I Beg Your Prada – Curhat Perempuan Metro

Title : I Beg Your Prada – Curhat Perempuan Metro (chats of Metro women)
Author : Alexandra Dewi – Cynthia Agustina
Publisher : Gramedia
Year : 2006

This book tells about the daily life of the middle – high classes in Jakarta; the metropolitan life. Written in simple and colloquial language; it is just like telling stories and expressing opinions in a blog – an internet media currently used to substitute a diary.

It highlights life style, branded fashion mania, crazy and weird behaviors, prestige, pretentiousness and hypocrisy, bragging, social phenomena, cultural shifts and crimes.

It contains of 31 sub titles.

1. It is about Metro people who tend to idolize physique; that being slim for women is very important. They rush to fitness center to build such body shape.

2. Being thrifty is good, but being TOO thrifty without paying attention to others could make other people annoyed with such behavior.

3. Branded products fever – from clothes to drink – in middle high classes people.

4. The difficulty of being in the middle class. There are middle lower and middle upper, but still they belong to the middle class who want to be acknowledged and reach higher class even some of them pretending to be the (close) relatives of certain well-known and rich people, or even trying ‘to create a new identity”. What a pity.

5. It is about a man boosting about his aristocracy so that he could be more ‘accepted’ in the society. This makes him set aside his own good qualities.

6. This ‘I Beg Your Prada?’ becomes the title of the book. It tells about prevailing consumerism in Jakarta, especially for the high class. They are always looking for global branded products and their taste is the same as those of New York etc. It is a pity that intellectuality, integrity, humor sense and good conduct are conquered by consumerism.

7. Many people are in debt – either to a financial institution or having many credit cards – to be able to meet what they call ‘life styles’ and to be accepted in their social class.

8. To have a ‘good life style’, many people think that they should have branded products even if they have to buy the fake instead of the original. There are a lot of imitated branded products sold in
Mangga Dua. – from AA quality to so-so quality.

9. Still it tells about the middle class in Jakarta who wants to be acknowledged that they have upgraded their social class. They often behave strangely and weirdly. It also tells about how people try to find ways to make money; to earn for living in the metropolitan city. A very wide gap between the have and the have not.

10. It is about the Indonesian (read: Jakarta) who like being late – not on time, while they know that traffic jam is almost everywhere in this big city.

11. People tend to cover their problems because when they open their problems, other people will easily give judgment without consideration, or they become widespread gossips or they are alienated from the society.

12. It is about crimes in Jakarta: from stealing rearview mirror, hypnotic (followed by robbery, rape etc), sexual harassment, to trafficking.

13. Social views about public display affection. In Indonesian culture, people are not open in expressing their feelings. Physical intimacy – even only hugging – is rare to find in Indonesian family. Such things are ignored for the sake for social norms.

14. Again, it is about some people who want to increase their social status. They buy branded products to make them closer to higher class although the ways they are taking may cause them trapped in difficulty in the future. Marriage is one of the ways. But rich people generally (unless love really blinds) will marry rich people. They do not want their wealth moved to the ‘unknown’, right?

15. Among women who are looking for rich men, they divide men into three groups (just like in the fish market hehehe): small, medium, big fish. The pseudo-economy. Men, the, are trying to be richer and more famous. Women demand more and more that might lead her husbands to corrupt. They have forgotten integrity, pride, and code of conduct.

16. It tells about a trend in which women or men are likely to have a series of date with several persons at the same time to find Mr or Ms Right.

17. It is about the relationship with the ex girlfriend or boyfriend which may cause different impact to each other, particularly when one or both are already engaged in married.

18. It is about swinger party; threesome or foursome (oh my God!).

19. Should we speak honestly about the number of our ex girlfriend or boyfriend to our couple? If a man has ‘many numbers’, he is considered as ‘great’; on the other hand, if a woman has ‘many numbers’, she is considered as ‘bad’. Then, they tend to give the wrong numbers.

20. It tells about LDR (long distance relationship). A phenomenon commonly happens in this global telecommunication and internet world.

21. It is about a family life with husband like Hitler who rules violently, has not view about gender emancipation. The kinds of domestic violence and its causes.

22. Sexual intercourse VS masturbation. Social views (norms) VS personal needs.

23. It’s about finding a spouse for the purpose of making love only.

24. The reasons why ‘dishonest romantic/love relationship’ often happens (even if the spouse seems to be the perfect one).

25. It tells about how the parents (mother) of the writer taught her when she was a child. In 1980s parents mostly used authoritative approach in teaching or educating their children. In the writer’s opinion, such approach is no longer applicable for current era when children should be encouraged through ‘being a best friend’ approach.

26. It is related to topic in #1. Why do women have tendency to follow the models in the fashion magazine? Why are women sees from their physical beauties? Shouldn’t they have their individual rights over their own bodies?

27. It is about modern women in Indonesia. Despite the women emancipation, seemingly the gender issue remains a hot topic in the society that sees a woman to be bonded with family life. Ideally, a modern woman is a woman who can take her decision for herself. If finally she chooses to be a fulltime housewife, it is her choice, not because of social pressure. So, let them free to choose without pressure from society/community; not to defeat men, and change the cultural norms, but for the sake of a richer society in every aspect.

28. It tells about racism, especially for Chinese. Even though there are Chinese whose their grand grand parents already lived in Indonesia since centuries ago and they cannot speak Chinese language any longer, they are still considered as minority. Why do we should make such labeling if we cannot choose to belong to a certain race?

29. Can money and friendship be side by side? To what extent we should keep our friendship?

30. Friendster Fever. Many reasons for joining Friendster: looking for an activity partner, a person to date or finding old classmates.

31. This is about level of urgency. The story begins with the escort of corpse to the grave. Several cars often escort a corpse (for example: a well-known figure) and it causes more traffic congestion. They turn off the alarm so that other cars will give the way. The writer thinks that no need to hurry for this because there’s no word of being late to heaven for the corpse. In her opinion, it will be more reasonable if the drivers give the way to a fire brigade or an ambulance where there are lives to be rescued.