By 2:00 PM, the BBQ was done. The women dispersed. Lina drove home, the silence in the car broken only by Keanu’s sleepy breathing. She saw Yuni, the nanny, playing with the toddler on the foam mat in the living room. For a moment, Lina felt a pang of jealousy—Yuni got the giggles; Lina got the credit card bills.
The Ibu-Ibu of modern Jakarta, Surabaya, and Bandung are a unique economic engine. They have moved beyond the arisan (traditional social gathering) of the 90s, which involved Tupperware and gossip about the maid. Today’s arisan involves a rented villa in Puncak, a private yoga instructor, a caterer who specializes in vegan keto cuisine, and a discussion about the best international school for their children’s emotional intelligence. Memek Ibu Ibu
The table murmured in approval. Entertainment for the Ibu-Ibu has pivoted hard from soap operas ( sinetron ) to experiential wellness. It is no longer enough to watch a drama on TV; they must perform their own drama of healing. A standard week includes: a reformer Pilates class (to offset the BBQ), a coffee date at a place with a moss wall (for the feed ), a parenting webinar (featuring a psychologist from Australia, via Zoom), and a “me-time” facial using a sheet mask that costs as much as a daily wage for the house staff. By 2:00 PM, the BBQ was done