Sayoni Hot 20 List 2008: Results!

The wait is over! This entire process of nomination and voting has been really fun for all of us here (except the ones who has to count the votes). Much hair was torn by the voters in trying to decide the ranking, and much debate over the type of women we nominate. But for this year, this is it! Queer women have spoken their mind, and until next year, these women are our queens. And did we mention that some of the queens have given their much-surprised responses to the ranking?

Without further adieu… ranked first is….. [insert drumroll]

1. Rebecca Tan

It is not just that Rebecca is a complete girl-loving-girl, and unafraid to be out and about in the scene. With her Pan-Asian heritage and perfect features, there is not much of a question why we all like to keep looking at Rebecca Tan. In fact, we expect the traffic on this page to stop right at this photograph. All hail Rebecca!

Rest of the rankings can be found after the break:

2. Vernetta Lopez

Why do we love V Lo? It is not just that she’s got a cute dykey haircut that she pulls off better than most dykes, or her mixed-ethnicity beauty… she’s a great comedic actress, a DJ, an independent businesswoman with multiple successful ventures (including a wedding planner), and to top it all off, she appeared as a lesbian in The Leap Years. We all hope to have our wedding planned by her, someday.

3. Glenda Chong

Award-winning news presenter Glenda Chong is perhaps one of the few reasons queer women would want to watch the depressing news on TV. Her smile, combined with her somewhat dykey vibes, takes the edge off the news about tsunamis and rising prices.

4. Pamela Oei

Pam Oei’s sway over queer women is undefinable and impossible to express in words. The least we can come up with while drooling over her, is her amazing acting skills, her strong independent personality, her comedic genius, her beauty… oh just forget it and continue drooling already.

5. Denise Keller

Whether she is living it up with Dick Lee or breaking men’s hearts on TV, Denise Keller is definitely easy on the eyes, and more than charming.

6. Suzanne Jung Ki Eng

Suzanne, the lovely Korean beauty in Primetime Morning lights up our mornings in more than one way, with her lovely smile and demeanour. We are pretty sure half our readers want to take her home and serve her tea – and we just heard a “Ramen” to that.

7. Ovidia Yu

Ovidia Yu is the living breathing proof that older women can be sexy too, and what’s even sexier than that, is being an out lesbian playwright, her latest contribution to the community being Hitting (on) Women. Did we mention she does Yoga to get that sexy body too?

“Wow… I’m thrilled on behalf of all older women!”
— Ovidia

8. Tanya Chua

Singer. Acoustic Guitar. That outfit. Need we say more?

9. Jasmine Seah

A hot poet – what more can you ask for? When Jasmine burst on to the queer female consciousness at Contradiction (an Indignation 2007 event) with her sweet, romantic poetry, what was louder than the applause was the sounds of the collective lesbian heart melting to the ground.

“Anything to say? Uh…. Suddenly I feel the pressure to update my facebook profile pic?”

10. Janice Koh

Move over, Linda Liao… Janice Koh was the woman who caught the collective queer female eye when she played a (somewhat dykey looking) demanding Advertising Executive on Chase. And with her subsequent brilliant performance in Hitting on Women as the vulnerable lesbian recovering from an abusive relationship, cemented her status as a lesbian icon forever. Her toned arms (and legs, and abs and everything else) make us all want to sign up for Yoga classes too.

Wow, I’m flattered…I mean, flabbergasted!
I don’t have much to say really, except that I’m terribly honoured.
— Janice

11. Yeo Yann Yann

Besides being a leading actress in Singapore Theatre, and also with movies like Singapore Dreaming and 881 under her belt, Yann Yann is also a certified cunninglinguist(not that kind, you perv) – in addition to being flawless in English and Mandarin, she can speak several dialects and Malay.

12. Sylvia Lim

Oh, where do we start with Sylvia Lim, who is not only one of the few women in politics, but also one of the few opposition politicians. Sylvia mesmerises us all with her guts to stand up to the ruling party, as well as her powerful performance in parliament as a NCMP. Did we mention she used to be a policewoman?

13. Beatrice Chia

There are simply no words to describe the overpowering charm of Beatrice. She is a force of nature in her own right, a trail blazer for women directors and producers, and a most accomplished and trained actress. We love not just her beauty, but her free and daring attitude towards everything, especially sex and sexuality. Beatrice is indeed a woman’s woman.

14. Eleanor Wong

Eleanor takes a special spot in the collective lesbian heart, being an out lesbian playwright and writing kick-ass plays like the lesbian lawyer trilogy and The Campaign to Confer the Public Star on JBJ. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg… when she’s not being a brilliant lawyer, she is coaching students in the ways to become a brilliant lawyer., and making wearing black top and blue jeans every single day look sexy. Oh go ahead and swoon over the sizzling combination of looks and brains already.

“Please thank your readers. Considering that I’ve never been in the running for temperature-based rankings ever, #14 is literally a 1st for me . Now to figure out how to work the thermostat….”
— Eleanor

15. Loretta Chen

If openly queer female playwrights are rare, even rarer are openly queer female directors. Not only does Loretta Chen pack a directorial punch, she is also a great actress, and to top it all off, is doing a PhD on lesbian theatre. Brains, talent and looks? Nom nom nom…

“Thank you for voting me – this is a huge surprise and it is an honour and a pleasure to be voted by members of our community. I hope to be able to do more to help increase lesbian visibility and above all, strive to be even “hotter” next year! And oh, please come and watch The Vagina Monologues playing at the Drama Centre Oct -12 – its girls galore, babes to look out for, and much girlie SEXY fun! Get ready, get set, get wet!”
— Loretta

16. Tan Pin Pin

Pin Pin is one of few female film-makers in the male-dominated industry, and of course, her handsome androgynous looks just endear themselves to queer female fans.

This is so great, I am extremely flattered. Thank you very much!
— Pin Pin

17. Michelle Chia

Michelle Chia is the hottest new thing on local TV, and just looking at her, there is not much doubt why she is the newest hot thing for us either. Smart, sexy, charming and a good actress to boot. What else can anyone ask for?

18. Jade Seah

Completely self-explanatory, really. Jade Seah simply rocks that somewhat dykey outfit, and makes us all want to head out to the beach for some sporty fun (preferably with her).

19. Catherine Lim

Dr Catherine Lim is perhaps one of the most awesome Singaporean women alive today. In addition to writing numerous provocative fiction books harshly illuminating the traditional Chinese culture, she is also one of the few people to go up against the Singapore government publicly and (metaphorically) live to tell the tale. We are pretty sure many of our readers want to be her Bondmaid forever.

"I’m both surprised and delighted to be among the 20 Sayoni Hot 20
list, and thank all those who voted for me. Continue to affirm your identity with confidence and pride!"
— Catherine

20. Stefanie Sun

Stefanie Sun is one of the few people who put Singapore on the map, with her success in the music industry. And of course, her androgynous, spunky look just endears her to queer female fans.