Mindy Kaling is my role model. Not because I have any particular desire to go into acting or comedy, but because she embodies all the qualities I want for myself. She is confident, funny, intelligent, and an unapologetic girly-girl. What makes Kaling so unique is that her humor is not based around self-deprecation, unlike many other women I know in my life, both on and off the TV screen. While she certainly laughs at herself on occasion, for example, reliving the story of how her boyfriend once fit into her jeans in her memoir, for the most part she stands tall and proud of the fact that she is a woman and that she loves things women love. “[People think] that because I like girly things and I have a lilt in my voice that I’m dumb.” But with having written 21 “The Office” episodes and directed two of them as well as published a wildly successful memoir, and do I even need to mention now having her own television show, Mindy Kaling is incredibly smart and if she loves to shop, who cares?
Mindy Kaling first made an appearance on TV in her role as Kelly Kapoor in “The Office”. Her character was is a hyper-shallow coworker with all the girliness of Mindy herself but none of the intelligence. The satirical character is what first made Mindy Kaling a household name, but the character, while hilarious and fun, didn’t quite emanate all the perfection that is Kaling:
Then Kaling got her own show on Fox, “The Mindy Project”, and she really got to show the world what she was made of. Kaling plays a OB/GYN who is part owner of her practice. Her character is a smart, successful, self-made woman, and yet she struggles with boys, loves food, and has an amazing wardrobe. If you haven’t seen the show yet go watch it now!
Here are some of my favorite quotes from Mindy Kaling. Some are funny, but all are insightful:
- “I always get asked, ‘Where do you get your confidence?’ I think people are well meaning, but it’s pretty insulting. Because what it means to me is, ‘You, Mindy Kaling, have all the trappings of a very marginalized person. You’re not skinny, you’re not white, you’re a woman. Why on earth would you feel like you’re worth anything?’” –Mindy Kaling, Parade
- “There are little Indian girls out there who look up to me, and I never want to belittle the honor of being an inspiration to them. But while I’m talking about why I’m so different, white male show runners get to talk about their art.” – Mindy Kaling, Parade
- “I just want ambitious teenagers to know it is totally fine to be quite, observant kids. Besides being a delight to your parents, you will find you have plenty of time later to catch up.”― Mindy Kaling, Is Everyone Hanging Out with Me?
- “There is no sunrise so beautiful that it is worth waking me up to see it.”―Mindy Kaling, Is Everyone Hanging Out with Me?
- “If I’m at a party where I’m not enjoying myself, I will put some cookies in my jacket pocket and leave without saying good-bye.”―Mindy Kaling, Is Everyone Hanging Out with Me?
- “In real life, shouldn’t a wedding be an awesome party you throw with your great pal, in the presence of a bunch of your other friends? A great day, for sure, but not the beginning and certainly not the end of your friendship with a person you can’t wait to talk about gardening with the for the next forty years.”― Mindy Kaling, Is Everyone Hanging Out with Me?
Sources:
http://fuckyeahmindy.tumblr.com/
http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/mindy-kaling
http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/kelly-kapoor
http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/194416.Mindy_Kaling
http://jezebel.com/please-dont-ask-mindy-kaling-where-her-confidence-come-1411067149