Her Kajal Won't Smudge

Her Kajal Won't Smudge is a podcast about South Asian women (and men) who are challenging social norms with  art, dance, music, film and more. 

We also invite academics to talk about “big questions” like what is misogyny and how did we come to live in a patriarchal world order?

Our mission is to get people talking about social norms, an unwritten set of rules that get passed down generationally by word of mouth. These norms (and expectations) impact the lives of South Asians – no matter where we live.

We also want to unpack the word “feminist”. We do this by asking every guest what feminism means to them and how they arrived at owning this label.

In South Asian communities, the word “feminism” is often frowned upon as it connotes promiscuity and, more broadly, the opposite of family values.

Our hope is that our listeners get to know our guests better and that they see them as role models for change. Listening to them say it is OK to say “no” to the expectations of society is a kind of open window to freedom, autonomy, choice. Hearing them explain what feminism means to them sets free this false notion that feminism is only one thing.

What we are left with is the awareness that feminism supports civil society, embraces difference and is ultimately about finding your inner voice in a society that always judges “what will people say?”

Research tells us that social norms are not a science. We create and perpetuate them by word of mouth and the content we consume.