Photo Credit: @karrishhma
Meetra Javed is a Pakistani-American New York City based creative agency hybrid who works in capacities between commercial production and client management. She’s also a writer - who has recently delved into film directing. Her work most often explores themes like family, grief, immigration, and identity. She has been published by The Columbia Journal and was enlisted as a runner up in Columbia University’s Spring 2020 Writing competition. Her writing work has also been published by prominent literary journals, both in the United States and Internationally. She’s finished her first book, with a TBC launch date.
First thing you do when you wake up/go to bed?
Normally the night before a new day I make a mental list of the things I want to get done on the following day. This way, I set an intention towards a big or small goal. Then I practice simple thoughts of gratitude. Gratitude, I find, helps build resilience and prosperity.
In general, I need to drink water before bed, or I feel like garbage in the morning. I recently bought this refillable BPA free gallon bottle to try to help myself drink more water daily, and it’s ...helping. I can't drink a gallon a day yet, but I feel a lot better. I wash my face with Acure Brightening scrub, put on a natural toner, and then put on a hydrating day cream like Weleda if it’s the daytime - or a night oil if it’s night - followed by spraying my face with Rosewater. Sometimes I use the Glow Recipe sleeping mask, and it’s a little self care treat. I literally never had a skin care routine until the pandemic started and I really love it. Sometimes my boyfriend reminds me of the jade-roller in our fridge and I’ll roll it on my face too. It’s quite great when it’s cold.
Do you have any resources you’d like to share with the community?
The Body Keeps Score was one of my favorite books ever. It changed my life and my way of understanding the psychology of anger, trauma, and grief. I also really love Dr. Mark Hyman on Instagram. He says it like it is and brings a lot of food for thought.
Any ritual health/beauty/wellness routines or products?
Some brands I love and use weekly are Acure, Weleda, Saie, Smashbox, Glossier, Ilia, Dior, Le Labo, Avalon, Origins, and a bunch of different kinds of oils (Castor, Argan). I also need to run long runs at least 4 times a week as part of my routine, or else I’m just mentally off and cranky. A glass of wine with dinner sometimes and smoking a little bit of weed helps me ease up, relax, brainstorm if I’m working, and sometimes even get better sleep. I make sure with any sort of in-take I give myself breaks though, and periods without it. I’m hyper conscious of needing to rely too much on anything. When I love something I really love it, and that personality type can make people prone to addiction if they aren’t checking in with themselves from time to time. Not to say we don’t all have our vices, we do - but doesn’t mean we can’t be conscious of them.
Favorite feature(s) on yourself and why?
I like my legs, I guess, since they are strong from running. But to be honest, I don’t like the idea of focusing too much on any specific body parts. The relationship with physical self is an interesting terrain. Sometimes you like yourself and... sometimes you don’t. I think that fluidity of self love needs to be more openly acceptable. We all have off days. Somedays I truly am present but not as interested as existing physically in the world as others, and on those days I am wearing a hoodie with sweats ...all day.
How do your work, lifestyle,and background affect your routine?
I think I have a very healthy lifestyle. I let myself enjoy life but I also make sure I’m doing what I need to be doing to take care of my body. Whether I am full time or freelancing, I make an effort to integrate movement and exercise into my daily life. I’m not perfect, sometimes I take a day off and eat cake and chocolates (I love almond croissants) , I don’t regret it, but I do know sugar is really terrible for you generally. It’s harder when I’m full time at an agency, I have to make sure either before or after my work day, at least 3-4 times a week, I integrate exercise. If I don’t get “me” time in, I’m honestly a cranky person and a total bitch. I don’t think we were built to live for the 24/7 demands of others. We need to think for ourselves, and care for ourselves too.
What do you do to stay healthy?
I listen to my body. I run when I need to run, I squat when I need to squat, I sit in silence in the woods if that's needed for my mental health...I just make sure I’m not depriving myself of vital proteins and vitamins when it comes to eating food. In general, I think eating from the Earth provides a lot of nourishment, which means more fruits and vegetables. I was vegan for almost 2 years and once the pandemic happened I waned off.I do think however, I learned some positive eating habits in that Vegan time. I definitely order food and have unhealthy days (or what seem unhealthy to me)...my crux is Mexican food or my Mom’s Pakistani food. I don't generally like heavy oily foods or meals because my stomach just can’t handle it, not because they aren’t tasty. One summer I was in and out of the hospital with chronic stomach pain and none of the doctors could tell me what was wrong. It was really terrible and actually forced me to have to do food research myself. It was then I started removing foods from my diet. Once in a blue moon the pain comes back but it’s not like it used to be. Health is a holistic thing...there are all kinds of intake. The best thing to do is be conscious and mindful of what you're eating, how you're thinking, who you are spending your time with, and how you are spending your time.
Any cultural tips/tricks you've learned from family and/or friends?
Use tumeric. Put honey in your clay masks. Oil up and massage your hair once a week. Say Alhamdulillah when good things happen. Sleep well. Stretch.
How do you choose beauty products?
Whatever is cruelty free and requires the least amount of effort... and lasts long. I don’t know how to really do makeup to be honest. I think it's so cool when girls know how to do that stuff. I just think less is more for me, but this might be because I don’t actually know how to look different than I did in 8th grade. I don’t feel like myself with too much makeup on. Glossier, Saie, and Ilia are some of my everyday go-to make up brands because they are light, natural, and have SPF.
What is your cultural and/or ethnic background?
I’m Pakistani-American, a citizen of both. My name is Irani however. My mom was pregnant with me in Iran.
How do your culture, ethnicity and identity intersect and affect your beauty preferences (or grievances)?
I mean…I’m a South Asian woman who grew up in a prominent white neighborhood. I was either exoticized and sexualized, or literally not given the time of day. Once, when I was really young, maybe 6th grade, a boy at my lunch table said “You are pretty... for a brown girl”. I never forgot that. I don’t think his intention was to hurt me. But it’s strange to look back at a comment like that because if I had a daughter and someone said that to my daughter, I know she’d spend a lifetime thinking about self worth, and wondering if she was enough. What does that even mean, “For a brown girl…" The implications of a skin color comparison is terror to the psyche. I mean, I generally questioned my skin color, my culture, my religion and pretty much everything around my identity after 9/11 happened. It was hard. It was not a good time to be Muslim. Kids were assholes. I wanted to assimilate to whatever American culture was, which was really just no culture at all. I didn’t take initiative to learn about structures, systems, and politics until maybe late high school - and even then, I grew up in semi-conservative home, so I hid a lot of how I expressed myself. As I’ve gotten older I learned how important it is to embrace whoever you want to be as an individual...unapologetically. I embrace my Pakistani roots now. I don’t feel ashamed of being sex positive, I also don’t feel ashamed to say I pray, and I also dont feel ashamed of my skin or my roots, or how I want to dress. I don’t have any beauty preferences. I think everyone is beautiful in their own way. I know that sounds cheesy, but I really feel that way. Ugliness is a result of character normally. Ugly people act ugly, and think ugly.
If you were to create the perfect beauty/wellness product for yourself, what would it be?
24 hour dew mist or 10 minute debloating pill with no side effects. Ha. I hate bloating!