Can't STOP Won't STOP

For comedian, actor and singer Lim Xixi, the path to self-acceptance has been riddled with adversity. Today, she is challenging the conventional standards of beauty by embracing her authentic self.

- Karishma Tulsidas

"I am so excited: that this is my first cover shoot," gushes Xixi, throwing her hands up in the air with exuberance. "It's such a huge milestone." She's been interviewed by several publications before, but this marks her first time in the title role. It's ironic really, because most of her roles on-screen tend to be typecast as a supporting character.

"[It's usually] the best friend of the female lead," she says with a slight weariness in her voice.

It is not something that Xixi regrets as she entered the industry with her eyes wide open when she was 18. As a plus-sized performer, the 35-year-old was aware that she was unlike most celebrities in Singapore. Still, Xixi was laser-focused on showcasing her talent in comedy: "Every show needed a comic relief, and I was that," she says. You might recognise her as the perennial best friend and/ or comic relief in shows and movies such as The Oath (2011), Girl Band Called Girl Band (2019), Upside Down (2018), and most recently, Jack Neo's Ah Girls Go Army (2022). She's also a Youtube regular, and stars in variety show The Outcasts launched a year ago.

But now, 17 years after entering the industry, Xixi is ready to try something new. "I'd love to be a villain," she says.

"It can be funny too!" She refers to the likes of Melissa McCarthy and Rebel Wilson in Hollywood, and how they are portrayed in a variety of roles and are able to explore a wide range of personas. However, her roadblock, she says thoughtfully, is that the production houses in Singapore are "conservative when it comes to exploring new stuff".