The Ideal Female Body on the Packaging Design of Traditional Medicine (Jamu)

Authors

  • Listia Natadjaja Media and Cultural Studies, Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta and Visual Communication Design, Petra Christian University, Surabaya- Indonesia.
  • Faruk Tripoli Faculty of Cultural Sciences and Center for Cultural Studies, Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta- Indonesia
  • Bayu Wahyono Faculty of Education, Yogyakarta State University, Yogyakarta-Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18533/journal.v3i4.386

Keywords:

Female Body, Packaging Design, Traditional Medicine (Jamu)

Abstract

Jamu, an Indonesian traditional medicine used for treating ailments or sicknesses  is also well known as a product for slimming especially for women.  Through its packaging design, jamu for women depict female body in the form of photograph and illustrations. The female body is constructed to be seen attractive and become the ideal body. The research aims to read the ideal female body on the packaging design of jamu and to reveal the ideology behind them. We analyzed the packaging design of jamu related to the formation of female body produced by five major manufacturers of traditional medicine that has survived for at least three generations: Air Mancur, Sido Muncul, Jamu Jago, Nyonya Meneer and Jamu Iboe. This analysis uses Roland Barthes' semiotic theory that reveals the linguistic message, the denoted image and rhetoric of the image. Ideal body is still struggling around the stereotype that physically described as thin and also plum with the emphasise on slim waist, big hip and breast. In keeping with the Javanese philosophy, woman's body is identical to the nature. The construction of female body is closely related to social and cultural context. Through the object and the pose, female body is depicted as traditional and modern, natural and cultural.

Author Biographies

  • Listia Natadjaja, Media and Cultural Studies, Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta and Visual Communication Design, Petra Christian University, Surabaya- Indonesia.

    Listia Natadjaja is an Associate Professor of Visual Communication Design Department, Faculty of Art and Design at Petra Christian University, Surabaya- Indonesia. She has studied a wide range of multidisciplinary fields of science including architecture engineering, property management and multimedia design and published many articles regarding to design, education, media and cultural studies. She has had experience in product development while working as a professional and is interested in media and cultural studies to enrich her knowledge especially in visual communication design. She is currently persuing her doctoral degree in Media and Cultural Studies at Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta- Indonesia. 

  • Faruk Tripoli, Faculty of Cultural Sciences and Center for Cultural Studies, Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta- Indonesia

    Faruk Tripoli is a Professor at Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta- Indonesia. He teaches at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences and Center for Cultural Studies. He got his Bachelor, Master Degree and PhD in Sociology of Literature. He has produced  twelve books on Indonesian literature, art, culture, and society which are written in Indonesian. The last title of his book is Pengantar Sosiologi Sastra: Edisi Kedua (Introduction to the sociology of literature: Second Edition).

  • Bayu Wahyono, Faculty of Education, Yogyakarta State University, Yogyakarta-Indonesia

    Bayu Wahyono is a lecturer in Faculty of Education, Yogyakarta State University, Yogyakarta- Indonesia. He also  teaches in Graduate School of Media and Cultural Studies and Graduate School of  Sociology, Faculty of Social Political Science at Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta. He does many researches in mass media, education and social change, as well as the locality regarding to abangan Islam.

     

References

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Published

2014-05-01

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 4 (2014): April

Section

Article

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