Aimee DawisSome call it luck, others call it fate. But success is not something that comes out of the blue.

It takes more than just good luck and fate for Indonesian women to shine — winning recognition and gaining the respect they deserve.

For media businesswoman Dian Muljadi, it’s her courage and passion to try new things that helped her beat the odds.

Today, she has crafted her name in the fashion industry by pioneering the Indonesian edition of foreign magazine Cosmopolitan and now again, with her latest creation — the new online fashion and lifestyle portal, fimela.com.

“Cosmopolitan was a groundbreaking process in my career in the media. I had zero knowledge in publishing,” Dian says.

For researcher Sidrotun Naim, her curiosity in studying shrimp diseases won her a US$40,000 fellowship and taken her to different countries to further her studies.

Businesswoman Carmelita Hartoto had to learn the shipping business from scratch after she was suddenly installed to run her family’s shipping company. She is now chairwoman of the Indonesian National Shipowners’ Association, and more.

Author Aimee Dawis has just published a book that features nine prominent Chinese-Indonesian women,
while jewelry designer Elizabeth Wahyu stays true to her art. Creative artist Ika Vantiani is embarking on her new artistic passion while staying true to her love of music.

Many women have no regrets, only success stories to share — like pastry chef Karen Carlotta, chef Sandra Djohan and actress Titi Kamal — who made it big by following their passions in the male-dominated world of fine cuisine.

“Men tend to look down on women because they have soft and weak images attached to them. But, for me, I just proved myself with my work,” Karen said.  

Indonesian women today also enjoy some services especially designed for their comfort and safety.

The services — from the women-only train carriages provided for commuters in Greater Jakarta and for those traveling from Yogyakarta to Surakarta in Central Java, to the separate sections on Transjakarta buses — were launched to avoid sexual harassment often taking place on jam-packed public transports.

Entertainment and lifestyle centers, including hotels and shopping malls, have also picked up on the trend, providing women-only offers in their establishments to charm female customers.

Even the promoter of the upcoming concert of American singer Lady Gaga has allocated a female-only area for
the June 3 event.

Many Indonesian women out there go backpacking and traveling around the world alone, negating the social stigma that it is not “acceptable” for a woman to travel solo.

Some of these courageous female travelers have penned their experiences to inspire and encourage other women to follow in their footsteps. — JP

Popular

Prabowo seeks House support for stalled asset forfeiture bill

Hamas to release hostage as part of direct Gaza talks with US

30 Indonesian 'pilgrims' nabbed in Jeddah for visa violation