Radio DJ Hazelle Teo and fiance address online criticism over their 6-year age gap

The couple have a six-year age gap – Wong is 26, while Teo turns 32 in April.

Diving right into the topic, Wong recalled: “When we first published the news of our engagement, there were a lot of people talking about our age gap. Most guys are older than their partners, [so] I think it’s fair that people talk about it. But because we worked out so well, I want to tell people that this society norm can be broken.”

For Teo, Wong was the first guy she dated who was younger than her. She admitted she was initially surprised at how well things worked out, noting how society considers women more emotionally mature than men and that it’s preferable for them to date older men.

“But in all honesty, I feel like age is just a number,” she declared.

Wong was 24 when he and Teo started dating, but she shared that “he’s always been a mature person,” even before they met.

Their goals have always been aligned, and even on their first date, they connected over discussions about the future, from property investments to work experiences. By then, Wong was already earning a stable income, which Teo admitted made it easier for her to date someone younger.

Wong did change one thing about himself, though. He revealed he started dressing “a little bit older” when they first got together, to which Teo responded: “That’s what I tell him not to do. I tell him, ‘James, I signed up for a 24-year-old man, stop dressing older than you look.’”

Wong explained: “I used to dress in T-shirts and shorts because it’s so hot in Singapore, and I always carried a backpack. Sometimes she would have a [work] shoot, all dressed up and in full makeup, and when we walk to the car, I look like a little kid. I look like her PA or her younger brother.”

He then started dressing more maturely, swapping T-shirts for collared shirts and his backpack for a tote bag. “I feel like it makes us complement each other better,” he said, “but it also boosts my confidence, and people take me more seriously.”

Ultimately, the pair agreed that age was just a number for them, as long as they shared the same future goals and continued growing together.

That said, Wong and Teo also faced some cutting remarks online about their age gap after announcing their engagement.

Though they received many well-wishes, Teo also remembered seeing many nasty comments, not on their own social media posts, but on articles written about them.

She recalled: “There were so many people saying ‘Oh, is it because Hazelle is pregnant?’, or ‘This wouldn’t work out because the girl is six years older than the guy. She’s only after the tender fresh meat’.”

One comment, in particular, stuck with James. “There was one comment that said ‘Now James has two mothers’. The [person] is trying to say that now that we are engaged, I’ve got my own mother, and the second one is Hazy,” James said.

Hazelle’s mother, however, didn’t quite catch it. Chancing upon comment, she thought the person was being “so nice”, since it implied that with Teo and Wong engaged, he now has two mothers – his own and Teo's. 

“My mum actually took a screenshot and sent it to our group chat, saying how they were so sweet. I couldn’t bear to break it to her that the person was being nasty,” said Teo.

Chuckling, Teo didn't forget to throw in this comeback: "So to this person, you know how to spell karma or not? One day you will get your karma."

This story was originally published in 8Days.

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