1st S'porean crowned Mr Heritage International is exotic dancer, 19, who lacks confidence in public speaking
Student. Barista. Bartender. Brand ambassador. Exotic dancer.
At the tender age of 19, Ian Wong is already a multi-hyphenate, more than many of us can say about ourselves at the same age.
Yet, that's clearly not enough for the Singapore Institute of Management student, who has added yet another accomplishment to his belt – being the first Singaporean to win Mr Heritage International.
Ian was bestowed the 2025 title in Bangkok on Nov 8.
On paper, none of his current endeavours – which rely on good looks and a degree of technical skill – point to a path towards a crown with Heritage Pageants, whose competitions aim to promote peace, environment, tourism, culture and global heritage.
The banking and finance student speaks of his many jobs with an easy confidence that could be attributed to youthful naïveté. He uses the same tone talking about how his pageant journey began.
"I had an interest in trying something new. I'm a person who likes to explore new things," says Ian.
While he had chanced upon Heritage Pageants when doing his research on the industry, he did not know they had a Mister category. In his words, his eventual participation boiled down to sheer "coincidence".
"I actually bumped into my national director, Eddie (Ho), at a private event. Then he asked me if I wanted to join," says Ian.
Apart from having to watch his grooming and diet habits more closely in the lead-up to the pageant, Ian also describes having to focus a lot on preparing his outfits.
"This pageant actually focuses more on creativity and innovation, on how you can express not just your looks, but also combine it together with our culture and our heritage," he says.
This translated into spending $3,000 to $4,000 on the pageant, including on tailoring his national costume and formal suits. He had to rely on his sister's help to identify suitable tailors. One of his formal suits had even been tailor-made in Bangkok, just before the competition.
He tells Stomp that one suit had cost him almost $2,000 and opined that it was much harder for male contestants to keep wardrobe costs low.
"For ladies, it's actually much simpler because, basically, I think some female contestants rented a costume, so they cut a lot of costs."
Investing in clothes is important to him as "from day one, you're being judged".
Contestants were also expected to buy gifts for other contestants, organisers and sponsors – a total of about 70 gifts, according to Ian's calculations.
To avoid spending too much, he picked items such as tote bags and keychains from shops in Chinatown for the gift exchange.
Exotic dancers have confidence issues, too?
While he's used to the sensuality of moving his body Magic Mike-style at boys' club Casa Cava, the pageant exposed a major weakness – his lack of confidence in public speaking.
One might question how a conventionally attractive person would suffer from confidence issues in any way, but Ian begs to differ.
"I have confidence in myself that I can dance, but to participate in a pageant, I think it's different," he says.
Occasionally, during his interview with Stomp, he takes several moments to frame his thoughts coherently. One can easily imagine this tendency being amplified on stage with an audience full of strangers scrutinising his every move.
Surprisingly, there was even a learning curve Ian had to overcome for catwalking because moving down the pageant runway is not the same strutting down the fashion runway.
"I didn't know what was the standard (of catwalking) and I had to look at videos of other people in pageants, how they pose and everything," Ian reveals sheepishly, adding that he and other Singaporean contestants had to attend catwalking lessons to perfect their stride before the competition in Bangkok.
He also had to work with a choreographer on his dance for the pageant's talent segment.
For this, he performed a Chinese dance to a Jay Chou's song Fearless and also a more sensual routine to Usher's hit R&B song Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home).
Winning factor is 'personality', not merely looks
Stomp quizzes Ian on why he thinks he won. After all, most pageant finalists would've already met the mark for good looks.
To this, Ian responds almost too quickly that everyone in the competition was good-looking in their own way.
He insists that it was not only his looks that set him apart from the seven other male contestants, but his amicable and likeable personality that allowed him to communicate with everyone easily, even with kids.
"Literally, I have no drama," Ian quips.
"Everybody was very nice to me, and they also had very good feedback about me."
His experience stood in contrast with recent controversies and clashes in the local pageant scene, which Stomp has reported on – including fellow Singaporean Heritage Pageants representative Melissa Wix, who had placed fourth in the Miss Heritage category.
Ian points out that the criticism misses the point of pageantry altogether.
"Even just representing Singapore is already something to be proud of," he says, adding that winning is only one part of the journey.
"Not many people get the chance to wear a sash and represent the country."
Mostly guys who hit on him
Winning an international pageant has, unsurprisingly, drawn new attention, though not quite in the way one might expect.
Asked if the victory had changed his dating life, Ian says the impact had been minimal. While he did receive congratulatory messages, he describes the attention as largely passive and from well-meaning friends.
That said, things were noticeably different during his time in Thailand, where he spoke a bit of Thai. "Guys more," he says with a small laugh when asked who tended to hit on him.
It seems like he doesn't quite mind the attention, even if he looks a bit sheepish in recounting this. After all, his work as an exotic dancer has seen him perform multiple times in gay bars such as Salud – a setting that is more "relaxed" for him.
"They're very happy to see you dance, they don't judge."
Next stop: influencer land
Now that he's won his first pageant, Ian has no intention to stop competing in them – once he's contractually able to do so, that is.
He recounts meeting a director of a bigger-scale men's pageant who had approached him about his interest in participating in subsequent years, and Ian is clearly excited.
In the meantime, he's set on two things: helping to grow Heritage Pageant's profile in Singapore and abroad, and becoming an influencer.
He wants to use his win to further his personal brand and help to promote local brands and culture. He's confident he can do so, even as he recognises that the influencer market in Singapore is already saturated.
"I think it's still possible, lah."
At the end of the day, Ian says his purpose boils down to one simple question: "What do I want people to know me for?"
At 19, it is a question Ian has plenty of time, and apparently plenty of jobs, to answer.
