Drag Performer Pays Tribute to Kajol, Rakhi Sawant and ‘Bad Betis’

Indian origin drag performer Abhijeet pays a kickass tribute to some ‘Bad Betis’

Are you a ‘Bad Beti’?

The word first gained mainstream credence last year, when Pakistani-Canadian artist Maria Qamar, started her #BadBeti campaign, which was in defiance of societal expectations on what a good South Asian girl should be like.

Now, a non-binary Indian drag performer Abhijeet has taken over the hashtag with his project, wherein he pays a drag tribute to 12 Indian women who’ve forever defied the norms and broken gender stereotypes.

For Chicago-based-Abhijeet, many of these women were part of his adolescence and feminine transformation.

Aaaaand here we go - I've been working on this photo series for the past few weeks inspired by @hatecopy's #BadBeti's - Indian femmes that don't play by the rules and have served as some kind of inspiration to my growth. 👸🏽👸🏽👸🏽 And the person to start this off with is my smart, talented and always beautiful sister @malavika666. 💵💃🏻💵She's a smartass, a model, an actress and now a financial expert at an international banking firm- I don't even know how to begin to explain how much she means to me and how much growing up with her has shaped my confidence, my strength and my laziness 😛😛😛 Happy Birthday, and I love you and this photo of you, and thank you for everything ever! 💕💘💙💘💕 Photo and assist this entire series by @duangchaiswani

A photo posted by Abhijeet 🇮🇳👳🏽👳🏾‍♀️👳🏽🇮🇳 (@bon_abhijeet) on Jan 19, 2017 at 7:00am PST

This is very funny to me 😛😛. C'mon sisterhood of the terrible desi fashion sensibilities 👸🏽👸🏽. Cmon neon pink 💕💕! Cmon look how orange you fucking look girl 🍊🍊. #ParvatiAndPadma #AnjaliAndAbhijeet #BadBeti's #KuchKuchHotaHai 😈😈 I feel like the costume team for #HarryPotter saw this movie and were like PERFECT WE GOT IT.

A photo posted by Abhijeet 🇮🇳👳🏽👳🏾‍♀️👳🏽🇮🇳 (@bon_abhijeet) on Jan 31, 2017 at 6:32pm PST

Day 3 of #BadBeti's is w/ fashion superstar and original Bollywood diva #Bebo aka #KareenaKapoor aka Pooja aka POO ⭐️💜💩💜⭐️ from #KabhiKushiKabhiGham giving you all the classics 👄👄 "Good Looks, Good Looks and Good Looks", 👠👡wearing different shoes on different feet, 👸🏽👸🏽being unashamedly narcissistic and self-absorbed which is a very legit way of self-care and feeling ones own oats ⚛️🚺🤳🏽🚺⚛️ @kyliejenner could never ever come close, WHATEVER. Photo and styling assist by @duangchaiswani.

A photo posted by Abhijeet 🇮🇳👳🏽👳🏾‍♀️👳🏽🇮🇳 (@bon_abhijeet) on Jan 21, 2017 at 8:17am PST

Day 4 of #BadBeti's w/ #DesiGirl who's here to make you feel Exotic, In My City. @PriyankaChopra as 🚨👩🏽‍✈️💣Alex Parrish💣👩🏽‍✈️🚨 in @abcquantico is so important because 1. She's amazing 👸🏽👸🏽 2. The show is amazing 🎬🎬 3. How cool is it to see an Indian girl lead an American Drama without her Indian-ness being the focus of her character? 💃🏻💃🏻 Enjoy your People's Choice Award and try to say dumb stuff at red carpets 🙅🏽🙅🏽 Photo and styling assist by @duangchaiswani.

A photo posted by Abhijeet 🇮🇳👳🏽👳🏾‍♀️👳🏽🇮🇳 (@bon_abhijeet) on Jan 22, 2017 at 8:00am PST

Day 5 of #BadBeti's is everyone's #MindyCrushMonday MISS COMEDY QUEEN @mindykaling 💙😷🤒👩🏽‍⚕️🚑👩🏽‍⚕️🤒😷💙 She does stand up, writes, directs, produces and acts in sitcoms and honestly is a very visible icon in the interior of brown women and body positivity and FASHION AESTHETICS. @mindyprojecthulu @hulu 🏥❤️🏥 photo and styling assist by @duangchaiswani.

A photo posted by Abhijeet 🇮🇳👳🏽👳🏾‍♀️👳🏽🇮🇳 (@bon_abhijeet) on Jan 23, 2017 at 7:57am PST

I mean... We all knew this was gonna happen so let's just get it out of the way lol. Day 6 of #BadBeti's is OG #BadGirl, international activist, someone's who music so effortlessly flows through me and my drag @miamatangi 👠❤️👸🏽❤️👠 I mean her music videos are visuals pieces of art, she's a stunt queen live, she LITERALLY flipped of the cameras while performing at the Super Bowl. I'm already the best M.I.A. impersonator on the east side of boystown, but I wanna go on tour with her and do backup//be in her music video. 🎬💃🏻🖕🏽💄🖕🏽💃🏻🎬 photo and styling assist by @duangchaiswani

A photo posted by Abhijeet 🇮🇳👳🏽👳🏾‍♀️👳🏽🇮🇳 (@bon_abhijeet) on Jan 24, 2017 at 8:19am PST

🌑🌘🌗🌖🌕🌔🌓🌒🌑Gonna take a lil break from celebrities for the next few days, so here's Day 7 of #BadBeti's with pioneer, scientific mastermind, @nasa astronaut, the first woman of Indian origin in OUTERSPACE #KalpanaChawla 🌌🌠🚀🛰🚀🌠🌌It's so important to celebrate women in science, and tbh Chawla was someone who's accomplishments we grew up reading about. Her untimely death returning back to earth, makes her only shine brighter as one of the baddest beti's ⭐️✨👸🏽✨⭐️ Photo and styling assist by @duangchaiswani

A photo posted by Abhijeet 🇮🇳👳🏽👳🏾‍♀️👳🏽🇮🇳 (@bon_abhijeet) on Jan 25, 2017 at 8:06am PST

Day 8 of #BadBeti's and how better to celebrate #RepublicDay in India- January 26th- than with historical badass beti Rani Lakshmibai aka Rani of Jhansi aka #JhansiKiRani 🐎❤️👶🏽⚔️👶🏽❤️🐎 Although she grew up and married into in royalty, she went through a lot of crap from the British colonists. She was one of leaders in the first war of independence in 1857, riding into battle on horseback and sword, with her son strapped to her- leading the rebellion and trying to get her son to safety. 🏇🏽👸🏽⚔️👸🏽🏇🏽This is also how I imagine riding into protests and parties against Cheesepuff Hitler 🗡🗡🗡 photo and styling assist by @duangchaiswani

A photo posted by Abhijeet 🇮🇳👳🏽👳🏾‍♀️👳🏽🇮🇳 (@bon_abhijeet) on Jan 26, 2017 at 8:05am PST

Day 9 of #BadBeti's is The Matriarch of Kamathipura- #GangubaiKothewali. 🙏🏽👄🙏🏽She was a #MafiaQueen and brothel madam in Mumbai's red light district. 👠❣️👠She was a strong advocate for keeping her girls safe and rallied for rights and better treatment for prostitutes. 👊🏽🖕🏽👊🏽As a survivor of trafficking rape, she's a bad bad bad beti that didn't let elitism, classism and the patriarchy get in her way. 👸🏽❤️👸🏽This is relevant now, with a lot of women's marches and "feminism" that doesnt intersect with sex workers- BULLSHIT. 🌹💩🌹She has a particularly important speech in Azad Maidan where she spoke about how a part of Mumbai's safety for women is because of the large number of prostitutes, the few handful of women that cater to the physical aggressions of men so they don't bring it home. 🚺💜🚺Go on YouTube and listen to the audio book #MafiaQueensOfMumbai to learn more! Photo and styling @duangchaiswani

A photo posted by Abhijeet 🇮🇳👳🏽👳🏾‍♀️👳🏽🇮🇳 (@bon_abhijeet) on Jan 27, 2017 at 9:56am PST

Day 10 of #BadBeti's is my queen of item songs, reality tv, outspokenness and born to be a meme @rakhisawant151 #RakhiSawant ❤️🖤👸🏽🖤❤️ She's sexually liberated and open in a way that isn't tied to westernization, English speaking ability and class/wealth. And I think that's what makes her an icon for me. Also the fact that anything she ever says is instantly a meme and hilarious. ❣️‼️she's wearing a dress with Indian Prime Minister #Modi on it, like 5G's‼️❣️ Photo and assist by @duangchaiswani

A photo posted by Abhijeet 🇮🇳👳🏽👳🏾‍♀️👳🏽🇮🇳 (@bon_abhijeet) on Jan 28, 2017 at 10:37am PST

Day 11 of #BadBeti's is a trailblazer and achiever in Indian politics- #MadhuBaiKinnar 💚👸🏽💚 She is the first openly transgender woman to be elected into office, as the mayor of Raigarh in the state of Chattisgrah. Not only is she a trans woman, but also a Dalit which means she overcame a lot of obstructions and oppositions. 💃🏽❤️💃🏽She ran as an independent candidate, advocating in the area with her trans sisters and hijras. We support you! You're changing lives and mindsets! 🎖🥇🎖One of the many signs of India opening dialogue on trans issues, including the legal recognition of a third gender. Wish I could have been back in Mumbai for the #QueerAzaadiMarch #QAM @queerazaadimumbai where Pride for us is still a protest 🎊🎀🎊 Photo and styling assist by @duangchaiswani

A photo posted by Abhijeet 🇮🇳👳🏽👳🏾‍♀️👳🏽🇮🇳 (@bon_abhijeet) on Jan 29, 2017 at 7:30am PST