The best, inspiring Asian-themed Instagram accounts to follow
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Instagram can be a source of worry and stress but if you find the right accounts, it can also be a tremendous source of inspiration and just the push you need to get up and put some your own magic into the world. So to take out the hard work for you, we've spent countless hours trawling Instagram just to find the best, most inspiriting Asian-themed accounts to follow.
The Indian Feminist
The Indian Feminist is run by two self-described 'kick-ass' Punjabi girls smashing the patriarchy. And we couldn't agree more. Their Instagram page is full of posts about the different aspects of the asian patriarchy that are damaging for both men and and women and praises the small and subtle acts that women do everyday to combat this. It is simultaneously a reminder of how far we have to go and how amazing we are for standing up to it all, all day, everyday. There are also many smart, witty and sarcastic jokes about everyday sexism that'll make you smile. But perhaps the piece de resistance is the captions where the girls share personal anecdotes that make you feel like they're friends.
2. Desi Excellence
Desi Excellence is smart, punchy and cool. It knows exactly what it is and what it wants to bring to you. Each post is witty, fun and hits home perfectly. As the name suggests, it's about Indians and Pakistanis and it's full of empowering quotes especially from movies, funny desi-specific jokes, posts about men and women using their culture and heritage to do amazing things in the world and ancient people that came before them who also did incredible, empowering things. This focus on appreciating desi excellence, whether that's beautiful desi people, the breathtaking Pakistani landscape or small people doing big things, is truly inspiring.
3. Brown Girl Gang
"Where my girls at?" This page is the Instagram version of Wonder Women. The page features incredible South Asian women doing "inspiring and badass" things all around the world from entrepreneurs who are shaking up their industry to brave individuals who are standing up to different barriers. But like Wonder Women, it's not just strong and powerful, it's multifaceted and you can be guaranteed a chuckle from the South Asian-themed memes and comics they share, which help provide the artists with exposure too.
4. Brown History
This incredible page is extremely popular and even followed by Riz Ahmed, Hasan Minaj and Padma Lakshmi and its not difficult to see why. It shares photos and stories of historical events in recent South Asian history so much of the focus is on the atrocities of colonialism and experiences faced by those who have since emigrated to western countries.
The captions for the mostly old-school black and white photos shed light on events that many South Asians are unaware that their people experienced like being put into cages in 'zoos' of ethnic minorities for white people to come and visit. Despite this, much of the page is positive and personal, with the account sharing the uplifting and inspiring stories sent in by followers, of their ancestors, making it feel like a community. :)
5. Brown Paper Bag Comics
This last one is a comic page set up by the incredibly talented Sailesh Gopalan. These comics are hilarious and perfectly depict daily modern millennial South Asian life including societal expectations, regular sexism, mental health and mobile phone addiction. His comics have even appeared in national newspapers. The key to Sailesh's success is in how he shows these issues in relatable everyday scenarios without taking himself too seriously so can you appreciate the message but have a guilt-free laugh too. And the best bit is that all the characters in the comic are brown - it's the representation we all need.