Her Kajal Won't Smudge
Her Kajal Won't Smudge
In desi society, there are so many unwritten rules that define women’s behaviour. These “rules” are reinforced by the threat of reprisals and policing a woman’s life choices, no matter where she lives. But things are changing. Online and offline, women (and men) are calling out all kinds of norms, like toxic rishta culture and beauty ideals. HKWS brings together and amplifies their voices. In …Social links:
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Sadaf Saaz - “Women have a deep need and desire to be able to express themselves, to be empowered, to live a fulfilled life, reaching their potential”
In this episode, Shana is in conversation with Bangladeshi women’s rights activist and poet, Sadaf Saaz. Sadaf talks about her journey from the UK to Bangladesh and how she found her feminism along the way, the strides made by the Bangladeshi feminist movement, the role of female garment workers in…
38:09
Sarmad Khoosat - “The ideas of misogyny and patriarchy are a mindset, as opposed to a construct restricted to a gender”
In this episode, Shana speaks with award-winning actor, director and producer, Sarmad Khoosat, the first male guest on Her Kajal Won’t Smudge. In this conversation, Shana and Sarmad talk about Zindagi Tamasha (“Circus of Life”), a movie directed and produced by Sarmad. It was Pakistan’s submiss…
36:28
Kate Manne and Urna Chakrabarty - “Misogyny is the metaphorical police force of patriarchy”
In this episode, Shana is in conversation with Kate Manne (philosopher, associate professor at Cornell University and author of Down Girl and Entitled) and Urna Chakrabarty (graduate student at Cornell University) to ask: why is there so much violence against women in South Asia? This is a question…
34:26
Surabhi Yadav - “Women At Leisure is a way to keep my mother’s memory alive”
In this episode, Shana talks to Surabhi Yadav, the creator of Women At Leisure, an Instagram account filled with 7 years of pictures and videos of women simply at leisure - having a cup of chai, climbing a tree, playing football. For Surabhi, time is a feminist issue, which lays bare the many oppre…
33:07
Mira Malhotra - “If ads can sell you stuff by being witty and engaging, I can do the same with graphic design and feminist ideas”
In this episode, Shana is in conversation with visual artist, illustrator and graphic designer, Mira Malhotra. Mira runs Studio Kohl, a design studio with a very recognisable visual style and a roster of clients that are big name brands, corporations and charities. What makes Mira such a compelling…
26:27
Amber Arifeen - “As an artist, I have the capacity to express things that most women can’t, issues that resonate with most desi women”
In this episode, Shana is in conversation with visual and performance artist, Amber Arifeen. Amber’s art looks at life through women’s eyes, giving insight into how women navigate the world. Take, for example, women and physical safety. Even if it might differ in degree depending on where women liv…
43:24
Krantinaari of Wild Wild Women - “We don’t connect to the hip-hop that men create, so we make our own”
In this episode, Shana talks to Krantinaari, a hip-hop artist, activist and a founding member of India’s first female hip-hop collective, Wild Wild Women. She talks about finding her own language of feminism, being a female rapper in an industry dominated by men and how Wild Wild Women came togethe…
28:01
Aurat March - “We needed the Aurat March, we needed a collective feminist platform to voice our issues on the streets”
In this episode, Shana is in conversation with two co-organisers of Pakistan’s women’s march, the Aurat March, who share their candid, very personal, journeys to feminism. They also talk about how the Aurat March came about, what role Aurat March plays in Pakistani society and those incredible, rev…
44:41
Swineryy - “There is no place for me in the world I’ve built, it’s just the joke”
In this episode, Shana is in conversation with comedian and social media star, Swineryy, who went viral in 2018 when she posted a video of an animoji pig asking “why am I haraam?” (translation: why am I a sin/forbidden?). We learn about why she is anonymous, how she created her iconic characters Bl…
29:35
Mariam Shafqat Goraya : “And my protest is obviously against misogyny. But [then] my personal anger is also about women who uphold these roles.”
Today, Shana is in conversation with satirist Mariam Shafqat Goraya. Through her character Naik Parveen, Mariam takes aim at women who are the “foot soldiers of patriarchy”. Mariam’s satire takes the sexist and misogynistic rhetoric that gets mentioned in private conversation, the stuff people don’…
34:30