Eliza Lee, 22, is not only a fresh graduate who studied at a top secondary school, she is also from a wealthy family and used to be chauffeured home from school. Despite her background, she chose to marry a chicken rice seller.
According to an article in the New Paper, Miss Lee is the daughter of parents who own a bag-manufacturing business and has a bachelor's degree in hospitality management from the Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS). She is engaged to 32-year-old Michael Poh, who owns a chicken rice stall.
Despite her pampered background, Miss Lee has been helping out at her fiance's stall for 10 to 15 hours everyday, 7 days a week. Before she started helping out at the stall, says her fiance, Miss Lee had 'not touched a drop of detergent'. The prospect of being a hawker's wife has never bothered her, says Miss Lee.
Miss Lee's mindset is rare among Singaporean women her age. Most university graduates would not consider marrying a blue-collar worker. Mr Poh affirmed this by saying he has experienced his fair share of snobbery from ex-girlfriends, and says that women like his fiance are rare.
And why did Miss Lee choose to be with Mr Poh? She says they 'click' and that they have endless conversations. They also share a common goal of building a comfortable life together. Mr Poh, who has a diploma is sociology, says: "To find another one like Eliza, who would go through thick and thin with me, is mission impossible."
In a poll conducted by the New Paper, 100 percent of 50 female undergraduates aged 21 to 28 said they would not date a blue-collar worker.
STOMPer Splendora says:
"Hats off to Eliza Lee for following her heart. The modern-thinking 22-year-old may be a graduate from a wealthy family, but that has not stopped her from choosing to marry a 32-year-old chicken rice seller.
"All my graduate female friends would turn their noses up at the idea of marrying someone who does not match their educational qualifications, and even those who aren't graduates hope to marry a man who is a graduate, in the hopes of having a better life.
"I'm a graduate from a local university too, and I think there is nothing wrong with Eliza's choice. In fact, I admire her more than those women who refuse to even consider someone who's not a graduate. Eliza has far more attractive qualities than these narrow-minded women!
"For someone who comes from a rich family to give up her pampered lifestyle for the man she loves is truly an admirable quality. It shows she is not afraid to work hard, and has a fighting spirit.
"And there is nothing wrong with selling chicken rice. It may be 'unglam', but it's an honest living and if you work hard, you can earn a comfortable living. In fact, if a graduate were to scoff at the idea of marrying down, then I'd say her years of education have been wasted on her."
source: STOMP - Singapore Seen - Rich grad meets hawker: More S'porean girls OK with 'marrying down'
