Supriya Joshi is your regular colourful-sock girl, who is a very talented stand-up comedian and writer. While her Twitter chronicles her many powerful thoughts slaying the trolls, her Instagram is a colourful diary that gives you an insight into her beautiful, happy life.

IWB indulged in a candid conversation with Supaarwoman (that’s how the world identifies her) that, I swear, isn’t anything like the old recycled interviews. Scroll down to find her sharing details of her job-type and why she is openly calling out those cowards who write hate comments online by saying, “Call me names, make me memes, I don’t give a damn.” Excerpts:

First thing first, with that cute haircut, what have you been able to get away with so far?

Ha-ha! You can get through anything in life with a cute haircut, trust me. Patriarchy bringing you down? Get bangs. Your parents forcing you to get married? Get a pixie cut. Girlfriend dumped you? Go Mohawk.

As a grown-up, what remains as your fondest childhood memory?

Some of my fondest childhood memories are ones that were far, far away from my school, in fact, coming home from school was the best time ever. We used to go home on a school bus, where a bunch of kids along with my sister and I used to sing and dance. It was the best.

Your Insta feed proves you’re quite close to your sister. Tell us about your family.

That’s true, she’s the first person I confide in. My sister and I were total book nerds as kids. We read all the time, we’d play strange games with the other kids in the building, watch cartoons and do other normal kids stuff. My parents were and are awesome. The best thing about them is that they never ever came in the way of our dreams. Even when I was confused about my life choices, they were super supportive and made me believe that one day things would turn out just right. I will always love and appreciate them for this.

Before you chose comedy as a career, how exactly did you kill time?

I was always a writer. I began my career in Mid Day, in the web department. It was a very boring and dreary job, I literally copied and pasted articles every day. My next job, as a content writer, was boring as well. For the first six months, I had absolutely no work to do. Imagine that. I was, what they called, a ‘free resource’, so I used to spend my days reading (I finished the entire Calvin and Hobbes series), playing video games and talking for hours on the phone with my then boyfriend. And no one seemed to care. I was so bored of that job that I quit and moved to Delhi for a two-month internship as a photographer in another magazine. Things weren’t any better there as well because all I did was sit in an office for six-plus hours and read the archives of the magazine. Fascinating. Then I worked as a features writer for five years in a photography magazine, which was fun. But towards the end of my tenure is when I realized this wasn’t for me. I began making Vine videos, and people began noticing my work from there, which is how I then jumped into comedy.

Is there any fun script you wrote long back that hasn’t made to the stage yet?

I have written a bit about my childhood bully that I’m still working on.

I read somewhere that you previously maintained a blog where you shared some cringe-worthy stories. Shed the details, come on!

Oh god. Everyone has an intense teenage emo phase, which is what I was going through when I started my blog, years ago. I wrote about my then boyfriend, I wrote sappy poetry and when we broke up, I wrote super-duper cringy notes and poems about it. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the password for that blog, so I can’t delete it. But I pray to God people don’t find it.

You face a lot of criticism on social media because of your body-type and I’m glad you’ve been bravely vocal about it. Since a large part of the comic culture is inclined towards mimicking and making fun of people, I am curious how do you keep yourself from doing so considering you’ve been on the other side?

So that’s the misconception, right there. In comedy, you’re free to make fun of anyone, as long as you’re not punching down. Punching down in comedy is making fun of a person or a group of people who are not in the same power position as you are. Hence, making fun of women or body types is punching down. If you’re a good comic, you don’t do that. I never do that.

Not so long ago, you tried staying away from the negativity of trolls by quitting Twitter, though I’m glad you’re back like a winner. I happened to read some of those horrible comments and honestly, I had tears in my eyes. They’re ruthless and I understand how heartbreaking they can be. Describe those moments.

I usually ignore hate, but sometimes it gets a bit overwhelming because I feel like how this hate is so unnecessary. You could be doing so much better with your time instead of hating on a person you don’t even know. During such times, my sister is the first person I speak to because she is a great listener, and she knows me better than anyone else.

Is this why you created the hashtag ‘Skinny Goddess?’

Yes. On the internet, you can be whoever you want to be. So, why can’t I be a #SkinnyGoddess? It’s a hashtag I created to promote body-positivity. I love myself, and I see myself as a Goddess, so that’s who I am. And mostly, I used the word Skinny to troll the haters!

Happy 2018 guys! This year, I will give fewer fucks about what people think about me and my body and if you have a problem with that, please kiss my big beautiful behind. #SkinnyGoddess

1,462 Likes, 100 Comments – Supriya (@supaarwoman) on Instagram: “Happy 2018 guys! This year, I will give fewer fucks about what people think about me and my body…”

Also, have you noticed that Instagram throws less hatred as compared to Twitter?

Yes, usually. I do get the occasional DM and comment, but they’re easier to ignore.

How different is your live audience from the virtual one?

They are both are equally amazing.

We see many male comedians performing poor sexist jokes. How do you handle it as a professional?

I call it out as much as I can. But I haven’t seen many established comics doing sexist jokes. It’s mostly open mic-ers, and if they ever do that, I make a point to object after their set.

Do you think we are having a hard time accepting female comedians?

People accept comics who are funny. Women have a tougher time everywhere, don’t they? But I see a shift in perceptions, though very slowly, but it’s happening.

Since your pet name is Supaar, what are your supaarpowers?

My supaarpowers are empathy. I am super emotional, and I can cry at the drop of a pin. My other supaarpower is that I am usually unbothered about stress, because, let’s face it, being stressed won’t help the situation at all. Apart from this, I can fly, but I try not to do that in public.

You love cheese, ramen and what else? Do you enjoy cooking or are you the pizza guy’s favourite customer?

I LOVE BACON. Cliché, but so true. Bacon is fantastic. I also love really good mutton, which my dad makes. I do like cooking, and ever since I started the Keto lifestyle, I have been cooking a lot more and that’s been great.

You’re a makeup expert! Share the deets of your favorite brands and lip shade.

My current favourite brand is Make Up Revolution! They make such fantastic eyeshadow palettes and they are quite affordable, too. My favorite lipstick of the moment is Gemini by Jeffree Star cosmetics. I get so many compliments every time I wear it.

Any message for those who sincerely write complimenting messages to you with adorable grammatical errors like ‘your cute?’

Ha-ha! Honestly, I’m so thankful for these beautiful souls. It’s very easy to be a terrible person online, and I appreciate anyone who chooses kindness. Every nice comment fills me with love and makes my day. Keep it coming, guys!

Lastly, what’s in the future?

Mars colonization. Elon Musk is going to take us there, I see it.

Image source: Supaarwoman Instagram