The 10 summer struggles everyone in Hong Kong has to deal with

Nobody wants the thick denim of jeans clinging to their thighs when it’s so hot and humid outside. But the problem with wearing shorts or skirts is that there’s also nothing more gross than having to peel yourself off the seats on the buses or the MTR. Also, feeling your bare skin touch a seat that someone has nicely ‘warmed up’ for you? Disgusting! But the absolute most humbling summer issue is scurrying away knowing you’ve left behind a sweat stain on the seat in the shape of your butt.

Hats off to Southeast Asians, who often seem to swan through hot weather without looking any worse off. For those of us who aren’t built special, perspiration is a huge hassle. We often see men trudging around with their underarm areas soaked through. As Emma Roberts said in Wild Child, there’s also SULA to look out for: Sweaty Upper Lip Alert. The more bodalicious girls among us will also understand the pain of underboob sweat, or even between-boob sweat. You’ll probably also know the annoyance of yellow sweat stains ruining your white clothes. Delightful.

Normally, we’re huge fans of our famously efficient MTR transport system. However, passenger experience quickly takes a dip southward during summer when people grip overhead handholds and expose their armpits to the world in all their sweaty, stinky glory. There’s nowhere to run from the pong since far too many people are doing the same thing. You just have to cower in a corner, hold your breath, and try not to simply expire on your commute home.

Dealing with hair that always either goes flat or frizzy in summertime is an ongoing battle for plenty of women. It doesn’t matter how many volumising products you use or how much time you spend straightening your hair in the mornings. The moment you step outside into the Hong Kong humidity, your hair is liable to frizz up like you’re a cheap imitation of an 80s hair metal band member, or simply fall flatter than a lame joke. And if you decided to get a cute fringe because some Korean actress looked good with it? It’ll be a greasy mess by lunchtime, and you’ll end up pinning your fringe back throughout the summer months anyway.

Another one for the girlies. You have bought both pressed and loose powder in preparation for summer, and baked your face so much it might as well be a powdery bun dusted in caster sugar, but by the time you get through your morning commute, you might be looking more like a glazed doughnut. The unforgiving Hong Kong heat will have defeated all the high-grip primer, matte foundation, and sweat-proof setting spray you can throw at it, and your eyeliner is now lining your eyebags. Maybe the no-makeup girlies were really onto something…

We can’t all have the glow of a bronzed Brazilian model. The increased heat over the summer months can cause skin to become more dry, while the humidity can cause more sebum production across the face. Throw the very real possibility of sunburn into the mix, and you’re left with skin that’s dehydrated, oily, and an irritated shade of lobster. And when it comes to men with beards becoming more unhygienic due to increased sweat and trapped impurities left to stew in the stuffy heat, well, the less said, the better.

Obviously fashion is subjective, but we think layering in interesting ways is a large part of being stylish. Unfortunately, the sweltering heat means if we layer pieces and textures like the Scandi fashion influencers do, we’re likely to melt into a puddle right next to the fruit peels and cardboard boxes on our streets. So, tank top and denim shorts, it is! In a similar vein, if you’re a fan of wearing black, you basically leave the house each day facing the possibility of heatstroke.

You know how people avoid cockroaches that they see on the street? Well, in summer time, women also avoid the gaze of wandering eyes, which is arguably just as gross and disturbing as cockroaches. When men take their tops off – or worse, sport the Beijing bikini look – no one bats an eye. And yet if a woman wears a top that shows off so much as a slice of her midriff, she receives all sorts of unwanted attention. It’s perfectly reasonable to wear as little as possible when trying to survive the sweltering heat of global warming. The sad truth is that women risk getting harassed and have to suffer through the lecherous stares of strangers, simply by wearing something that is remotely revealing. Do better, men!

There are two types of people in the summer. The first are ones who slather themselves in SPF, reapply religiously, and avoid the sun like a plague. The second type uses the darkest tanning oil they can get their hands on, and is always ready to sprawl out and soak up some rays. If you belong to the latter group, then you’ll also know the special kind of hell that is unruly tan lines. Wearing a range of halter tops, spaghetti straps, cutout swim suits, sandals, flip flops, sunglasses, and graphic t-shirts mean that your mish-mash of tan lines can look a bit funny when you’re in your swimmers.

Perhaps the biggest issues people face in the summer is feeling an increased pressure to look a certain way. We can no longer rely on oversized clothing to cover up our rolls, backne, body hair, or other physical aspects that society considers less than savoury. For women in particular, beauty standards mean that we subject ourselves to regular shaving, waxing, primping, and preening. Feeling the pressure to look good during this season is something that plagues most people, but guess what? If your body is physically on a beach, then congrats, it is already a ‘beach body’.