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

Research on images of femininityFemininity in IndonesiaIndonesia has largely focused on either the image of femininityFemininity produced by the state or, relatively, high-brow cultural forms of femininityFemininity. However, popular culture produces images of females that often stand in contrast to such symbolism. This article contends that the janda, the divorcee or widowWidow, one of the foremost images of femininityFemininity in popular music, drama, and literature, has been, for the most part, overlooked. Seen as sexually available and lascivious, the janda represents the “fallen womanFallen woman”; an object of both fascination and pityPity. This article analyses the janda image as one of the foremost symbolsSymbol 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 desireDesire, 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 stigmaStigma of being a divorcee or a widowWidow in IndonesiaIndonesia. In this study, we focus on the janda image and include discussion of how its representation has evolved to include a cosmopolitan ideal.