We Are Lady Parts

Nida Manzoor’s comedy, We Are Lady Parts, about an all-female, all-Muslim, British punk band, is no less brilliant in its second season (the first also winning a Peabody) as the band wrestles with the challenges of success.  What could have been a portrayal of cliched trials of punk band life—“selling out” by taking a record deal; muting one’s political voice to please corporate overlords; the personal costs of success; face-offs with copycat bands; altering one’s authentic self to please the fans—instead becomes a much more nuanced exploration of the defiances inherent in being artists who are brown and Muslim and female. Indeed, the band’s musical opus—“Glass Ceiling Feeling” (like all of the series’ songs, penned by Manzoor and her musical siblings)—embraces a true punk aesthetic to make this point: “Maybe we’re just actually shit/No, you know we’re fucking great/But we didn’t pray this morning/Or even yesterday/Maybe we’re a novelty act/The token black and browns/Please, shut up/I’ve had enough of you putting us down.” With intimate portrayals of each band member’s personal struggles, viewers are again presented with richer, more multifaceted portraits of Muslim women than Western media typically affords. For being playful, funny, and charming while still kicking the corporate suits in the crotch, We Are Lady Parts wins a Peabody.