Chicago 10

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Sanjana Nagesh believes it is time for brown Girls , to rise and take possession of their identities

There is a Sisterhood emerging on Instagram, and it is one That Young Women from all over the world, the pride as a "brown girl" - But who are you and what do you want?

"we are told," we are brown ", or" we are not brown enough", But Instagram is now we give the Chance to us to take back our culture, and play - this is exactly what we are doing," says Sanjana, Nagesh, founder of.

And with 50,000 followers on her Instagram site-hungry for the content by and for Girls and brown, it is clear That this Australian tapped in a growing Market .

Comedian Mindy Kaling is often inspired by South Asian women

you quoted says she wanted to show women That you would find, were on Instagram working, great, creative things That merged their South Asian heritage with the popular pop-culture.

A quick glance at her well-groomed database, pulling the trailer from the USA, India, Canada, and the UK, shows a meme in relation to the actress Mindy Kaling , activist Jameela Jamil , as well as numerous Bollywood stars. There are also pictures of up and coming artists, entrepreneurs, and content Creators .

Patel Simmi uses Instagram to showcase South Asian culture

Patel, Simmi, an advertising copywriter, was born in Britain and moved to the United States as a child. You typed in your Kenya to Gujarati Indian heritage and inspiration for the meme, which is a hodgepodge of Indian and Western pop-culture, which she posts on. Hers is one of the accounts highlighted in Brown gang girl side.

"I wanted something cool, But That was different, and talk to people Like Me . It had to be something to tap into this mix of Eastern and Western culture, That the Young Desi generation has access. We are interested in pop culture and the blending of everything the modern with the Tradition. "

The term "desi" Simmi used, is derived from the Sanskrit word "cult which claimed the divine", which means country or land. It is used to refer to those of South Asian heritage, living Abroad in Diaspora .

with hundreds of thousands of applications of the concept of #brown girl and its plural, respectively, and More Than 5. 8 million used in the desi-hashtag on Instagram, it looks like this is a group That is here to stay.

Simmi wants to put a smile on the faces of the people with your art contains this image, the highlighting of the fact That chai and tea mean the same thing

"Before you were dependent on it, movies and television, where women, as we represent the one-dimensional characters and a merging of stereotypes. Now we present Our Own stories," says Sanjana.

Professor Radhika Gajjala of Bowling Green State University in Ohio, is researching how the South Asians, the use of Digital Media . She is not surprised by the brown girl movement. Bollywood stars have been using the media for a long time, a certain controlled image, one very focused on their brands, she says.

"These Young Women , the Digital natives, is expressed in a similar, But more authentic way. In fact, you Bollywood stars can now see, the success of these women-and as a suggestion - so snapshots and those That fit less to A Formula book.

"these are The Children and grandchildren of the immigrants, who want to have a connection with their roots, of their culture, But also show how they are very much a part of the popular thousands of years of culture. These women are part of what I call the digital Diaspora . "

Neha Gaonkar is an architect, the right for their daily work, But also uses Instagram as a creative outlet

Neha Gaonkar, The Brains behind the account. She grew up in India and the UK, and moved to Chicago 10 years ago.

"It's about trying to be a happy medium to find, with such a Rich Mix of culture and immigration, and travel in our heritage. It's about trying to figure out where we fit in. "

recently you want to, you immerse yourself in The Roots of their Indian culture.

"I came across so many great and talented people on Instagram That showed what it is like in the Indian, Pakistani and much more. I have the whole rich history was exposed, and I wanted to be a part of it".

The use of multilingual word games makes accounts like Neha ' s very popular

Tamil-Canadian Pranavi Suthagar, from Toronto, is also proud to recognize, as a brown girl.

The Graphic Designer leads the, where they sold clothing and badges That she made. Their work tries to experience "decrypt Braun, is an illustration or collage at a time. "

"When I was Growing Up , I had friendships with other brown people. We had incredibly different backgrounds and come from different countries. However, there were many similarities in the way we were raised, and experiences exchanged. I love That we bonded over these cultural norms. "

Pranavi Suthagar is proud to be a brown girl

Prof Gajjala, says the use of the word " brown is significant because it was a term That the people helped, from a variety of backgrounds to "bridge" their different history, But also show what they together had.

"It is not only South Asian women; it includes Those People , with a rich history of immigration in their Families - whether intentionally or forced, because of colonization and indentured slavery, and much more. You have brown together. "

brown said as an identity became more visible after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States.

"It was the political Convergence of this word brought together people from different backgrounds. She looked up, as 'The Other ', and this word is deleted, the differences in the history between these people, looked at how migrants. "

Brown is not a racial category, not added on as it is on the census documents. "But the brown one has always seen, such as migrants, especially here in the United States. Now we see to mobilize, especially women with brown, and take possession of their narratives. "

Brown is a slang term, says Pranavi . "I'm a brown person. It is helpful for people who do not want to use the word desi, because it is more inclusive. There are also people from the Indo-Caribbean backgrounds or Sri Lanka or mixed, or much more. can It is a great concept.

"I don't think That white people would use, But I wouldn't be offended personally, if they did it. In my experience, it is not a derogatory word, and it's never been used That way to me by anyone; it is a cool concept. "

you said That was the traditional image of the South Asian woman by someone who was protected, oppressed, and traditional. But a lot of the brown girl on Instagram made with in undermined, and often with Humor - to show in different ways - That they are playful, But they fight back.

"the brown women don't need white saviors", she adds.

But what is with the mark already with Social Media for a while to desi culture? What do you think about this zeitgeist moment?

Maria Qamar, who is behind the HateCopy account, an artist who started on social platforms. She had now shown her work worldwide, has been championed by Mindy Kaling , and was in New York .

Mary, who lives in Toronto, Canada, says: "What's Happening Now is That women with ideas, the dated designed tradition to keep us in line and keep us down and fighting, the. Desi women come in and say, 'I'll do what I want to do".

Maria shrugged off the brown girl concerns could be a label, to limit, to say: "I'm a brown girl. This is what I Am . It is the lens through which we work. Brown girl pro-us, not against them. We should be allowed to celebrate - especially women of color, represented most recently in the media. Black and brown are pushed, the women often on the page.

"Well, we are seen and our terms and conditions. "

lilly singh, social media

Source of news: bbc.com