"We Are Lady Parts" Is Important and Hilarious Television

June 17, 2021

From the first time I learned of the existence of a new TV show called We Are Lady Parts, I knew people would be very divided over it. It was going to be a "love it or hate it" type of show. Islamophobes and the Muslim "Haram Police" alike were going to hate it. (For those who don't know, haram means "forbidden" and is the opposite of halal or "permissible." The Haram Police are what we call Muslims who can't mind their own business about what other people do and are constantly pointing things out disapprovingly as if they make the rules.)

However, if done well, people on the other end of the spectrum, such as foul-mouthed, "alternative" Muslims, punk fans and other open-minded types, were going to think it was the greatest thing ever.

I also knew that I, personally, was going to be one of the ones who thought it was great. A stereotype-defying show about an all-female, all-Muslim punk band sounded right up my alley. I'm a Muslim woman who's a metalhead, listened to punk throughout my teenage years (and still does sometimes), and dresses gothic/alternative; so naturally, I knew that I had to watch this. From the first couple of clips I saw on a Peacock TV Facebook ad, I knew I was going to love it. And now, after watching the first 6 episodes, which I believe make up the entire first season (or first series, since it is a British show), I can say that I was right. I love it. And most of the other reviews I'm seeing love it too.

Yes, the show has foul language and vulgar moments, and shows characters doing so-called "un-Islamic" things. If that's not your thing, it's okay to just move on and let the rest of us enjoy it. If you're one of those people who are going to get uptight about what is and isn't proper prayer attire, about queer Muslim representation, or about hijabis not having "perfect" behavior, just save yourself the trouble. Or for that matter, if you're Islamophobic, misogynistic, or otherwise have trouble seeing Muslim women as normal people. But if you're open to seeing Muslim girls act like badass young people with a love of punk and rock music -- while not forsaking their Muslim identity -- give this show a watch.

Personally, I'm all about that kind of stuff. And this show was so well-done, it has become my new obsession, making me feel seen, represented, and making me laugh at the same time. One of the best quotes from the show so far is, "We don't seek fame. We simply seek to speak our truth before we're mangled by other people's bulls*** ideas of us. Our music is about representation. It's about being heard."

The creator of the show, Nida Manzoor, a Muslim musician herself who apparently loosely based parts of the show on her life, stated in an interview that she wanted to show there's more than one way to be a Muslim woman, a goal that I think she achieved very well, as each of the women in the main cast of characters has her own unique presentation.

Saira, the creator and front woman of the band Lady Parts, doesn't appear to be Muslim at all, if you're only looking on the surface. She never wears hijab, she has tattoos, short punk hair, and dresses like a grungy tomboy. But she is also shown praying fajr (even if it's without the proper attire), using the Muslim greeting as-salaam alaikum to greet her estranged mother, and talking about how her bandmates are all sisters who "pray together and play together." She is proud of being a Muslim woman even though she doesn't fit the stereotype or the "requirements." She has anger issues, family trauma, and is uncomfortable with feelings despite having an unofficial boyfriend with whom she finally becomes "official" after six months of casual dating. Even the badass Ayesha calls her heartless, which obviously wounds her. "I'm not heartless... am I?" she asks as if considering it for the first time. She has a lot of issues to work through, but a good heart. Punk music is her outlet.

Ayesha is my absolute favorite from the very first clip I saw her in, where she was told that "people" might find her song lyrics offensive and her response was, "Well, f*** people in their eye sockets!" First introduced during a band practice with only her female friends, her (insanely gorgeous) big curly hair is shown flying free; but when she goes out in public it's made clear that she's actually a hijabi. She's a badass, she's beautiful, her eye makeup is amazing, and she's 100% my new crush. Oh yeah, and she's also queer/lesbian. It never actually specifies her exact queer identity, so she could perhaps be bi, pan or something else. But what I really, really loved about that part of her identity was that it was never mentioned prior to her meeting a woman and falling in serious like. No one ever pointed out that the character was queer, but in the fourth episode, the band has a meeting with a social media influencer and Ayesha is instantly infatuated. The two then become girlfriends. Even the main character Amina, who has only recently met Ayesha, expresses no surprise at the fact that she begins to date another woman. This is the kind of LGBTQ+ representation we need: the kind that doesn't stand out much and is treated as normal. She does later admit she doesn't want to talk about her sexuality in an interview, but among her friends, it's just treated as normal. Ayesha also has a hot brother who's kind of lowkey my crush as well, and actually reminds me of my last real-life crush.

Bisma is the one you might think is least likely to be in a punk band. The only one of the girls with a husband and child, she comes off a bit more mature, and is by far the most laid-back in the group despite also having a foul mouth. She is also described as an "Earth mother." She smokes weed, draws a comic book about menstruation ("Your blood is your friend!"), and is generally pretty hippie-esque, in tune with nature and all about sisterhood and empowerment. She acts as mediator between the hot-tempered Saira and Ayesha, and brings a calmer vibe to the rehearsal space. She's a Black woman who wears a turban and can frequently be seen in bright colors and African prints. She plays bass and often yells backup vocals in Lady Parts as well as being the "mom friend."

Momtaz, or Taz for short, is the band's manager and trusted friend. She's as dedicated to the band as the others are, but just doesn't play any instruments. She wears a full niqab and abaya (a long, loosely-fitted garment that covers the entire body, and a veil that covers all of her face except her eyes). She tends to accessorize her black abayas with leather jackets, lace or leather fingerless gloves, and other things to add her unique style to the look. She vapes a lot and it's never really said what exactly is in her vape pen. She works in a lingerie store, of all places. She's mysterious even to her friends, as lead character Amina describes in the first episode some of the rumors that surround her. When asked why she wears a niqab, she says that, in addition to making her feel closer to God, it makes her feel confident, like Queen Nefertiti (or Beyonce). I love that she demonstrates how wearing a certain thing can make you feel powerful, and other people's opinions of it don't matter.

So here we have four different types of non-traditional Muslim women, all of whom dress differently and have different levels of modesty. The tattooed punk who doesn't cover her hair at all and wears ripped jeans, the queer Iraqi hijabi who wears tons of eye makeup and green lipstick, the African hippie who wears a turban, and the vaping niqabi who sells lingerie. All of them foul-mouthed and in a punk band/managing the punk band.

Amina, the character through whose eyes the entire show is narrated, is the most "traditional" Muslim girl among the five main characters. Her main goal in life is to find a husband, although, refreshingly, it is not because her parents want her to. Her mom actually tries to talk her out of her obsession with getting married, encouraging her to focus on herself and not be in such a hurry. While the other members of the band have long ago come to terms with who they are and embraced their individuality, Amina still has a way to go on that journey. Despite some of her interests not fitting the mold, such as her interest in music and playing guitar, she tries a lot harder to be a "proper" Muslim woman, partially due to the influence and disapproval of her lifelong friend Noor, who is very prim and proper, and the leader of a clique of preppy Muslim college girls just like her. Although it's clear that Noor cares about her friend, there's a lot of obvious disapproval and "What proper Muslim man will want to marry you if...?" that leads Amina to deny certain parts of herself. Amina also has a ridiculous imagination, made obvious through all of her crazy fantasy sequences.

When Ayesha's gorgeous brother Ahsan helps the band out by passing out flyers for their guitarist auditions, Amina's quest for a husband leads her directly to them, and Saira recognizes her because they went to primary school together. Remembering that she's actually a good guitarist, Saira is determined to get her in the band. But even after she agrees to do it in exchange for a date with Ahsan, there are some obstacles, such as keeping the band a secret to avoid her friends' disapproval, and her paralyzing, vomit-inducing stage fright.

I don't really feel like this is a show where I have to be super conscious of spoilers, because you can probably already guess how things turn out. It's the type of story where it just wouldn't be right for things not to work out well for the characters in the end. This is definitely not a series that is meant to shock you with its plot twists, but more of a "coming of age" type of story, despite the main character being 26 years old. However, she's definitely someone who needed to find herself, and by the end of the sixth episode, that's basically what has happened. I would have expected nothing less. However, if you really don't want any more details of what happens between the start and finish, I suggest skipping to the second-to-last paragraph.

Ironically, it's Amina's quest for marriage that ultimately leads her to realize that there's more to life than marriage. The band she finds distasteful and offensive at first becomes a beloved outlet, the girls she doesn't fit in with become her unlikely new family, and the crush who rejected her becomes a trusted friend (who might actually end up falling for her).

Aside from her fear of performing and her friends' disapproval, there's some other drama along the way too. Mainly, the social media backlash from the Haram Police themselves after the band's interview with a well-known webzine. The zine gets them the publicity they needed, but the response isn't what they had hoped for. They are surprisingly hurt by it considering they had to have seen it coming to some extent, but after all, even punks are human, and aren't necessarily immune to the effects of bullying or misrepresentation. The girls' varied reactions to the situation causes the band to fight and break up for a while.

I found this part to be the perfect simile for the feedback the show itself is probably getting. As I said at the beginning of my review, you either love it or hate it. At first, the band gets nothing but hate when they burst onto the scene, receiving numerous accusations of misrepresentation from conservative Muslims who call them "fake Muslims," say they are only attention-seeking, etc.... but eventually the band gains a real following of fans who love them for the exact reasons everyone else hates them. The people who admire their authenticity, their breaking of stereotypes, and think that their unique representation of Muslim women is the coolest thing ever.

And those are the people the band is for. Their music isn't made for the Haram Police, and neither is this TV show. They had to find their people, the ones who appreciate everything they stand for and love them for who they are. One of the messages I took from the last couple of episodes is to simply be yourself, and eventually you'll find your people.

I really hope the show gets picked up for a second season/series. While the ending to the first was satisfying, there are definitely more things to explore in the future. The band's exploits, future gigs, and growing friendship, of course; along with, hopefully, Noor's eventual acceptance of her friend's individuality, and Amina's budding friendship with Ahsan that could eventually lead to a far more healthy and genuine romantic connection than Amina had originally been looking for.

In conclusion, as I said at the beginning, this show is my new obsession. I love the characters and quickly began to feel attached to them. I love the music; I even added the soundtrack, featuring four original punk songs and two covers, to my music library. The acting is amazing; I've never seen a more believable stage fright than Amina's in spite of the fact that the actress is clearly comfortable on camera. It's hilarious, but also has a message. It breaks so many stereotypes about Muslim women, or even Arab, Desi, and Black women. I'm in love with Ayesha, and I just want to be friends with all of the girls in the band. Even Ahsan is really cool. For that matter, even Amina's mom is someone I'd hang out with. So as long as you're not uptight or easily offended, I highly suggest watching this show ASAP. As for everyone who complains that it's offensive or that it misrepresents Islam, well... f*** those people in their eye sockets.

You can try watching on Peacock TV through their website, but since a friend and I both tried that and the service was absolutely terrible for both of us, I recommend watching it through this YouTube channel before the episodes get taken down. As of the publishing of this review, all 6 episodes are there in high quality and it's free (all are clearly labeled by episode number except for episode 3, which is titled "22 May 2021").

tags: we are lady parts, television, review