Pakistani “Scooty Girls” Show off on Insta and YouTube to Break Gender Stereotypes

Two biker friends from Rawalpindi, Pakistan are shining a new light in the conservative nation using their scooter to help promote female empowerment and confidence.

Sana Shakoor and her friend, Afra Hussain, both in their early 20s and dubbed as the “Scooty Girls”, started riding their bike because of its affordability and convenience in the traffic-heavy city of two million inhabitants. But the girls also wanted to spread a message to regions where cultural barriers and safety concerns limit the confidence of girls in a country where women are likely to depend on men – namely fathers, brothers or husbands – for transportation instead of picking up their own bike.

To make their voices heard, the “Scooty Girls” took on documenting their travels on Instagram and YouTube. Sana explains to Gulf News, “Our biggest motivation behind making the videos is to break the stigma around girls travelling alone in Pakistan and also to show magnificent natural beauty of Pakistan to encourage more people to travel.”

“We want to change the stereotype,” adds Afra. “With our videos, we want to tell the girls that they can travel on their own and tell the world that Pakistan is a safe place for women travelling independently.”