Rebekah Yeoh, Corporate Finance Director, YTL Corporation
Capucines BB Magnolia in Taurillon and Python.
Please describe your sense of style.
Edgy, contemporary and modern. I prefer bright colours over dark and prints if I’m feeling adventurous.
Do you have any advice on being stylish?
Style is very subjective and everyone defines stylish differently, thus my advice is to put comfort first, always. If you do not feel comfortable in your own skin, you’re not going to be able to function at your fullest potential. Care not about what others consider “trendy”, nor should you aspire towards branded goods—style is individual and it should elude towards your unique personality.
What are your thoughts on extravagance and its impact on your daily life?
I don’t think it’s necessary to be extravagant in your personality or style. If you’re an introverted or reserved person with a quiet style, there is beauty and elegance in that too. It’s about wearing what embodies you best and keeping it genuine—that’s what makes you radiant.
What is the difference between extravagance and elegance and how do you balance the two?
As the saying goes—it’s not about what you wear, it’s about how you carry it. There is so much importance in being comfortable in your clothes and not trying to copy and paste another person’s style. There is no identical body shape nor personality on this earth, God made each person different for a reason. How one strikes a balance between extravagance and elegance is multifaceted and to one’s own.
Your extravagant guilty pleasure …
I would say my extravagant guilty pleasure is kicking off my heels at the end of a long day and tucking into a bucket of cookies before going to bed. That is extra …
Capucines Mini Metal Silver
Do you think extravagance is empowering?
To say the least, of course! There is something about feeling bold which enhances self-confidence. Extravagant self-assurance—in both loud and soft forms—delivers an ability to achieve what is unachievable.
Empowerment in your own words and how do you think this has changed over the last few years?
Empowerment is the ability to impose change in your own life or someone else’s life. It is the determination and willpower to do what you believe is best for yourself and being fully confident in that. One can only muster this through true empowerment. I feel social media has evolved the landscape of empowerment—it has both dragged young women’s confidence down but also boosted the sureness of some. We cannot use social media as a compass for women’s empowerment, but we can use it correctly to raise women up. Empowerment depends largely on the personal choices in the lifestyle that you adopt.
Following this, how can we encourage women to feel more empowered in life and at work?
Women feel most empowered when they know they are well-equipped and well-positioned to break ceilings. They need to surround themselves with the right support systems and have the wisdom to decipher which doors to open and close. This starts with filtering out the kind of people you want around you. Empowerment comes naturally thereafter.
What are your thoughts on heritage and why is it important?
Heritage is a very important facet of preservation. God said be the salt and the light, and heritage in the form of principles, values and modus operandi is key towards this. Preserving all three is essential in shaping who you are as a person organically and is a foreshadowing of the values you will ingrain in future generations.
A memorable piece of advice you were given that stays with you till today.
When I was 20 and about to start work, I was worried about perception, but one of my wise older cousins told me “things will fall into place” which probably has to be one of the most underrated pieces of advice ever given. As hard as it is to believe, water will always find its path to the river, you just have to trust the path.
