She said she believed that reviving the kebaya culture was crucial because the kebaya is an Indonesian tradition that has been passed down for generations. Although the kebaya is not the only traditional outfit for Indonesian women it is one of the few worn across the entirety of Indonesia.
group of women from Komunitas Perempuan Indonesia Berkebaya (community of women wearing the kebaya) wore colorful kebaya on Tuesday as they walked around the National Monument (Monas) area to campaign for Selasa Berkebaya, a movement encouraging women to start wearing kebaya every Tuesday.
Their presence at Monas marked their second public appearance. They started their campaign last week near the Dukuh Atas MRT Station.
During the events, women from the kebaya community posed for the camera, took selfies and uploaded their pictures to social media with the hashtag #SelasaBerkebaya.
A group of students from Pelita Harapan University joined the #SelasaBerkebaya campaign by taking pictures together with the women in kebaya and offering to create an official website for the community.
Despite it being such a simple campaign that only started about a week ago, the movement has garnered support from Indonesian women everywhere thanks to social media.
While the campaign started in Jakarta, similar events are also happening at the same time in cities like Bogor, West Java, and Makassar, South Sulawesi, and even in the United States, Europe and Australia, according to Rahmi Hidayati, founder of the community.
Rahmi said the community had been around for five years. In fact, the Selasa Berkebaya campaign was not their first attempt to re-introduce the kebaya to the general public.
Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.
Quickly share this news with your network—keep everyone informed with just a single click!
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Get the best experience—faster access, exclusive features, and a seamless way to stay updated.