Only a secure woman can accept her boyfriend being closely associated with sanitary pads.

Vivian Dawson, Taiwanese pop princess Jolin Tsai's 28-year-old model beau of two years, came under fire recently for merely doing his job.

Taiwanese media reported that the Taiwan- based Dawson - whose father is a New Zealander and whose mother is Singaporean Chinese - had received a stunning six-figure sum to endorse feminine products.

In a video that was filmed and uploaded online last August, he carried a box with a hole and asked passers-by to touch the "mysterious products" inside.

The people in the video who had a feel of the sanitary pads in the box made comments such as "Oh my god, it's so soft" and "I haven't touched anything that soft before".

Many netizens then went online and criticised Dawson, saying that the entire thing was done in bad taste.

The video was taken down within a few days due to the controversy it caused in Taiwan.

A spokesman for the brand tried to salvage matters by releasing a statement clarifying that the people whom Dawson asked to touch the pads were hired by the company.

But damage had already been done. Tsai, however, is standing by her man. She was in town Friday to judge and perform at the Remy Martin Centaur Dance Showdown Regional Finals held at Marina Bay Sands on Friday night and she was surprised when asked about her boyfriend's unusual endorsement deal.

Tsai, 32, told The New Paper: "What about it?

"Men should be familiar and know about sanitary pads, so it's not a big deal.

"Besides, this was done at an event ( where he had to do the job that was required of him)."

First lead role

Dawson was also in the news for landing his first lead role in the Taiwanese movie Pink Ladies, where he plays a magician who romances a character portrayed by Taiwanese host Aya. Tsai has remained cool about the intimate scenes her beau will have to film.

When asked by the Taiwanese media if she has imposed restrictions on him in that aspect, Dawson replied: "No, Jolin does not ask about it."

Besides gracing the dance event, Tsai also found time in Singapore to hang out with good friend and first-time mummy Stefanie Sun.

Sun, 34, welcomed a baby boy with her husband, 35-year-old Dutch entrepreneur Nadim van der Ros, last November.

Tsai smiled longingly when she spoke of meeting the singer's baby.

She said: "It seems that everyone around me is giving birth.

"It's not only Stefanie, I have friends and relatives who have had babies recently.

"I'm not giving myself any pressure to be a mother, but when fate decrees that I have a baby, I'll definitely go for it."

On Sun's baby, she said: "Yes, he's extremely cute."