We Are Lady Parts

The rebellious spirit of the Sex Pistols meets the guiding wisdom of the Quran in We Are Lady Parts, Nida Manzoor’s subversive British comedy about an all-female, all-Muslim punk band’s determination to win a spot at the annual battle of the bands competition. Dressed in hijabs and ripped jeans, niqab face scarves and combat boots, the women are poised to infiltrate London’s punk patriarchy with original songs like “Voldemort Under My Headscarf,” “Bashir with the Good Beard,” and “Ain’t No One Gonna Honour Kill My Sister But Me,” but first they must find a lead guitarist, a gig, and perhaps a fan or two. This irreverent, charming, and utterly fresh series, which streams on Peacock in the United States, obliterates MENA and South Asian stereotypes while fearlessly tackling taboos about Islam—all inside of a story inspired by This Is Spinal Tap. The six-part series sets itself apart by offering a multifaceted depiction of Muslim women rarely seen on screen. The band, played by Anjana Vasan, Sarah Kameela Impey, Juliet Motamed, Faith Omole, and Lucie Shorthouse, is a mix of anti-establishment feminists: a nerdy microbiology Ph.D. student with crippling stage fright, a foul-mouthed niqabi manager with a vaping addiction, and a fierce halal butcher with a temper. They bang out songs (all written by Manzoor, her siblings Shez and Sanya Manzoor, and Benjamin Fregin) that combine Riot Grrrl ferocity with sharp cultural satire. And perhaps most importantly, these Black and brown daughters of immigrants are as diverse as the music they play. For challenging Western notions of sameness and Hollywood’s portrayal of Muslim women as victims of their own faith, we celebrate this new wave of anarchy in the UK and We Are Lady Parts with a Peabody Award.