New BBC Podcast Aims to Shatter Sex Taboo for British Asian Women

A new podcast that became available for download on Thursday from the BBC Asian Network aims to break the taboo against talking about sex—or having it—among women of Asian descent in Great Britain, a population that remains burdened by traditionally conservative, even repressive attitudes toward sexuality. “A lot of British Asians in this country come from more traditional patriarchal backgrounds and being a woman means there are certain roles we must play—sultry sex goddess is not one of them,” Rubina Pabani, one of the podcasts’s three hosts, told The Independent newspaper. But the causes of sexual inhibition among British Asian women, Pabani says, are not simply tradition or parental disapproval. Representation in media also factors significantly into the self image of British Asian women as normal human beings with the same sexual desires and interests as the rest of the population.  “We’re not seen on screen in the U.K. unless we’re doctors in a soap or a scientist in Panorama,” Pabani told the paper. “So it’s hugely important to highlight we are sexual beings too, in control of our bodies and with urges just like everybody else.” Co-host Roya Eslami, whose parents are both Iranian, also emphasized that the podcast will attempt to overcome the narrow and often negative portrayal of women from West and South Asian backgrounds. “I’m tired of society looking at us as sexless,” Eslami told the Independent. “The last brown girl I saw on TV had bombs strapped to her.” The debut episode of the podcast, Deep, Down & Desi: Brown Girls Do It Too, is titled “Popping Cherries” and deals with, as the title implies, the women’s stories of losing their virginity. But according to the podcast’s Facebook page, the hosts—Poppy Jay as well as Eslami and Pabani—also tackle such issues as “brown fever.” “South Asian ladies, has a guy ever told you he's got ‘brown fever?’ How did you feel about it?” asks the Facebook page. “Expect both funny and shocking stories that involve ex-husbands, sex via Tinder and an annoying salwar kameez that keeps getting in the way,” the BBC said of the episode. (Salwar kameez is a traditional garment worn in regions of Asia by women and in some areas, men as well.) Of course, Asian women are not the only Brits who have an awkward time dealing with sexuality. According to a new survey reported by The Mirror newspaper, 49 percent of Britons admit to having faked orgasms simply because they are embarrassed for a partner too see their “O-face” expressions. Photo by BBC