In an International Women’s Day exclusive, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki spoke with Conversations with Kanwal host and activist Kanwal Ahmed about her work and how she is playing her part in bringing women together. Kanwal, who is most famously known for starting the Facebook community Soul Sisters Pakistan, a space for women to connect and uplift each other on social media and beyond, responded to five questions put forward by Susan.
When asked about her motivation to start a YouTube channel for her talk show Conversations with Kanwal, the host responded, “[It was] inspired by the women on my online community [Soul Sisters] and fueled by the lack of appropriate representation of women in local media.”
On #InternationalWomensDay we're highlighting @kanwalful on the @YouTube blog. Inspiring to talk with Kanwal about the amazing work she's doing on her channel as she creates a safe space for women to connect. #IWD2022 https://t.co/Pe9sjXXVff
— Susan Wojcicki (@SusanWojcicki) March 8, 2022
Adding how the already available content aimed at women seriously missed the mark when it comes to representation, Kanwal added, “Locally, I found media was used to create and deliver content aimed at dehumanising women. This dehumanised woman is seen in the storylines of popular Pakistani dramas, the aspirations of mainstream morning shows, and in the shaming strategies of marketing campaigns.”
On her process of picking topics for her talk show, Kanwal shared, “I try to fit in as many things that are underrepresented or ignored. Issues that are real but often deflected. And the purpose isn’t just to start the conversation but to make people acknowledge that this exists. To make them aware. To inspire them and to remind them that they aren’t alone. That there are people out there who share their stories.”
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ