6 Desi Aesthetic Accounts You Should Follow
With the constantly changing Instagram algorithm, scrolling through the app can feel tedious very quickly.
If like us, you’re tired of seeing someone’s week-old posts and would love to discover more South Asian creatives on your feed, then check out these accounts below:
1. jafroholic
Meet Silvia Tamanna Jafrin, the stunning woman behind the Instagram account @jafraholic. I first came across Silvia’s account after I watched her recreate a Desi version of the main character, Beth Harmon, from the Netflix show, “Queen’s Gambit.” When we reached out the Bangladeshi influencer she said " I started posted on Instagram randomly, and I didn't have a specific niche. Last year, I was inspired by other South Asian influencers and since then have made an active effort to support local businesses to show off our culture."
2. nehal_aamir
Nehal Aamir is a Manchester-based, Pakistani ceramic artist and modest model. She recently graduated from Central Saint Martins with a BA in Ceramics Design. By linking in storytelling, her work is an amalgamation of her experience as a Muslim woman and her multicultural background. Check out some of Nehal’s work below.
3. fixated_f
Fixated_f is an account run by photographer, stylist, creative director, and writer Faiyaz Kolia. Faiyaz’s platform was conceived in 2010 on Tumblr, where he used the media to explore photography.
Today with 9,500+ people following his account, it has become a space that continuously celebrates his style, travel chronicles, gastronomic experiences, and other daily escapades. More recently he’s played around with concepts like representation and identity through which I’ve seen the most beautiful pictures of South Asian women. Here are some visuals below.
4. mahoorjamal
Like a lot of people that I have mentioned, Mahoor wears a lot of hats. She’s an illustrator, fashion designer, and photographer. She is a self-taught artist that decided to pursue art when she decided against enrolling to med school during her gap year.
Because mainstream western media has created a heuristic, where Muslim women are usually portrayed as "oppressed or suffering", we don’t get to see as many visuals where they are in their element. Through her photography and illustration account, Mahoor gives us a glimpse into the rich heritage and culture we often miss out on.
5. shaistadeen
Shaista is a UK-based Trinidadian freelance photographer and creative director. In 2019, she graduated from the University of Southampton with a BA in fashion marketing and management. At age 14 she started teaching herself photography and fast forward to today her work has been featured on Instagram, United Nations,Vogue and more.
6. mathuxphotos
Mathushaa Sagthidas is one of our all-time favorite fashion photographers and stylists at Pardesi. The London-based photographer not only focuses on beautifully capturing everyday elements that link to her Tamil heritage but also focuses on putting forward photography that empowers South Asia women.
In short, if anyone decides to shoot a music video purely dedicated to South Asian women (something akin to Beyoncé's "BROWN SKIN GIRL") and Mathushaa was responsible for taking all the pictures, every single brown girl would be GLOWING!
Mathu's also hosting an Expression and Creativity event with us and Juice Droplet on the 15th of April. If you’re interested click the link here to register for the event!
Initially I followed a lot of these pages because of the aesthetically pleasing visuals, however, there is so much you can learn from these artists. Not only are they telling us a story with every visual, but also more often than not are teaching you about our history, traditions and customs by showcasing people that look like us.
That's it from me this week! Join us again next week for some more #Trending content to come out of the diaspora.