This week on The Pleasure Podcast we welcome radio producer, presenter, and writer Amrit Matharu. She's currently working for the Asian Network, and has contributed to Radio London, Radio Northampton, and BBC Stories to name but a few. Amrit published her dissertation "Desi and Desire" focusing on British-Asian female identity and has become well known for discussing taboo topics such as sexuality, a subject rarely talked about amongst the South Asian community.

She’s passionate about promoting body confidence and works as both a body positive activist and plus size model.

We talk to Amrit about her Sikh background, Asian family dynamics, and how her parent’s values have impacted on her own relationship to romance and sex. She brings a fascinating insight into how a typical Asian upbringing which focuses on virginity, can leave you without the skills to manage dating and relationships, whilst the family pressure to get married ramps up. Asian Tinder and temple matrimonial lists provide one solution to prospective couples, but the beauty standards in this game of top trumps based on height, hair texture, weight and skin colour can create a narrow dating field.

Amrit is a firm believer in being part of the ‘generation of change’ where although she recognises and understands her parents’ beliefs and the affect it has had on her, she would not impose those views on her children. It’s an interview full of the cognitive dissonance that surrounds tradition and modern living that gets to the core of our need for tribes and belonging.

You can follow Amrit’s life and thoughts on her blog Amaretto’s World and find links to her dissertation Desi and Desire here.

We would love to continue the conversation and hear from you, our listeners: email us at hello@thepleasurepodcast.com or tweet us @ThePleasurePod.

Social Media:

Amrit Matharu @AmarettosWorld

Naomi Sheldon @NaomiSheldon1

Anand Patel @therealdranand

Follow us at @ThePleasurePod and visit us at www.thepleasurepodcast.com

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