In Indonesian cinema there is a female star type called the bom seks (sex bomb) defined by her berani, namely her willingness or boldness to appear in roles that involve sex and seduction and in scenes that require minimal dress. Sometimes described as artis panas (hot artist) or wanita penggoda (temptress), the bom seks were a significant phenomenon during the golden age of Indonesian cinema from the early 1970s to the late 1990s. On-screen she performed in roles that required her to embody a kind of sexuality that was flirtatious, sensual, and provocative. Off-screen she was the subject of tabloid fascination and gossip and featured in magazines and other extra-filmic materials in ways that further accentuated her image of brazen sexuality. Together these roles and materials contributed to her sex bomb star image.

Following a star studies paradigm, this chapter discusses the ways in which the Indonesian sex bomb phenomenon interfaces with broader cultural themes in Indonesian society as it underwent development and modernisation under the New Order regime (1966–98). In part this research is prompted by a renewed popular interest in the sex bomb phenomenon and by the emergence of a new historiography about Indonesian cinema (Paramaditha 2017). Based on detailed research of newspaper and magazine articles from the 1970s onwards, this chapter discusses the sex bomb star type and the women's careers as they negotiated work, fame, morality, and ageing. In nominally ‘conservative’ Indonesia, sex bombs also provide a means to interpret and understand morality, gender norms, sexuality, and women's media image in Indonesia more broadly and challenge essentialist interpretations of Indonesian sexual and moral history.

What is a sex bomb?

Film industries across the world have featured actresses who come to be defined primarily through their provocative sexuality and bodily display. Apart from their physical beauty and attractiveness, common features include being voluptuous, raunchy, flirtatious, seductive, and sexually charged. A sex bomb is not only created in her on-screen roles and publicity material, but also in her off-screen life which may be characterised by scandal, rumour, and gossip. Apart from the ‘sex bomb’ moniker, they may be known as ‘sex goddesses’, ‘sex symbols’ or ‘bombshells’ ( Jordan 2010).