Good Girl or Bad Daughter: who are you?

Masala Podcast is back with the Bad Daughter miniseries. Where we carry on exploring taboo topics, have provocative conversations and challenge patriarchy. Let's go!

GOODBYE GOOD GIRL, HELLO BAD DAUGHTER!

Are you constantly editing yourself, tweaking yourself, minimising yourself to fit into what the world wants you to be? In this episode, I’ll be exploring Good Girl vs Bad Daughter. In fact, we're throwing the good girl script out the window. Because I promise you, when we own our Bad Daughter self - that’s when we really start living our lives. Are you ready?

I was taught so many rules about being the "good daughter":

Don't speak too loudly.Don't take up space.Don't question elders.Don't prioritise your dreams.Don't, don't, don't.

It's not just in South Asian culture, women in every culture are taught to be a good girlfriend, a good sister, a good wife, good colleague and so on.

HOW DOES THIS GOOD GIRL IDEA AFFECT US?

Women grow up in a world that teaches us to shrink ourselves, to make ourselves smaller in order to be more palatable to everyone else. Here are some stats:

56% of women feel pressure to be likeable versus 36% of men.65% women feel that being liked is core to their character.'50% of all women say they hold back their true opinions to be liked35% of women try to “smile more” to be liked

Source: Good Girls Report © Good Shout Community 2025

WHAT PRACTICAL STEPS CAN YOU TAKE?

It feels like an uphill battle but there are things you can do. We start by going to the source of where our beliefs where shaped. Take a piece of paper and write a few things down: