Broadsheet

"Playboy go to hell"

News of Playboy's plans to produce an Indonesian edition of the magazine has aggravated an already intense debate over pornography in the country, according to a BBC report. Since early last month, a series of demonstrations have been staged in the country's capital of Jakarta in support of an antipornography bill that is currently being drafted. Recently, protesters have donned signs reading, "Playboy go to hell."

Interestingly though, the magazine will not feature its typical nude pictorials. David Walker, editorial director of the Indonesian edition, told the Guardian, "Any magazine we launch in Indonesia would be focused on many of the other things Playboy is well known for: high-quality editorial, including interviews and feature stories written by renowned local writers and journalists." (I guess subscribers will be able to believably claim: "I read it for the articles.")

Playboy's entrance comes at an interesting time, considering that the antipornography bill is expected to pass in the next six months. The bill would "make it an offense to show what it calls sensual body parts, including the navel, hips and thighs." But offenders wouldn't receive a harmless slap on the wrist -- try two years in jail.

Some argue that the legislation is about anything but pornography. Women's rights activist Husna Mulya told the BBC, "The people behind this are using religious values to make their argument, especially Muslim groups. It is not stated in the bill, but the standard being used is the standard of Sharia law." Mulya argues that more than pornography, legislators are offended by the current Indonesian fashion of wearing slim-fitting pants and cleavage-revealing tops.

Shacking up, not settling down
Horrors! Young couples are moving in together without plans for marriage
Slipped through the cracks
Roundup: Is porn ditching narrative? Plus romance novels, eating placenta and more
Pope tries to school Obama on abortion
The two meet for the first time in Vatican City and get straight to business
A slap in the face to fat girls
Beth Ditto may be a hip plus-size icon, but her new clothing line feels like an insulting throwback to a 1985 Kmart

Recent Posts

Slipped through the cracks
Roundup: Is porn ditching narrative? Plus romance novels, eating placenta and more
Pope tries to school Obama on abortion
The two meet for the first time in Vatican City and get straight to business
A slap in the face to fat girls
Beth Ditto may be a hip plus-size icon, but her new clothing line feels like an insulting throwback to a 1985 Kmart

Full Archive

RSS Feed

Posts by date

July 2009
SuMoTuWeThFrSa
1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031

Tips or Comments?

E-mail us at broadsheet@salon.com.