Islam, Visual Morality and Gender Identity in Cyberspace: The Agency, Controversy and Popular Piety of Ria Ricis

Abstract

Abstract Hijab wearing women are often key players in the digital market ecosystem and popular culture in Indonesia, as well as being a battleground for discourse on contemporary relations between Islam and gender. By analyzing the controversy and development of Instagram celebrity and YouTuber Ria Ricis, this article discusses sexual morality and visual culture in cyberspace that shows the latest developments in the use of hijab, popular piety, and the lifestyle of young millennial Muslim women. This article seeks to contribute to refreshing the literature on Islamic studies and gender studies in Indonesia with the intersection of Islam, gender, and digital media. This study argues that in the midst of the controversy over Muslim woman’s sexual morality in Indonesian cyberspace, Ria Ricis shows her agency by positioning herself as a millennial hijabi woman with popular piety and participating in spreading Islamic messages according to the digital market ecosystem while maintaining a cheerful and sensational millennial identity and character.