Actress Luna Maya recently shined light on a particularly-noticeable-yet-often-brushed-off state of the Indonesian modeling industry, which still largely showcases foreign models, potentially paving way for some fruitful discussion on the matter.
For those of you who may have missed it, Luna has been selected as one of the judges on Indonesia’s Next Top Model (INTM), the country’s edition of the hit modeling competition America’s Next Top Model (ANTM) originally created by US model-turned-television personality Tyra Banks. The show has also been adapted for the Asian market, titled Asia’s Next Top Model (ASNTM), which ran from 2012 to 2018.
Luna, who began her career as a model herself, said that she’s happy that Indonesia finally has its own version of Top Model because she believes the country has a big opportunity to excel its modeling industry.
“We have several international magazines from abroad, which are big and need many models,” Luna said in a virtual press conference yesterday.
However, the 37-year-old actress said she was perturbed by the state of Indonesia’s modeling industry.
“I just thought recently how [Indonesia’s] modeling world was dominated by foreign models, I don’t know why, I just think that’s weird,” Luna said.
“Despite the many talents we have in Indonesia, not to mention our large population, but maybe there’s a lack of channels or tracks for them [to pursue modeling].”
Luna, who herself is Javanese-Austrian, was likely referring to how most fashion magazines, brands, and modeling agencies appear to have a preference toward foreign models — many of whom hail from Eastern Europe — instead of local women. The same applies in film and TV, where foreign talents, mixed race Indonesians, or those whose skin tones are much lighter than the average Indonesian are preferred for key roles.
We’ve definitely seen a slow change in this regard, as discussions on representation grew significantly in the past couple of years. Many young Indonesians are demanding to see people who really represent them in various media, from models in local lifestyle brands to screen actors.
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