The Concept of Beauty in Indonesia

Beauty is a thing that every woman desirable. Indonesian women are also no exception. Because Indonesia adheres to eastern culture, eating a beautiful definition here will be slightly different with the trend of beauty in the countries of America and America.

In the past, someone already felt pretty when clean well, lately it was considered not enough. Now, the concept of inner beauty is considered as a mere supporting factor. The main thing is beautiful appearance. Here is the small explanation of the concept of beauty in Indonesia.

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• The concept beauty had been written in Ramayana Story

The concept of Indonesian women has a long history. The standard of beauty has been established since ancient Javanese times. Ancient Javanese life is depicted in the Ramayana literary tale. According to Titib (1998), beautiful at that time was depicted through the figure Sinta, Rama’s wife. Sinta was portrayed as a beautiful and well-behaved young woman. It glows like a moon. The moon was described as the beauty of a glowing female skin.

It is recorded in the book of Kakawin, that when Rama languished: “My memory of your sweet face is alive again because of the sight of a deer, the elephant reminds me of your majesty, the moon will be your brightest face Ah, I am possessed of your beauty”.

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• The concept of beauty during the colonialism

When Indonesia entered to the colonialism era, the concept of beauty was changed to follow the standards of the invaders. When European invaders entered Indonesia, they also spread and traded beauty products. The product was advertised through the media, at that time. As the example is the palm olive soap advertisement in De Huisvrouw magazine in Indie in 1937 and Hindi Star of 1928.

Standards of beauty continue to grow in Indonesia. After colonial rule, the era changed under the Japanese invaders. The same thing happened. In those days, there was a magazine containing a beauty rubric of Djawa Baroe in 1943 and Nippon Girl. In that rubric the standard is a beautiful Japanese woman. It depicts how a Japanese woman is a beautiful figure with her white skin and other physical appearance.

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• After independence era

The beautiful concept changes do not stop when the invaders leave. Over time, beauty products that began to circulate in the Indonesian market to bring the impact. It is some changes in the perception of Indonesian society about a beauty. The product started in 1970. The products included Touro Pearl Cream in 1975, Kelly Pearl Cream in 1976, Fair lady Cosmetic in 1980 and also Lux soap commercials.

In the early 1970s, local beauty products brought a breath of fresh air by offering beautiful Indonesian standards that did not have to be white. These products include Viva Cosmetics, Sari Ayu, and Mustika Ratu. But with the development of the era with the entry of beauty products Vaseline and Nivea, beautiful standards back on the white skin.

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• The concept of Beauty in 90’s

In the 90’s, the concept of Indonesian beauty shifted when it was beautiful should not be white. Yellow langsat is the original skin color of Indonesian people. The shift of meaning from ‘yellow langa’ to ‘white’ indicates the deconstruction of skin color. Our exotic past is ‘black sweet’ and ‘brown ripe’, and the skin of the aristocrat is identical with ‘yellowishness’, now it is untenable.

Image and taste of women have begun to be imprisoned with western charm. Women and society begin to reconstruct the history of ‘troubles’. They no longer want to interpret the exotic is black sweet and brown and aristocrat is yellowish, but the meaning of beautiful is white like white woman in the western.

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• Traditional Concept of Beauty in Indonesia

In Indonesia the body care culture is usually done since ancient times by using natural ingredients to get clean and beautiful skin. The example is tenderloin. The princesses of the palace are often depicted as having perfect beauty, beautifully shaped, with smooth, clean, radiant yellow skin. Precisely yellow colored skin is ideal for the Malay race like people of Indonesia. Here is the traditional concept of beauty in Indonesia.

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• The traditional beauty ritual

One of the beauty rituals that noble women often do is gulping that makes their skin become yellow glowing. Although originally only circulated among the palace, now the recipe of the concoction that can be enjoyed by the public. The basic ingredients of scrubs are turmeric that serves as an antiseptic that can kill bacteria in the skin, as well as temu giring that serves to brighten the skin. This herb is smeared throughout the body, allowed to dry, rubbed and then washed with water.

In ancient times, scrubs were also used by the royal dancers before performing, so that while dancing at dusk, the afternoon sunlight that touched their skin featured a golden and glowing luster. This beauty tradition develops and produces commercial products that are now commonly found with Indonesian female models, but as the era of globalization evolved the model used was the model of the Caucasian race and the typical Korean model.

The ideal beauty standard once in the days when the Indonesian kingdom was still Berjaya is yellowish, yellow clean and distinctive Malay race. According to them women who have yellow skin and luminous can be a flower in his village, even beauty standards can be seen from the expert of a woman weaving cloth, dancing and even wearing custom clothing. Indonesian skin beauty is determined by a tropical climate that is very different from the cold climate.

But now, in the mass media there are so many Caucasians and Korean models that produce new beauty standards. Most contemporary women want pale white skin is no longer yellow. The nose is sharp, tall and long hair and straight.

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• The growth of technology in beauty treatment

In addition to the model on mass media this is also found on the mulatto artist. Whereas in fact most Indonesian women do not have such a characteristic, so those who do not have physical characteristics began to change the physical that is in him.

Starting from simple as makeup and more complicated like plastic surgery. Moreover, technology in the world of beauty increasingly sophisticated and advanced. To look more attractive, women now no longer need to face a scalpel. Nowadays, there is more non-invasive methods or cosmetic actions without surgery that can be done by women.

As the example, filler and botoks can be done without a scalpel. This proves that the increasing number of treatments that make it easier for someone to achieve certain beauty standards and adds proof that the concept of beauty is no pain no gain. Each culture has different standards of beauty character. And this standard is a role model for everyone who wants to be considered beautiful.

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• The influence of K-pop to Indonesian traditional beauty concept

Since the existence of K-pop culture that develops in the era of globalization, Indonesian women now want to have white skin like Korean woman. It is such as body care culture in mass media that no longer show yellowish-skin women that using natural materials. However, now many various body care for supporting body treatments to achieve whites like the Koreans.

Now the trend of also changes, for example is a white injection or vitamin C injection to get white skin like Koreans. Whereas, this white injection has side effects when using a large dose can cause nausea, insomnia, diarrhea and the most severe kidney disorders, cancer, and heart attack.

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• The concept of beauty for intellectual women in Indonesia

The concept of beauty is really how we take care of what we are good with, both physically and spiritually. The view of beauty in the eastern culture of health is a matter that must be seen as a whole and comprehensive of all aspects affecting human life, complete beauty between physical and non-physical, soul and body. Beauty is a fusion of outer beauty and beauty within.

Can be concluded that actually beauty is relative, and the most important is health. If you have a healthy body of aura will be emitted especially if someone has a qualified ability to support the beauty itself. Indonesia consisting of many different ethnic and physical characteristics of each region, so we should be able to appreciate the differences and not to uphold the generalization of beauty standards let alone impose to be able to achieve these standards with things that are harmful to health. Everyone has a different beauty different from their own typical.

This is evidenced by the existence of Javanese people who skin yellow, Palembang people who slit, Papuans with brown skin, and Acehnese who nose sharp. All in all, inner beauty is an important part of improving yourself. The point is to keep health and keep the heart so kept away from liver disease. Then the beauty would be radiated by itself.