Meet Bengali-American writer and artist Farah Akhter Billah. She grew up in Sacramento and has written a book called Wrong Turns Lead Here.
Billah has done a photo series called "Coriander Cats: Bengali Girls In The Wild".
The series focuses on the clash of two very different traditions, life in the U.S., and the Bengali-American community's expectations of Bengali women.
"Growing up Bengali-American, my friends and I were expected to be the best of both worlds; successful in America, but with the social restrictions of Bengali culture," Billah told BuzzFeed.
"My friends and I aren't quiet flowers," she further said.
"They're students in medical school, engineers, artists, food lovers. They eat too much, they're slobs, they're hard working. They're not pretty little things," she added.
"As Desi-American women, we deal with a lot of unnecessary commentary on our lives," Billah complains, "And I threw that in here because, well, why not?"
Billah says that the Bengali-American women she grew up with, defied stereotypes, broke rules, and still came out on top.
"If you’re looking for a blooming, delicate flower of a woman, you won’t find one here," she concluded.
