SINGAPORE- In an interview with South China Morning Post (SCMP) recently, Jamie Chua revealed the importance of having a job and related this to having a goal in life.
In the interview, Jamie shared that she had been very unhappy in the past as she had spent extravagantly and mindlessly.
Now, even though she does not need to work, she does so in order to have a sense of purpose and to be happy.
She says, “I feel that everybody should have work. A person with no work has no goal in life. It is not about how much money you have, it’s about feeling you are useful for something.”
She added, “As I improved myself, advertisers started to take notice of me. Now I really just do paid posts on Instagram.”
Her latest investment involves an aesthetics clinic and a bespoke skincare range.
Chua’s background
Chua was originally an air stewardess with Singapore Airlines. She met her ex-husband whilst on duty and stopped working after her marriage. Thereafter, she joined the business industry and opened the first Southeast Asian Manolo Blahnik shoe boutique at the Hilton Hotel in 2007.
Subsequently, she engaged in a few other businesses, such as luxury goods resale business The Closet Raider her own skincare line Luminous 1.
In the interview, Chua admitted that her work was also intended to inspire her two kids, whom she had with her former spouse.
She comments, “Children these days are so privileged, they can spend $2,500 on one item. Do you think they can work in a job that pays a starting salary of a few thousand dollars? So I try to instil values in my children by showing them a good example.”
The trend of “Lady Bosses”
The idea of “lady bosses” like Chua are not uncommon nowadays, with the rise of feminism and empowered women owning self-created businesses.
Today, barriers to start an online career are low due to the reach of social media. All creators have to do is to post something that caters to popular demand, and “Shares” and “Likes” will automatically follow, creating free adverstising.
Furthermore, with popular social media sites like Instagram, Twitter and Facebook still trending, these become ready platforms for women bosses to post, create or follow trends.
It would seem that turning something they like into something that sells has become easy for women as their passion for fashion becomes an avenue for profits.
Views on independent and empowered women have also evolved, and gained online traction, inspiring many girls to create, and, in turn, inspire.
Today, no longer are women satisfied with obeying the traditional rules of taking up domestic roles. Neither are they submissive nor subservient.
Instead, today’s women are goal-oriented, ambitious and hard-working. Chua is an epitome of this.