After years of bathroom humor being the definition of funny, there is a new funny on the block, and it is front-lined by women. Under the direction of women like Lena Dunham, creator of HBO’s Girls and Mindy Kaling from the Mindy Project, humor in today’s big comedies has transformed wit. The new funny isn’t about insulting others or being vulgar. These women are educated, so their quips are witty and humorous.
So, why are we obsessed with shows like HBO’s Girls and Fox’s New Girl and The Mindy Project? We connect with the characters. As college students and 20 somethings, we are exploring and finding ourselves and finding our places in the world. Dunham and Kaling are college graduates, so they are familiar the ins and outs of being confused or scared and feeling alone in life.
- Look to the future! There is indeed a place for everyone to grow and succeed. Lena Dunham never fails to mention that she has felt alone in the past and that is evident in her show, four girls coming together when they need their friends most.
- Laugh at yourself!Everyone needs to be able to laugh at themselves. Many of the occurrences in Dunham’s and Kaling’s writings are based on their lives, so we know that their funny but extremely embarrassing anecdotes have actually happened to an unsuspecting soul. If they can write about their embarrassing moments for all of America to see, we should be able to laugh at ourselves when we run for an East-West and still miss it, when we fail to recall the conjugations from Spanish 1001, or when we confidently yell out the wrong answer in class. I guarantee that we have all been in a situation that reminded us of our favorite comedy, causing us to say, “Wow, this is what happened to Hannah,” and making it even easier to laugh at ourselves.
- Be a mess. It’s okay not to have it all together. That’s what college is for, figuring life out. College is a transitional stage, for experimenting and finding what’s right for each of us and what makes us happy. Unfortunate circumstances are bound to occur, most when we least expect them, and we must roll with the punches. Girls and The Mindy Project make it easier to cope with change in our lives, giving us excellent advice (even if the advice is what not to do). It is also okay to be able to quote romantic comedies word for word (a la Dr. Mindy Lahiri) and to decide amongst your friends who each of you are from Girls. I’m a Marnie with some Shoshanna aspects.