-deprived nation. If you’ve already showered in the evening, why waste those extra few minutes of precious sleep in the morning to brace the cold of a morning shower?

In a video that garnered 32,000 likes, user @xinderellah explained while gesturing to her under-eyes, “Already not enough sleep, you still expect us to wake up earlier to shower? That is not happening.”

Others also added that they do not sweat at night because they sleep in air-conditioned rooms and hence don’t see why they should waste water showering again in the morning. 

Influencer @dewychoo claims that you don’t need to shower in the morning to smell good. Instead, she recommends wearing deodorant and using body wipes to freshen up.

What a doctor has to say

So, is there a right answer to end this debate once and for all?

Dr Iroshini Chua, medical director, Dr Kevin Chua Medical & Aesthetics, says that showering in the morning or at night depends on personal preference.

Regardless, everyone should be showering at least once a day, given that Singapore is humid and can make us feel sticky. Dr Chua herself showers at least twice a day to feel comfortable and relaxed. 

For those who are worried about excessive showering impacting their skin, Dr Chua says that it’s got more to do with the products you use. Some products can dry your skin out, and if used too often will irritate your skin and cause an allergic reaction.

In regard to body odour, Dr Chua explains that genetics and diet can affect how we sweat and in turn, how our skin smells. While most Asians don’t tend to excrete the protein that is responsible for body odour, eating a lot of sulphur-rich foods, for example, can change how you smell.

Although there is no prescribed timing for how long a shower should be for us to actually get “clean”, Dr Chua recommends a shower of between five to 15 minutes, depending on water pressure.

“Mandi-lah Singapura” (translates to: Go shower, Singapore)

At the end of the day, having showered in the morning or not is not something that can be verified. That is, unless you smell bad or make a TikTok about it. 

But if you’re already taking five minutes to wash your face, brush your teeth, and then douse yourself with perfume, what’s another five to rinse your body, soap it, rinse off, and dry off?

I believe that it’s worth considering the impact of our personal choices on those around us. While yes, our preferences are important, Singapore’s a small country where we share space with strangers every day. We need to find that balance between our own comfort and the community’s.

After all, don’t we owe it to each other to not assault one another’s nostrils?