No personal grooming on the MRT? Be careful that rigid rules don't win out over common sense
CNA TODAY's Loraine Lee argues that etiquette is less about a set of rigid rules and more about not bothering others.
Applying makeup might earn a glance or two, but it does little harm as compared with clipping nails on public transport, says CNA TODAY's Loraine Lee. (Illustration: CNA/Clara Ho)
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On a long train ride from Pasir Ris to school, a young woman sat opposite me, and almost immediately pulled out a pouch and started applying her makeup.
I was a bit bewildered by the sight, but as we passed through station after station, my confusion was soon overtaken by amazement.
Having sacrificed 30 minutes of sleep that morning to put my face on after a late night of studying, my sleep-deprived self couldn't help but wish I'd done the same as my fellow passenger.
Or was skilled enough to do so, I realised, as I watched her draw black eyeliner on with perfect precision despite the carriage's relentless rocking.
That was seven years ago now but the memory of it resurfaced recently, when a Reddit post started making waves for spotlighting an interesting MRT poster that reminds commuters "don't groom in public".
The poster features a cartoon character curling its eyelashes and another cutting its toenails.
The post quickly drew much attention, with thousands of upvotes within days. Netizens flocked to weigh in, both on Reddit and other platforms.
Some wondered: What's so wrong with applying makeup on the MRT? Others countered: People applying makeup who weren't careful could get powder on fellow commuters or dirty their clothes by mistake.
But is this really about applying makeup on a public train? Or is there something deeper that's getting Singaporeans worked up about a simple poster?
WHY A PEACEFUL COMMUTE MATTERS
Millions of trips are made on the MRT each day, with about 3.4 million a day, on average, in 2025.
I am one of those commuters.
My morning commute to the office typically consists of squeezing into a packed MRT carriage, my backbone bent sideways from the weight of my laptop and my feet aching due to the lack of empty seats.
Perhaps worst of all, thanks to my 1.55m height, I have to take in unpleasant odours emanating from folks who choose to skip their morning shower.
When there's nothing to do but wait for our destination, a little peace on the train or bus can go a long way towards unwinding, perhaps forgetting our woes or simply scrolling on our phones.
So when something disrupts the peace and tranquillity, it ruffles my feathers – and I'm certainly not alone in this. Remember the huge morning showers debate last year?
WHERE DO WE DRAW THE LINE?
While there are generally signs reminding commuters to be considerate in shared spaces, such as moving to the centre of the carriage and not blasting loud music, existing regulations do not specifically address personal grooming on our railway premises.
They do, however, bar people from being a nuisance or an annoyance to others.
There are clearer rules on public buses. According to the Conditions of Carriage – the terms passengers agree to when they board – personal grooming such as nail clipping on board public buses is not allowed if it risks soiling the bus or inconveniencing other passengers.
But really, should putting on makeup and cutting your nails be grouped together as egregious behaviour we should avoid on the MRT?
After all, the point of public transport etiquette is to avoid disturbing other passengers.
Applying makeup arguably does little beyond attracting a few stares and posing a risk of poking yourself in the eye with an eyeliner.
On the other hand, cutting toe nails is plainly unhygienic and inconsiderate, as dirt and germs can live under our nails. The clippings can fly everywhere, dirtying the floor or worse, landing on other people.
Then what about people who comb their hair, tighten a tie or remove lint from their clothes?
Those practices, too, are considered personal grooming. Where do they fall on the spectrum of acceptable and unacceptable behaviour?
To a small but loud handful of commuters, all behaviour is acceptable. Like blasting music on their phones, coughing with their mouths wide open and refusing to let others alight from the train before squeezing in. The list goes on.
But their actions affect everyone, disrupting what should be a peaceful commute, or worse, spreading germs with unhygienic behaviour we were taught to avoid in kindergarten.
A BLANKET STATEMENT DOESN'T NECESSARILY HELP
Perhaps there is a need for some decorum and reminders about what is and isn't acceptable behaviour on the train.
However, as the personal grooming debate has shown, blanket suggestions might be too broad and confusing, in seeking to police an act that does no harm to others.
Yet, if we try to spell out every single offence, are we making the use of public transport safer, or simply more rigid?
Do we end up policing every single type of behaviour, only to make us hyperconscious of our own behaviour in an already cramped space?
And if we start making a long laundry list of strict rules, does inconsiderate or uncivil behaviour not explicitly banned suddenly become acceptable?
Sure, some may argue that such a list could serve as a good reference. But frankly, it's embarrassing if we require such strict rules before a certain type of behaviour is stopped. Or that we need cartoon characters to spell out basic courtesy.
Before we risk turning our trains into prisons with wardens watching our every move on our daily commute, can we please simply show some kindness and graciousness on public transport?
It's not too difficult to do so. There's a basic rule of etiquette, not just on public transport but in our everyday lives: Don't be offensive to others around you.
If you're doing something harmless, like putting on makeup, that should be allowed. But if you're blasting music while leaving your bags on an empty seat in a crowded bus, maybe reconsider your choices.
Your fellow commuters will thank you, especially if your nail clippings aren't part of their journey.
Loraine Lee is a senior journalist at CNA TODAY.
