People who know me well know that I love Mindy Kaling. This actress, comedian and writer truly understands the issues women face and she handles them with confidence.
I see Mindy as one the most empowering female figures in the media today. She is a role model for so many women just by being herself.
She deals with the same struggles the average woman deals with in terms of body image, in terms of the idea that women are supposed to fit themselves into a size zero to be perfect. But instead of conforming to that standard, she stays true to herself and reminds women and girls everywhere that she is happy just the way she is.
Sometimes she even makes jokes about the issue, and without bringing herself down, she is able to show the world that she can handle whatever comes her way.
In her show, “The Mindy Project,” she highlights the point mostly through humor. Off-camera, she is just plain inspiring.
For her “Teen Vogue” profile she said: “I get so worried about girls with body image stuff….And I feel like I have been able to have a fun career and be an oncamera talent and be someone who has boyfriends and love interests and wears nice clothes and those kinds of things without having to be an emaciated stick. And it is possible to do it. In life, you don’t have to be that way and you can have a great life, a fun life and a fulfilling love life.”
Not only is she empowering as a person filled with selflove, but she is also someone who is easy to relate to when it comes to race and cultural identity. Mindy, like so many Indian Americans, deals with the cultural conflict of being brought up in the United States while still trying to maintain her roots in India.
In the most recent episode of her show, Danny (Mindy’s love interest) flies to India and viewers are able to understand a little bit about her cultural background. This adds a refreshing layer to Mindy’s character and shows people that she can embrace her Indian heritage while still fitting into American culture.
Mindy shows us that regardless of what people say, she is unapologetically herself.
In other words “It’s so weird being my own role model, I recommend it.”