Feminist podcast’s provocative posters tackle cultural taboos facing South Asian women

If you asked yourself what taboos exist in your culture that are often not openly spoken about, what would come to mind? 

For South Asian women in the U.K., the answer might be a slew of patriarchal and misogynistic ideas and slurs. This is why an out-of-home campaign from a South Asian feminist podcast puts those cultural taboos that women aren’t “supposed” to discuss front and center.

“The Campaign We’re Not Supposed to Talk About,” created by agency Rapp UK, features posters of South Asian women and Masala Podcast listeners pictured alongside provocative headlines that challenge taboos in the South Asian community, inspired by their lived experiences.

Headlines invite women to question and challenge the ideals they’ve been taught since birth—about their roles as dutiful daughters, aspirations for marriage, stances on same-sex relationships and more. The campaign directs women to the podcast, as a safe place to have their voices heard and their feelings validated.

The campaign launched during South Asian Heritage Month and is running in U.K. areas known to have a substantial South Asian community—and more specifically, where women are known to congregate. 

Additional creative running on social media reframes slurs commonly used to insult South Asian women. For instance, “besharam,” which means “shameless woman” in Urdu, Farsim Hindi and other languages, is redefined as “a woman brave enough to live her own life,” and “chee chee,” which means “dirty,” is re-defined as “a woman who isn’t afraid to love herself.” The campaign gives South Asian women an opportunity to take ownership of words once used to hurt them.

“South Asian women are one of the U.K.’s most marginalized groups. Despite 2.75 million of us living in this country, we have barely any media representation. That’s why the Masala Podcast is incredibly important, serving as a safe space for us to tackle cultural taboos from sex, sexuality, periods, mental health, menopause and more,” said Sangeeta Pillai, founder of Masala Podcast. 

The Masala Podcast features some of the world’s best known South Asian women in music, media and more, including musician Anoushka Shankar, TV presenter Anita Rani and British comedian Shazia Mirza. It also includes personal reflections from creator Sangeeta Pillai. Its most recent American season features exclusive interviews with influential American South Asian women, including Hollywood stars, producers, music icons, Vogue editors and more.

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