The New Asian Woman

Abstract

Given the ubiquitous nature of the women's magazine in newsstands throughout the world, it is surprising how little we know about their contents and their role in non-western countries. Using examples from Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, the author argues for research that situates the mass-circulation women's magazine within the context of the rise of mass culture and clarifies its role as an arbitrator of women's image and social role. Research libraries' systematic exclusion of Southeast Asian women's magazines from their collections hampers research that might expand our understanding of women's lives in these countries. A cooperative approach to developing representative collections of women's magazines is advocated along with programs to study their history and contents.

Key Words:

• Southeast Asia
• Malaysia
• Philippines
• Indonesia
• women's magazines
• popular culture
• media