Brownsplain: Recent Episodes
brownsplain
Brownsplain is our way of taking back our own narrative and discussing things from the perspective of the South Asian diaspora. We’ll be discussing issues surrounding misrepresentation, dating in the brown community, South Asian feminism, racism within the brown community and so much more. We hope this platform can educate people from other backgrounds about what life looks like from our lens. Brownsplain is our contribution to the growing movement that is working towards ensuring brown voices are commonplace.
On Brownsplain’s season finale we’ll be discussing the relationship between being South Asian and Neurodivergent! For starters being Neurodivergent is defined as differing in mental or neurological function from what is considered typical or normal; not neurotypical. This includes differences such ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dyspraxia and many more. Growing up in a community that focuses heavily on conforming to the status quo it is clear that there is some interplay, or in other words, conflicts between both identities. Whether we’re discussing day to day interactions or academics it is clear that exceptionalism is an expectation in the South Asian community. That’s not to say that neurodivergent South Asians aren’t exceptional it simply that they do not always function how others want them to. It also highlights how our community is not understanding of, or does not adequately accommodate those who differ from the norm. On this episode we’ll be discussing why that is, why this is a fundamental problem, the lack of education around being neurodivergent and barriers we face from the system. This episode touches on these issues through Alishbah’s brother’s experience with autism and Mehek’s experience with ADHD.
On this week’s episode we’ll be talking about period shame and sexual health education with Somya Prakash. More specifically, we’ll be discussing the shame and taboo surrounding the topic in South Asian spaces and why many of us probably feel uncomfortable just reading this! The discussion begins around feeling lost, and a little in the dark when it comes to your period. We delve into starting your period and being taught to keep it on the low, whilst also discussing the lack of important education and discomfort that stems from the need to conceal. Particularly how we prioritise ‘male comfort’ over what is often a difficult time for loads of women! We’ll also touch on sexual health education and the criminalisation of discussing anything related to the birds and the bees. More importantly, how the lack of discussion has meant we also do not discuss important points for our sexual health and safety. The lack of a safe space often leads to common misconceptions and reliance on unsafe sources such as porn, but also ignores important conversations such as consent.
On this week’s episode we’ll be diving into society’s idea of South Asian women. What makes a South Asian woman? Who is she? What is she meant to be like? In other words, what ideals are we imposing on her? We’ll be looking at this from two perspectives. Firstly, through the lens of our own community and the expectations and ideals often enforced on us, ranging from how we talk all the way to how we dress. We’ll also be looking at the negative and often damaging stereotypes of South Asian women created by the West to push forward their own agendas. More specifically, we’ll be discussing the over-simplified blanket statement; ’Are South Asian Women Oppressed?’’.
Back with another surprise episode of Brownsplain...the last few before the end of the season! This week we'll be discussing men's mental health in the South Asian community. It is no secret that mental health is a difficult topic for members of our community, one that we have briefly discussed before. We will be dedicating individual episodes to explore the different sides of mental health and how it can manifest differently across the community due to different cultural pressures. In this episode we are joined by our good friend Danny Naqvi who will be giving us an insight into dealing with mental health as a man within the brown community. Danny discusses his journey through feeling obliged to deny his feelings because 'boy's don't feel' and dealing with the cultural pressures associated with this. We also explore how he came to accept the help he needed and how he is now advocating for other men to break the stigma and do the same. This conversation was an inspiring one and we think his experiences will not only resonate with many of you, but will also impart some great wisdom.
Zahid from @anonymousmethod joins us on this week’s episode! We delve into the world of unconventional career paths. What is an unconventional career path you ask? Pretty much anything besides law, medicine, engineering and technology. We discuss both the cultural consequences of deviating from the norm and the limitations brown kids face from the rest of the world. Zahid provides us with valuable advice on networking, breaking barriers in any industry and explains how he accomplished his goal of becoming a writer and actor.
On this week’s episode we are joined by the one and only Aurea, who you may recognise from Tiktok! Having recently graduated with a Biology degree Aurea found herself deviating from the conventional post-grad path and pursuing social media and fashion! However, much like the two of us, she’s not immune from the shit storm that is post-graduation depression (note: not a medically recognised term but definitely a real thing). The vast majority of us have spent a good portion of our lives in the education system. It all leads up to this moment of graduating, and FINALLY starting our lives. In, reality it is both daunting and anti-climactic. It’s a huge shock to the system and we often panic because we feel like we need to have it all figured out. Then there’s the added pressure of being brown! Expectations from parents, readjusting to home life etc, make sure to tune in and hear about our uni experiences, what we would have done differently and what advice we would give to others who are going through the same thing 📚
We are joined by everyone’s favourite Tiktok mum Farah Hussain and her beautiful daughter Maham Hussan . On this episode we evaluate brown parenting! Traditionally, brown parenting has followed a strict structure with very little room for change. However, it is evident that the younger generation have their fair share of grievances with how things are usually done. Of course, we’re not generalising but we will be touching on a lot of issues that have been frequently raised. That is not to say brown parenting doesn’t have its pros (we explore those too!). We’ll be discussing issues such as; the consequences of deviating off the path that has been predestined for us, hiding our thoughts and feelings, putting our family first etc. We also touch on, the different ways girls and boys are raised. Farah discusses the way she has changed her parenting style and how important it is to understand what is best for your kids whilst also allowing them to flourish. She also touches on how she is using her platform to encourage other parents to do the same! Maham provides some valuable advice on how to engage with your parents and be honest about how you really feel.
We’re back and we’re kicking things off with a new episode. We’ll be discussing: South Asian Representation in TV and Film. TV and Film is a great tool to learn more about real issues and different cultures. As a result, it’s important that what we consume is wholly accurate. Inaccurate representation can have a negative impact on how we perceive certain communities. This has definitely been the case for South Asians (amongst other ethnic minorities). Whilst we’ve come a long way and made it clear that we want to be seen and heard, there is more to be done. The ‘Indian’ stereotype conceived by The Party (1968) and further enforced by The Simpsons (1989 - Present) has certainly overstayed it’s welcome. South Asians have been defined by the unrealistic accent, backwards mentality etc. Despite this we have seen South Asian celebrities using their platforms to break barriers and accurately represent our culture and history. However, we still have a long way to go. Never Have I Ever, Indian Matchmaking, Slumdog Millionare - we discuss them all! Join us this Friday.
🥭Eid weekend special!🥭 Desi Marriages: The good, the bad and the ugly. This week we're diving in to a highly anticipated topic - marriage! As times have changed, so has our idea of marriage. Today's generation offer a different perspective on marriage and dating, particularly how it has changed living in the West. The vast majority of us have been introduced to the topic of marriage from a very early age. For the most part, Asian weddings are vibrant and full of life but the expectations leading up to them can be extremely toxic. We call out the deep-rooted reluctance to normalise interracial marriage and the disproportionate expectations on both men and women. We also touch on the emotional and financial burden of weddings. Bollywood has also really impacted many of our expectations when it comes to extravagant weddings, but we’re now moving towards a mix of flashy and minimal weddings that are focusing on our happiness, and moving away from pleasing guests. We're joined by Mush and Imran, two very vocal brown boys. Things get pretty heated, so you might want to stick around for this one.
Beauty in the eyes of the coloniser. For centuries, countries around the globe have been plagued with western beauty standards. Till this day, so many of us feel like we need to conform. The beauty industry has created such a toxic idea that ethnic features are lesser-than and unattractive. Instead, we're fed recycled propaganda to bleach our skin and break our noses. On this episode we dive in to the issue and explore the detrimental impact it has had on our communities. We also touch on cultural appropriation and how our features only look good when they aren't on us. Out now!
Join us this week as we find out what the Desi experience is like across the pond🗽🍎 London and New York are two of the most culturally diverse cities in the world, with a growing Desi presence. Despite sharing the same origins, growing up in different western cities has resulted in us having varying perspectives and experiences.
On this episode we explore what life is like for Desis in the US and compare it to what life is like in the UK. Some of the topics we discuss include racism in the US, attitudes towards the P word, 9/11, representation and more.
We are joined by two inspirational guests straight from NYC as we discuss ‘The Desi Experience: London and New York’
It is no secret that mental health is not welcomed by the brown community. There is a lot of shame, sharam, fear and secrecy surrounding mental illness. This ignorance has meant mental health is extremely misunderstood.
We can also feel a lot of social pressures to conform as there is a lot of pride in our community that we just can’t seem to get rid of. The truth is many of us are suffering or have been impacted by mental health.
Whether it’s because of familial pressures, anxiety, depression, or being unable to express your emotions because "what will people think?”.
Join us for episode 2, where we discuss all of the above and dive into our experiences. Finally we discuss how we can start normalising mental health by creating more conversations between our families, religious places and friends.
Do you ever feel too white to be brown, or too brown to be white?
Ever felt the pressure to identify as one and not the other?
We thought we’d start off the podcast with a conversation that goes into a bit more detail about our experiences as brown kids, and the overall idea of South Asian cultural identity in the west.
For many, you’re either too Desi or a complete coconut. In reality, that’s far from the case. As time has passed, new cultures have emerged across the spectrum.
We’ll be interpreting what this means and setting the tone for what’s to come...
Brownsplain is our way of taking back our own narrative and discussing things from the perspective of the South Asian diaspora. It's our turn to Brownplain.
We're so excited for what there is to come, tune into our weekly episodes.
A massive thank you to KiCHU Beats for the song. Please check out his amazing work on https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkO-iQkBNSVCLWmPb7PYDWw.