Vanita Parti talks ‘Monobrow’, Writing & Entrepreneurship

Vanita Parti is an essential voice in the realm of original South Asian writers. 

Vanita made her writing debut with Monobrow, a creative, non-fiction story centred on a teenage girl and her mother. They bond over beauty rituals. 

The story also explores the young girl’s experience of having her eyebrows threaded for the first time. 

Vanita is also an exciting entrepreneur who founded her own business titled Blink Brow Bar.

The organisation has introduced threading to British women and also works closely with charities and with cancer patients and survivors who have lost their eyebrows to chemotherapy.

In our exclusive chat, Vanita Parti delved into Monobrow, which was highly commended by the 2024 Creative Future Writers’ Awards (CFWA).

She also told us about her business, which paved the way for her to earn an MBE for services to beauty and charity.

What is Monobrow about, and what inspired you to write it?

Monobrow is resonant of my childhood, which is quite remarkable for me.

I didn’t realise it at the time, but it’s based on my experience of setting up my business. 

So, I wanted to write about it because it fitted well with the theme and I thought it was a perfect piece to send in. 

Also, I set up my business later in life, and it was only on reflection that it was moments like that that stayed with me and perhaps influenced my choice of what I would do as a career later in life. 

It is just tapping into my heritage, growing up in London as a second-generational woman, and how my past roots played a part in decisions I made later in life.

It’s quite an important piece to me personally, but it’s also very nice to share that moment with British people who might be quite interested in beauty rituals that are quite niche.

I’m sure that Indian people will share that experience. But I’m sure it’s nice to share that more widely as my business has done too. 

What was your reaction to the positive feedback from the competition, and how has that changed your outlook?

I fell off my chair, to be honest! I did not see myself as a writer and I was having a go at something and sharing it with people.

It was an anonymous entry and wasn’t linked to my business. It just stood alone as a piece and I got an email saying that it was highly commended. 

I was thrilled to endorse the fact that perhaps I can be a writer and it encouraged me to keep going. 

Others probably take it a bit more seriously, which is very nice. So, I was thrilled that it touched a chord with other people too. 

If you don’t have readers, it’s a bit pointless. We all go through slumps when we write so when I got that email, I felt a burst of momentum and carried on writing. 

I’m very grateful to the judges for recognising it as highly acclaimed. 

I think it has allowed me to say that I’m a writer rather than just trying to write.

Lots of people sent pieces in and I’m sure they are all brilliant. So, to have that accolade is hugely helpful.

Things like this really help people to produce their best work and keep going. 

Can you tell us about your business, Blink Brow Bar?

I set it up over 20 years ago, I was a mother, and I used to work in marketing at British Airways.

I was finding it quite hard to progress in my career because when you’re part-time and a distracted mother, it was quite difficult.

So, I decided to set up my business and I was searching for an idea. My father was an entrepreneur and I felt it was quite natural for me to try and think of things that might be successful.

I was very keen to tap into my heritage. I think for anyone who went through the 1970s and 1980s, it was quite challenging in the UK.

Then, suddenly in the 1990s, it almost became quite cool to be Indian. People were celebrating sarees, Indian food, and music, and it was infiltrating British culture.

That was very exciting to see so I thought it would be nice to see something Indian that perhaps existed but needed to be repositioned. 

I used to get my eyebrows threaded every week in the suburbs. I grew up in Ealing, and there were a lot of salons in Wembley.

It suddenly struck me when I took a friend to introduce them to threading: “Why didn’t I take threading to London?”

I decided I wanted to set it up in a premium place. I wrote to all the department stores, saying: “This is going to be the next big thing in beauty.

“It’s an amazing way to take care of your brows and it’s a good way to take care of the skin.”

It took a while because people considered it to be niche at the time.

The department stores said: “We don’t have big Indian customers so we don’t think this will work.”

But one of them on Bond Street was the only one who really got it. Vogue magazine was right next door and they thought all the Vogue girls would love it.

It was something new and exciting to talk about and they allowed me to put a chair in.

The next challenge was finding Indian therapists who wanted to travel and train them to work in a premium environment.

We did get there and got amazing press. The queue started falling and other stores called me and wanted to have a Brow Bar in their stores. 

So, we rolled out very quickly across London and department stores in the UK. Now, it’s just normal which is great to see. It’s wonderful to bring something Indian to the UK.

I’ve employed 200 Indian women and given them great jobs. Many were working in factories on minimum wage and they got the recognition they deserved. 

We do a lot of work with a street children charity in Delhi and a charity called Future Dreams, which is for women who have lost their brows to chemotherapy. 

It’s been an amazing journey, and getting the MBE was wonderful recognition for the whole team who have changed the face of beauty.

What advice would you give to people who want to get into writing?

I would say that if you feel very passionate about something, you have to do it.

There are no rules, and there is nobody out there to tell you if you’re good or not. 

I think the thing that really helped me was that I did a week’s course in writing and then a course at the publishing house Faber.

It gave me a huge amount of confidence because I went in as a beginner. There were other writers there, and we listened to each other. We helped each other improve and congratulated each other.

I left thinking that I had a foundation to carry on, and I would advise anyone who, if they’re interested, to find a local writing course. It just helps to put some structure in and to give you momentum to carry on.

The fact that I’ve won the ‘highly commended’ prize means anyone can do it!

I’m loving it and I’m carrying on. It’s like meditation for me, away from my business. 

What advice would you give women who are struggling with their beauty goals?

The thing with eyebrows is that they are so visible and I think women feel rather lost whether it is chemotherapy or simply ageing. 

Our eyebrows get thinner and sparser. I always recommend that they just use old-fashioned oils like we do in our hair.

We do a really nice oil which they can massage in every night. 

Explore a really nice pencil, powder, or gel. It’s really worth it and I think people get quite frightened by it. 

So, watch videos, get help, and speak to experts. Often, our kids are brilliant at showing us how to do it better.

There’s always something to help as we get older and it always helps if you pay a little bit of attention.

We really encourage women not to give up and keep going. Get some expert advice on how to do it if they’re feeling a bit overwhelmed. 

What writers and creative people have inspired you in your journey?

I love Indian writers. Arundhati Roy is probably one of my favourites. Anita Desai as well.

It’s so beautiful because they bring their culture to life and they celebrate it. It’s always very vivid.

They tap into the idiosyncrasies of our culture. I thought that only Indian people would get it but that’s not the case anymore.

Britain is such a melting pot that non-Indians also find them hilarious. They’re all universal traits. 

I think it’s just watching South Asians celebrating their heritage which I think is great.

What do you hope readers should take away from Monobrow?

I think it’s about how much culture is such a big part of our lives.

I went through a love-hate phase with growing up in London with my culture.

That reflection is so wonderful because I’ve realised that that is just who I am. I’m a blend and that’s okay.

I’ve been able to share with people my experiences as a child. 

For me, it’s about celebrating who we are and about identity more than anything else.

Vanita Parti is a unique and diverse voice in South Asian representation in the UK.

Her innovation, her themes, and her beliefs will clearly inspire millions of people.

Monobrow is a stunning piece of literature and is a vivid portrayal of beauty issues in Desi women.

Vanita Parti is clearly working her way to greater heights and we are all there to support her.