DIAZ

Whenever I have friends visiting from overseas and I introduce them to the Jakarta nightlife, they always remark on the two diametrically opposed types of clubbing to be had here.

The first is very posh, with good music and beautiful people, most of whom spend all night just standing around looking pretty -- poseurs exuding pretension.

The second is super hardcore, with house music that hammers its way into your veins. Other partygoers hardly notice you, caught up as they are in their own drug-induced fervors. And high fashion is not exactly a prerequisite.

Of the latter option, the less said, the better. Let us, instead, strip bare the fabulous irony at the core of the first option.

Partly because of cultural sensitivity (the much-touted sopan santun custom), Indonesians tend to pay extra attention to the way others dressed.

And people openly judge others because of their clothes (or lack thereof). An appearance or attire that makes its wearer the center of attention can trigger an avalanche of comments. For most foreigners, especially westerners, it should no longer be surprising to be stared at in shopping malls or on the street.

Some consider it rude, others chalk it up to cultural eccentricities. However, I often feel it's causing Indonesians to lose touch with fashion trends. And so we're stuck with having to believe "normal" is safe and "different" is alien.

As devotees of super-stylish, fashion-forward, body-conscious, attitude-is-everything, fabulous-is-my-second-name principles, my friends and I spend a considerable amount of time deciding what to wear to the club.

Of course we want to hog the spotlight, but being practical is also important. And so, with unpredictable crowds and questionable air conditioning in the club, we love to wear something cool, sexy and sporty, such as a stylish tank top. Who said sexy was only for girls? Excuse us, but we don't hit the gym 4-5 days a week for nothing! We are so flaming!

In some clubs overseas, there is a so-called "Door Bitch" who decides who can enter. They are girls with a strong fashion sense who major in PR.

If a club is more oriented toward style and image, they will allow you to enter only if you're considered "cool" enough and/or famous. Remember the days of Studio 54? Luckily, we don't have such an extreme social status and physical restriction here.

Unfortunately, however, what we do have are glorified security guards deciding who gets in! And to make matters worse, they make their decisions based on what you wear! Since when did security guards or bouncers become fashion gurus? Hello!? Does this sound gay?

Slipper, shorts, t-shirts, torn jeans and baseball caps are usually on the blacklist of such clubs.

But men in sleeveless shirts get rejected too. How can bouncers, oblivious as they are of Fashion TV and Vogue, be allowed to judge what kind of sleeveless shirt is tasteful or not?

When a man is wearing a baggy t-shirt with the sleeves cut off (think Sylvester Stallone in the 80s), or a Village People-inspired sleeveless check shirt, and has not shaved or styled his hair or is not wearing matching pants, then he deserves to be rejected.

But when a man, regardless of sexual orientation, who goes to the gym regularly, takes care of his skin religiously, is perfumed and wearing a stylish sleeveless top to stand out from the crowd, then he/she deserves to get in!

On the other hand, ladies can wear almost anything. You go, sister! But this fact creates an unbalanced style atmosphere in the club.

Have clubs become sexist? While women are allowed to look drop dead gorgeous in anything they like, men are forced into a restricted range of jackets and shirts, boxy and slim, with no edge, variation or sexually ambiguous mystique.

Fashion is sex, some people say, but it doesn't apply here for men! And no wonder the desire to be seen as posh is pretentious -- because there's a ceiling on freedom of expression.

It's about time for clubs here to change their positions on men's (same-)sex appeal in dressing, or at least not leave bouncers in charge of it. A well-informed person with an eye for style should be the one to decide whether a sleeveless top is fashion magic or tragic.

In the past, the Indonesian club scene wasn't all that advanced in terms of style. But I must admit, it had so much character, and it was so much fun seeing people being themselves without resorting to pretensions. In an age of variety, why enforce uniformity?

-- Diaz

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