BlackPink OK – Thigh Panic Hits Indonesia!
‘The clothes do not even cover the thighs!’
My apologies for not noticing the latest example of uptight indignation here in Indonesia, as my attention has (as might be expected) been focused on The Old Country’s beleaguered bid for independence.
But I HAD noticed the cause of the new ‘petition war’ in this hot and mostly very agreeable archipelago where I’ve dwelt for almost exactly 20 years…
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…as I was travelling from the Ground Floor to the Top Floor in a lift (aka elevator) in a Jakarta office building, with one of those built-in screens on which ads appear, appealing to their captive audiences to buy products or use services of various kinds.
The ad that caught (and kept!) my attention was one for an ‘e-commerce’ business called ‘Shopee.’
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…which featured absolutely delightful young ladies dressed immaculately in bright attractive clothes – clothes perfectly suitable for lovely lasses like those who comprise BlackPink!
That’s the gals, above, and you can see for yourselves that the Korean girl-band are respectably clad, cute dresses which reveal nothing shocking, no bare bums, not a nipple in sight.
BUT…
‘The clothes do not even cover the thighs!’
For pity’s sakes!
What is it about thighs, any thighs, not just the charming thighs visible in the ad, but any thighs (okay, I admit, my thighs are not inspirational) that gets uptights in a tizzy…such a terrible tizzy that there’s been a priggish petition launched, to get the Government of Indonesia to BAN the ad that features the Korean beauties?
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018/12/10/of-legs-and-pancasila-two-petitions-battle-it-out-over-blackpink-ad
Thighs are not always nice to look at – I’ll not inflict a pic of mine – but many are, not least the thighs of BlackPink!
However, we can quickly suss out the true character of the objectionable petitioners by reading another part of the uptight outburst, viz.
“A group of women wearing skimpy outfits. What kind of subconscious values do we want to instill in our children with this vulgar ad that flaunts aurat…”‘
Aaah, the dreaded AURAT!
The Jakarta Post helpfully translates the word as ‘intimate parts’ but of course thighs are not intimate parts, not to most of us.
What the uptights mean by ‘intimate parts’ can best be illustrated by that wonderful kill-joy poster I often use…
…with its poor little ‘Michelin Man’ lookalike girl, it’s pictorial message made repulsively clear with the sexist wording above and below it –
‘Fathers and Husbands..Their aurat are your responsibility!’
No nonsense there about women getting to wear what they like, just a mediaeval mind-set on display.
To be fair, there are similar cranky kill-joys in the Western world –Appeasing Uptights – Merkel’s Himmler Wants Ban On Sexy Ads! – and there are people here in Indonesia much more uptight than the anti-thigh brigade. Aceh’s Mad Mullah – ‘Dancing is EVIL – It Involves Body Movements!’
However, happily, there’s a counter-petition on the go, urging the state censor NOT to ban the ad. The sensible petitioner’s initiator provides a refreshing response.
“Open your mind. Be smart, people!”
Tolak penghapusan iklan BlackPink
https://www.change.org/p/komisi-penyiaran-indonesia-tolak-penghapusan-iklan-blackpink
That petition had 27,000 fans when the JP report was published but today is up to 35,000, and rising. Yet the uptights have nearly 90,000 on theirs.
I hope all my Indonesian readers take a stand against such backward forces.
Kami Menolak Petisi “Hapus Iklan Shopee BlackPink” Yang dibuat oleh suatu oknum
Open your mind
Be smart people
rossrightangle 
Kezia 10:01 on December 11, 2018 Permalink |
Of course we must sign the pro-BlackPink petition. It is crazy to say the girls are not nicely dressed.
So many backward people here hate beauty.
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Santi 10:09 on December 11, 2018 Permalink |
It is my lunchtime
My friend just shows me on her handphone about this and it is very sad that there are so many uptights here.
We are not Arab Saudi people.
Women may be free to dress like women.
Indonesia is is a civilized country.
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Rawel 11:10 on December 11, 2018 Permalink |
I put my name on petition because BlackPink look good and not rude.
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JazPen 11:28 on December 11, 2018 Permalink |
Hi Ross.
I signed the petition and hope that censor shows sense. I made sure to pass it around the office but I think they knew already because most of them watch for Indonesia stories on your blog.
More please!
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Slamet 13:59 on December 11, 2018 Permalink |
The girls are dressing nicely.
They are not naked and it is stupid to say they are indecent.
So today I agree with you but not many other days.
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Jim in Jakarta 20:10 on December 11, 2018 Permalink |
Good evening, Ross, from not far across the sea.
So you are still there in Jakarta, talking sense at least on this topic to a population which seems to have at least 35000 of its number prepared to resist arabization. Good luck. You need it.
That other lot of petitioners, probably 100,000 by now, don’t like sense.
Maybe they will one day reach a more grown up outlook but not in your lifetime, I’m afraid to say.
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pusatdistributoralatolahraga 07:42 on January 8, 2019 Permalink |
I agree with you! Thanks for give opinion about this advertisement!
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Ricca Nurhaliza 16:48 on January 19, 2019 Permalink |
Hello
I’m from Indonesia, i think this problem is very crazy but Indonesia are have a culture but i think too the folk is too much for being so right.. But i’m netral for this problem.
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ross1948 17:17 on January 19, 2019 Permalink |
Terima kasih, Ricca.
Biasanya saya jarang jawab tapi saya liat anda baru ikut blog ini.
Selamat datang.
Segera, lusa mungkin, ada blogpost baru tentang Indonesia. Enjoy aja!
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