Loudmouth Ladkis

There are SO many ways to describe ourselves and our communities…but which term is the right one? 

This week, we talk about being "Brown," "Desi," and "South Asian," and the histories behind them. How do these words contribute to our individual and collective identities, and why does terminology even matter in the first place?

And if you want to read more check out these amazing articles: 

The COVID-19 situation in India right now is beyond devastating. This week, we discuss America’s role in the global access to the vaccine, the two-fold experiences faced by members of the Indian diaspora, and most importantly, how we can help. 

Tax season is upon us, and we’d be lying if we said we knew what we were doing - turns out, we’re not alone! The conversation about women and finance has just scratched the surface, and we wanted to talk about how women of the South Asian diaspora interact with money. We speak about our own experiences navigating the world of personal finance, common money mindsets prevalent among South Asian communities, and the psychological and biological effects of “money trauma”. 

It’s that awful time of the year where every website and every advertisement pushes you to get your “dream summer body”. What does that mean and why is it so harmful? This week, we talk about nutrition and exercise through a lens of body neutrality, abundance over restriction, and our own nutrition and exercise journeys.

Representation is a buzzword in the South Asian diaspora. Though we’ve all had the conversation about viewing representation as a consumer, we haven’t been exposed to the perspective of depicting representation through one’s work. This week, we sat down with Sonya Lalli, a romance and women’s fiction author of Indian heritage, and we chat about embracing biculturalism in literature, her journey navigating the author space as a South Asian woman, and how she used her experiences and those of her favorite loudmouths to write her new book “Serena Singh Flips the Script” which is out now! 

Storytelling is the backbone of our mission with Loudmouth Ladkis. This episode, we talk about how we have used storytelling in our own lives to advocate for access to healthcare, access to medicines, and mental healthcare. But it’s not always easy - storytelling is realizing that you’re more than your adversity and your hard experiences. You’re more than a single story. Make sure to catch "Each & Every Day" on MTV to hear more of Saniya's story. 

Valentine’s Day is an *extremely* polarizing holiday. Whether you’re incredibly cuffed, single and ready to mingle, in the middle of a complicated situation-ship, or OVER relationships, the most important thing this Valentine’s Day is self love! This week, we talk about tangible ways to practice self love and how to celebrate self love and female empowerment! 

Ever reminisce about the Danish cookies in that blue tin your mom keeps her sewing kit in? This week we sat down with Seema Hari to talk about sustainability in the South Asian diaspora. We chat about consumer power, the challenges of thrifting, privilege in sustainability, and adopting a shame-free mindset when leveraging our individual and collective action cycles to evoke change.

From Dostana to Ek Ladki Ko Dekha, we’ve seen such minimal exposure to LGBTQ+ identities in South Asian media, but why don’t we hear more about the hijra community in South Asia? Or Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore’s prominent portrayal of homosexual and transsexual identities in his work?

The beginning of our quarantine routines consisted of binging the Netflix original, Never Have I Ever. For the first time, we felt represented in the mainstream media, and we binge-watched the entire series faster than we would like to admit! That being said, with all shows that strive to be more culturally inclusive, it’s worth asking the question: is this the representation we’ve been asking for?

Giving yourself consistent and wholehearted self care is crucial, especially during a global pandemic! This week, we’re keeping it real with you: the self care journey has been quite challenging for us. We’re reminding ourselves time and time again that our self worth is not tied to our productivity and that self care is not a selfish act! In this episode, we discuss our failures with self care and tips that have worked for us over these past few months.

#BlackLivesMatter is a movement (not a moment!) and we must continue to listen, learn, and advocate for Black lives. For our second episode this season, we wanted to discuss the South Asian community’s roles in standing in solidarity with #BLM, having difficult conversations with family and friends, and keeping anti-racist momentum after the news cycle has ended. Please DM us or email us if you would like to chat about anything we’ve discussed today or if you want more resources!

We're back with season 3 in the midst of a global pandemic. This week, we talk about the question that's been on our mind since the beginning of quarantine: how has COVID affected mental health? Will the health, economic, and social consequences of COVID-19 impact the mental wellbeing of millions, or does the very nature of this situation warrant stress and anxiety? We explore the how our relationship with managing our own mental health from home and more. 

Getting your bangle caught on a man’s kurtha or dancing in the rain while wearing a sari are the epitome of desi romance. But what does romance look like for a generation of Desi millennials who are told they can’t date until they’re married? In the last episode of the season, we talk about the Desi Dilemma - being a young South Asian and navigating the dating sphere; from unrealistic expectations and hiding from aunties on dates to the age of dating apps and parental approval. We talk about finding the balance of relationships as college students, considering Bollywood's romanticization of relationships and the simultaneous taboos of love and relationships in many South Asian-American households.

Students of color are less likely to seek mental health services than their white counterparts (Harris Poll, 2015). Should brown girls only seek therapy from brown therapists? On this week's episode we discuss therapy: what is it, who should go, and why it matters. We share our own experiences with receiving therapy, both good and bad, and how to seek it out once you're on your own in college. We talk cultural competency, stigma, and accountability. 

While we recognize that COVID-19 has shifted healthcare online, we still wanted to have a discussion about mental health. In addition to our COVID Diaries on our Instagram, we'll also be sharing some mental wellness resources that may help you during this time.

CW: sexual assault, rape, violence towards womxn

This week's episode pays homage to Ruth George and Dr. Priyanka Reddy, South Asian womxn who lost their lives due to sexual assault and violence. We discuss the ramifications of cat calling, sexual assault in the United States and in India, victim blaming, as well as some of our own experiences. While this is a difficult topic, we thought it was an incredibly important one to share with you all. 

If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, call 800.656.HOPE (4673) to be connected with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area. 

We're back with season 2! These episodes were recorded early January this year, but due hectic schedules we decided to take a hiatus and spend some time taking care of our mental health. But we're back and have content to keep you occupied during this quaran-time. In addition to the weekly planned episodes we have in store for you, we'll also be releasing bonus COVID-19 related content. 

This week's episode is about the new year. We might've spoken too soon about the positive things 2020 had planned for us, but all of this down time gives us a chance to reflect on goals we set for ourselves in the past! We look back at the last decade, talk about the Loudmouth Ladkis of 2019, and share our resolutions. 

TW: depression, self harm, suicide, domestic violence

For the final episode of this season of Loudmouth Ladkis, we bring it back to the source of our passion, drive, and the inspiration behind our career paths - mental health in the South Asian community. More specifically, we talk about the stigmatization of mental health and medication among our community. We share some of our own struggles with mental health, judgement from aunties, and how the stigmatization of medication in South Asian cultures can prove to be detrimental. We discuss collaboration with non-profits like MannMukti and Dil to Dil that are spearheading the movement to start discourse and provide resources to South Asian communities. Ultimately, we hope that through an emphasized focus on cultural competency in healthcare, and efforts to remove barriers from speaking about mental health, the Desi community becomes more open and willing to have these conversations.

On this week’s episode, we tackle the idea of body image from the desi perspective. From aunties commenting on our weight to body and facial hair removal stories, comprehending Americans’ obsession with tanning while battling the Desi consumption of skin lightening cream, Eurocentric beauty standards and ultimately how it impacts even Desi couture like Sabyasachi. We share our experiences with our self confidence journeys and shout out the wonderful womxn who helped us along the way.