In high school, I juggled two identities: I was half desi - which is someone of Pakistani, Indian or Bangladeshi birth who lives abroad - and half Western-style punk. In the last panel, I'd always show myself telling the bully off or winning in some way. I was bullied a lot - for being brown and similar things - and I dealt with it by drawing what happened in little comic panels. We moved from Pakistan to Mississauga, Ontario, when I was 9. How did you first start thinking about becoming an artist? I'm an aunty to little kids, to the generation coming after me.

That's just how we do things.' I do understand where aunties are coming from to some degree, though. I hate when people say, 'That's just our culture. One aunty told me art was a white people's thing. I've been confronted by aunties about my work, sure. Have you ever had aunties, or others in your community, criticize your art? We kids would be like, 'Uh, we saw those movies too - we know where you're getting that from.' But now she's more laid back. She was always having dramatic reactions to things, and she'd quote dialogue from movies to express her feelings. You classify aunties into various types - there's the CEO Aunty, the Bollywood Aunty, and the Aunty in Training. We need to discuss these things in the community. She's helping reinforce tradition.' But some aunties give bad advice, like telling girls to marry at 15 or to bleach their skin. They've always got advice, and you think, 'Well, this person is my mom's age, so she must be right. My mom's family is huge, so I have a million aunties. 'She can be someone in your family, or one of their friends, or just someone who lives down the street. 'An aunty is any older woman who thinks she knows what's best for you,' Qamar tells me. If, on the other hand, you're wondering what 'desi' means, Qamar has the answer - along with advice on how to dodge a chappal, shape the perfect roti and cope with the meddling older women in your life. With Trust No Aunty, her new book of Pop Art and satire, the 26-year-old Pakistani Canadian brings the experience of desi girls into the comedy limelight.Īnd if you know Hatecopy, Qamar's Instagram feed, you've already seen her take on the irritation of getting set up with the neighbors' eligible son, or seeing white girls sporting bindis at Coachella. If you think the new wave of South Asian humor is led by men - from The Big Sick's Kumail Nanjiani to Master of None's Aziz Ansari to No Man's Land's Aasif Mandvi - it's time to reckon with women like Qamar. She tweets at beware - Maria Qamar's got your number.

Etelka Lehoczky has written about books for The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and.

Trust no aunty by maria qamar