Her Kajal Won't Smudge

Her Kajal Won't Smudge is a podcast about South Asian women who are pushing back on desi social norms through art, content, dance, music, film, and more. We ask every guest: What does feminism mean to you? In South Asian spaces, the word “feminist” is still linked to promiscuity, selfishness or a rejection of family values. We want to unpack that. Our guests remind us that feminism isn’t one thing. It’s a way to be your fuller self, have voice, choice, and power in a culture obsessed with “what will people say?” Social norms aren’t fixed. We create them, which means we can rewrite them too.

  1. Zara Suhail Mannan - We deserve to be free here as much as our male counterparts, this is my Pakistan too

    09/04/2025

    Zara Suhail Mannan - We deserve to be free here as much as our male counterparts, this is my Pakistan too

    Zara Suhail Mannan is Shana’s guest on this week’s episode of Her Kajal Won’t Smudge. Zara studied English at Yale University. After Yale, she could have sought out the best-paying corporate job she could have found, but instead Zara returned to Pakistan to teach at an all-boys underprivileged school. By day, she taught, presenting as a man, and mentored young boys and, by night, she was one-half of a glittery, sparkly, pop band called Mystical Shayari. It all came to a head when Mystical Shayiri did a photoshoot, glammed up, in front of a monument to the founder of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah.    Next came  online trolling, death threats, arrest, TV shaming and more. But what Zara has won in the process is truly a testament to the force that she is. Let’s just say, she set the record straight about what it means to be a Pakistani and she continues to live this activism through Kitab Ghar, a public library truly open to all.    Follow us on Instagram @herkajalwontsmudge and check out our website www.herkajalwontsmudge.com.   CREDITS: Host and Creative Director: Shana  Head of Visual Design: Minal Jadeja Visual Designers: Akshat Agarwal, Shaumik Kanvinde   This is a Maed in India production Head of Production: Mae Mariyam Thomas Project Manager: Shaun Fanthome Producer: Ruchi Sawardekar Junior Producer: Quoyina Ghosh Sound Editor & Mix Engineer: Kartik Kulkarni, Lakshman Parsuram, Nihar Temkar

    46 min
  2. Jameela Jamil - The beauty and diet industries are teaching women to hate themselves for profit

    26/02/2025

    Jameela Jamil - The beauty and diet industries are teaching women to hate themselves for profit

    Trigger Warning: This episode contains mentions of self-harm and violence against women. Listener discretion is advised.   Actress and activist Jameela Jamil joins Shana to talk about body positivity, the “experiment” of social media, how the diet industry preys on women’s insecurities around body image and Jameela’s own struggles with beauty standards. They also talk about “female perfectionism”, a paradigm that locks women of all ages in the belief that perfectionism is the only standard of success. Anything less is failure. Jameela sees herself as a “feminist in progress” and she accepts her mistakes, openly admits them and shows herself compassion. Another big topic they hit upon is toxic masculinity, how we got here and the role and responsibility women have to help men do better. Shana and Jameela do not see eye to eye on this, but this is a podcast that gives space to a range of feminisms.      Follow us on Instagram @herkajalwontsmudge and check out our website www.herkajalwontsmudge.com. Follow @jameelajamil on Instagram.   CREDITS: Host and Creative Director: Shana  Head of Visual Design: Minal Jadeja Visual Designers: Akshat Agarwal, Shaumik Kanvinde   This is a Maed in India production Head of Production: Mae Mariyam Thomas Project Manager: Shaun Fanthome Producer: Ruchi Sawardekar Junior Producer: Quoyina Ghosh Sound Editor & Mix Engineer: Kartik Kulkarni, Lakshman Parsuram, Nihar Temkar

    43 min

About

Her Kajal Won't Smudge is a podcast about South Asian women who are pushing back on desi social norms through art, content, dance, music, film, and more. We ask every guest: What does feminism mean to you? In South Asian spaces, the word “feminist” is still linked to promiscuity, selfishness or a rejection of family values. We want to unpack that. Our guests remind us that feminism isn’t one thing. It’s a way to be your fuller self, have voice, choice, and power in a culture obsessed with “what will people say?” Social norms aren’t fixed. We create them, which means we can rewrite them too.

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