The Other Ladies of Myanmar

Bronze medallist of 2020 Independent Publisher Book Awards, Category 76: Women’s Issues.

In Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi is often not called by her name. Instead, she is just "The Lady", an honorific nickname that signifies her place in the collective imagination of her country. And from global human rights icon to Myanmar’s de facto leader, she is certainly a towering figure. But The Lady’s reputation has only tarnished in recent years in the face of the persecution of her country’s Rohingya minority.

In this new book, we present some of Myanmar’s other ladies: women from across the social spectrum who are changing their country, and its perceptions of gender, from the ground up. From the artist who defied the junta to hand out sanitary towels at her exhibition, to the Muslim campaigner who has already spent a quarter of her life in prison; from the feminist Buddhist nun to the pop star who gets called a whore for performing; these are the voices of The Other Ladies of Myanmar.

Jennifer Rigby is an award-winning British journalist who lived and worked in Yangon, Myanmar in 2015 and 2016. She specializes in women’s rights, social affairs and people stories.