Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Indonesia Topless Culture
Most Balinese people believes in Hinduism, n they respect rivers and cow. Few Decades ago, seeing topless women was a usual event at daily activities. Begin with regular activities for instance, bathing at rivers/selling topless at the traditional market was (or still) become tradition. Few years ago when i went there, that activities remain. But don't know right now. These are pictures about those topless tradition, if you have others, please let me know.
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Why did this change? Any deep analysis?
With a country such as Bali choosing to live by tourism, many people from outside are naturally coming to a society that previously never had to think about toplessness etc.
(1) No one asks Bali to choose tourism. Bali chooses it.
(2) Bali can easily make laws that allow women to be topless, as culturally allowed, and to suitably punish tourists who ogle at women or otherwise inconvenience them.
Or whatever.
These things have a natural ebb and flow. Cultures adapt to new realities. Cultures always have a choice. No one has come to Bali and suddenly forced any new culture on these women. They start pulling up their clothes because at some point it simply makes more sense to them.
The topless culture of Bali and parts of the Javanese culture was considered the empowerment of women as the giver of life.
The bare breast being the symbol of motherhood (life giver) and peace (harmony with life).
The influence of Islam pushed this culture to Bali where this truly Indonesian culture remains under pressure.
When new sets of morality seen and adopt, this tradition fade away. Not only Bali or Java, Papua's people or some african ethnic adopt new sets of morality, not instant but they do change also.
The opposite, like arabian women, many of them not wearing jilbab anymore. The subdominant morality sets always influenced by the dominant.
The spread of Islam through-out Indonesia wasn't bloodless. The Monarchs of Bali were more powerful & successful than their Javanese counterparts in protecting their kingdoms against the spread of Islam.
Even today you can still find topless Balinese women bathing and swimming in rural areas. However their culture remains under pressure as Islam increases its influence in Bali.
I suggest travelling to the west of Bali (former kingdoms of Tabanan and Jembrana) to rediscover the true Balinese culture.
Just let Bali going to be...
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