Why Are Young Moms So Sexualized in Indonesia?

Why the hell are Indonesian men so obsessed with young moms? The phrase "mamah muda," or young mom, has become synonymous with the hyper-sexualization of the "young mother" in Indonesia.

Just take a look at some of these headlines: "10 Prettiest Mamah Muda in Indonesia Who Make Guys Nervous, Duh!" "This Mamah Muda Keeps Sleeping With Her Boy Toy" "Mamah Muda Sells Her Body for Beauty"

This obsession has gotten so out of hand that its even spawned some bizarre slang. When you hear someone in Indonesia talking about Mahmoud Abbas, they aren't talking about the Palestinian leader. They're talking about "mahmud abbas," or "mamah muda anak baru satu," ("a young mom with one newborn kid") a description that is now seen as an ideal standard of beauty.

The phrase is so popular that when police in Riau province uncovered an online prostitution ring run on the app BIGO LIVE, the user name was, you guessed it, Mamah Muda.

Dangdut singers, never one to turn down a chance to capitalize on a sexual trend, have already released a hit song titled "Mamah Muda," that tells the story of a young woman flirting with a married man who is stepping out on his wife in search of a mamah muda. By the end of the song, the younger woman becomes his second wife, and eventually another young mom.

In the music video, the singer Melinda goes around town catching the eye of a bunch of men who are so obsessed with mamah muda they're holding a poster that appears to both advertise this song and also feature Melinda—the song's titular young mom—in a sexy pose.

It's not exactly breaking new ground for women's rights, is it? But what do actual mamah muda think about this trend? I called up a few young moms to find out.

VICE Indonesia: What are some of the things you can be proud of as a young mom?
Ixora Tri Devi: I became a mom at 25 and people told me that at 25 the female body was 'ripe.' So I wasn't exactly young at the time. But the thing I'm proud of is, just like any mother, young or old, the gift of life.

You must've heard the term 'mahmud,' right? Do you feel like it objectifies young women?
I do. The term hot mom, or mamah muda/ mahmud is pretty much the same as MILF in the US, right? So yeah, hot mom and mamah muda were coined to perpetuate the male fantasy. The term is now casually thrown around.

How do you feel when someone calls you 'mamah muda'?
So far, the only people who call me mamah muda are my dear friends, some of whom are fellow mothers and women. I know they use the term to tease me, but i feel fine if it's a woman saying it. I'm more upset with the men who catcall me when I'm carrying my child around. It's happened several times. But the catcalls are never like 'mahmud, euy,' ('hey, young mom'). They're more old-school. But if a group of me catcalled me with 'hey, hot momma!' I would definitely be more upset than if my friends were just stating the obvious, that I'm young and a mom.

Do you think it's meant to degrade or to praise young moms?
It really depends on the context. On who says it and where. [Laughs] So far, it's meant to tease [with me and my friends] not to bully.

You see a lot of exploitative headlines in Indonesian media, stuff like 'this mamah muda was caught cheating,' or whatever. How does this make you feel?
I've pretty upset when I see it, but when you think about it, there's nothing the media doesn't commodify. For example something like 'The Five Hottest Pecel Lele Sellers in Jakarta' or the 'Ten Sexists Moms in Space.' Everything is constructed as a male fantasy here. There are few things people would want to talk about other than who is pretty or sexy. [Laughs]

VICE Indonesia: What makes you proud of as a young mom?
Fanni Imaniar: My biggest source of pride is that I could learn to multi-task as a mother, wife, professional, and member of society. It's far from perfect, but I can say with pride that I started 'it all' before 30.

Do you think the idea of a mamah muda is shifting today to become more sexualized?
Yeah, today there is a sexual connotation to the term. But it's really no wonder. The term shifts according to current woman's lifestyle and cultural development. Especially in big cities.

What do you mean?
Well back in the day, mamah muda was synonymous with a woman who married young and then had a child. But she spent most of her time at home. Most of them didn't maintain their appearance the way they did before marriage, because who had the time?

Today, it doesn't take as long to maintain your appearance. So mothers can maintain their health and their beauty, as well as take care of their priorities, be it work or family. Psychologically speaking, especially when thinking of the opposite sex, the ability to maintain one's beauty while being married and having kids is a source of pleasure and admiration by men—visually at least.

This is how the sexualization of young moms began. Just like the sexualization of school girls who are ahead of their peers, in terms of physical development.

Do you have any tips for other young moms on how to deal with this?
I think we have to ask ourselves: how do we project our image to society? Do you want to be perceived as a modest young mom? As a young mom who likes to do what teenagers do? A typical MILF for the men out there? It's really our choice. We're living in an era when we're free to decide how we want others to perceive us.

VICE Indonesia: What's your biggest source of pride as a mother?
Lury Prastianty: My child is 22 months old, to some women being a mother is natural. I personally think that having a child at a young age gives me more time to spend with my child. I'm still young, so I can spend more time playing with my kid.

Do you think mamah muda is objectifying?
No, I disagree. Honestly, people call me mahmud a lot. I don't think it's something to frown at. The term was coined probably because there are more and more younger women getting married and having children.

So you never felt uncomfortable with being called mahmud?
No, it's OK. Not that I take it as a compliment or anything. It's just that I'm young and have a child—although some people can't believe that I'm a mother of one. It's really no big deal. Some of my colleagues at work call me mamah muda.

But when you Google 'mamah muda,' all you get are super sexualized images of young moms.
I think those who shift the meaning of this term are narrow-minded. That's an effect of being a mother at a younger age. We're women after all. Now the status of 'mother' no longer refers to a woman in a daster with their hair in a bun. Now there are many mothers, young and old, who look OK. That's probably shifted the meaning into something negative. Those images from Google are always pictures of women without their children. So these narrow-minded people don't understand the true meaning of 'mamah muda.' I think the term mahmud wasn't coined because of those sexy photos. I think those photos were posted by people who fantasize about young mothers.