Nida Mehboob

Nida Mehboob is a staunch advocate of pleasure activism. Her interest in social injustice and gender discrimination is informed by her lived experience as a woman in Pakistan.

Out of curiosity, Mehboob started reaching out to her friends to ask about their sex lives. Slowly, she gained unique access to women challenging social norms. Pleasure, often considered taboo, is denied to women in Pakistani society.

An individual may be jailed for homosexuality and stoned for having sex outside marriage. Women are often persecuted or killed—in the name of honour, by their fathers and brothers—for marrying a man of their choosing. “Pleasures” such as open and casual relationships, or swinging, are deemed illicit and invite severe condemnation. Within this landscape, Mehboob’s film is a testament to the courage of the characters reclaiming their sexual rights.

Given the fears brought on by a repressive environment, the protagonists of the film wished to remain anonymous. Their voices reveal their desires, and the joy they gained from intimate encounters, despite their honour and lives at stake. The visuals, drawn from daily life in the city of Lahore, reveal the hegemony of men in public spaces—their body language and confidence exuding the ease of power. How I Like It provides a rare insight into the sexual exploits of Pakistani women, while examining issues of freedom of expression and gendered inequities in private and public spheres.