A Lebanese feminist YouTube series, Smatouha Minni (You Heard It From Me), is using satire to challenge rising misogynistic attitudes in the Arab world. The show, now in its third season, parodies figures such as ‘red pill’ influencers and self-help podcasters who promote rigid gender roles.
In one sketch, actor Maria Elayan portrays a podcaster who advises men to ‘change your wife’ if she asks for help with nappies. Another scene shows her as a lazy husband demanding his mother make him a sandwich. The series targets ideologies like the ‘red pill’ movement, popularised by figures such as Andrew Tate, which frames men as victims of feminism.
Founder Amanda Abou Abdallah says the show began in 2020 due to a lack of feminist media in the region. ‘Patriarchal attitudes have always existed, but we’re seeing a backlash against women’s growing independence,’ she explains. The series is produced by Khateera, a media house supported by the NGO Womanity, and is filmed in Beirut with Arabic dialogue and English subtitles.
Elayan notes that topics like reproductive health, harassment, and domestic violence were long treated as taboo in Arab societies. ‘Western feminist models are often individualist and don’t map onto our collectivist culture,’ she says. The show uses humour to critique society without lecturing, making it accessible to young women across the region.
