Fate, Desire, and Shame: Janda in Indonesian Pop Culture

Research on images of femininityin Indonesia has largely focused on either the image of femininity produced by the state or, relatively, high-brow cultural forms of femininity. However, popular culture produces images of females that often stand in contrast to such symbolism. This article contends that the janda, the divorcee or widow, one of the foremost images of femininity in popular music, drama, and literature, has been, for the most part, overlooked. Seen as sexually available and lascivious, the janda represents the “fallen woman”; an object of both fascination and pity. This article analyses the janda image as one of the foremost symbols in Indonesian popular culture. It is argued that the janda image must be analysed in relation to maiden and mother images. Furthermore, culturally specific ideas of desire, fate, and shame contextualise the janda image. As will become apparent, Indonesian popular culture is patriarchal, and a heterosexual male perspective frames much of the symbolism. This means that actual women live with the very real stigma of being a divorcee or a widowin Indonesia. In this study, we focus on the janda image and include discussion of how its representation has evolved to include a cosmopolitan ideal.