Video — Title Koleksi Awek Melayu Cantik Main

The rise of user‑generated video platforms (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram Reels) has created a new space where Malay women are routinely featured under the banner “koleksi awek Melayu cantik” (collections of beautiful Malay girls). While such titles attract large view counts, the scholarly community has paid limited attention to the cultural, gendered, and economic implications of this phenomenon. This paper investigates (1) how beauty and “playfulness” are constructed in these videos, (2) the degree of agency exercised by the performers, and (3) how Malay audiences interpret and negotiate these representations. Employing a mixed‑methods design—(i) a content analysis of 150 videos (January–December 2023) titled with the keyword awek Melayu cantik, (ii) semi‑structured interviews with 20 female creators, and (iii) an online survey of 1,200 Malay viewers—this study finds that (a) visual tropes of modesty juxtaposed with contemporary fashion dominate the aesthetic; (b) creators often use the “cute‑play” narrative to navigate patriarchal expectations while monetising their presence; and (c) audiences display a paradoxical stance, celebrating aesthetic appeal yet expressing concern over potential objectification. The findings suggest that the “koleksi awek” genre operates as a hybrid site of empowerment and constraint, reshaping notions of femininity in Malaysia’s digital public sphere.

Keywords: Malay women, online video, representation, gender, digital culture, user‑generated content, Malaysia video title koleksi awek melayu cantik main

This study draws on intersectional feminist media theory (Crenshaw, 1991) and cultural hybridity (Bhabha, 1994). Intersectionality allows us to analyse how ethnicity (Malay), religion (Islam), gender, and class intersect in the production and consumption of “awek” videos. Hybridity captures the negotiation between global visual culture (e.g., K‑pop aesthetics) and local moral economies. This study draws on intersectional feminist media theory

Traditional Malaysian media has long mediated gender through the lenses of modesty, domesticity, and national identity (Mahathir, 1995). Recent scholarship highlights a shift toward “glocal femininity,” wherein global aesthetics blend with local cultural codes (Abdullah & Chua, 2020). However, the tension between modernity and conservatism persists, especially when visual displays of beauty intersect with Islamic notions of modesty (Yusof, 2018). Traditional Malaysian media has long mediated gender through