Burma / Myanmar: Perceptions of Burmese women as seen through the cover of long-running Myawaddy...

Myawaddy is one of the longest-running magazines in present-day Burma. Its pages provide an interesting reflection of the impact of military rule post-1962 down to the present day. Before the military coup of 1962 female legs were readily bared and swimsuits in vogue. Following the coup, during the 1960s, women were represented in socialist style and not as sex objects. By the 1980s women were shown in a softer and more feminine style, but with legs covered up. By 2010 modern Burmese woman, from the perspective of the military censors Myawaddy has to cope with, are soft, feminine, clad in traditional Burmese clothing with longyi that sweep to the floor.