Warning: this episode FEATURES STRONG LANGUAGE; please listen at your own discretion.
In this episode, we interview Dea Safira, an Indonesian feminist who famously got banned by Facebook because she posted historical photos of topless Indonesian women in response to the KPI’s (Indonesian Broadcasting Commission) indiscriminate ‘blurring’ of cleavages during the 2016 Miss Indonesia pageant (which we talked about in our second episode, Getting High Off Toxic Masculinity) and subsequent introduction of restrictive censorship laws. We asked Dea about what actually went down and discuss with her why we think the story went viral and the reasons for the ban — which we believe is in part because of an arbitrariness in how male and female bodies (in this case, focusing specifically on nipples) are treated in the public sphere. This arbitrariness is particularly evident in how, in the past, male nipples were considered taboo and female nipples were considered commonplace; vice versa to the reality today.
We also talked about the social costs of being a feminist in Indonesia as well as how this experience differs based on our privileges. We also went into how in spite of these differences, we know that all women still face many more instances of ‘mansplaining’ and male interruptions than their male counterparts. Dea wrapped up our lovely conversation by sharing with us the many awesome feminist organizations in Indonesia — made by Indonesian women, for Indonesian women — and the resources available for those who want to learn more and get involved in the Indonesian feminist movement. Yay feminist validation!
Thanks for listening!
