has a huge following, a great message, and seems to be a genuinely good person. Also, she’s funny. That’s the money maker – or at least her money maker. The Mindy Project, a show written and produced by Kaling herself, is wildly popular.
It’s entertaining, quirky, and fun. I really wanted to love The Mindy Project, I really did.
Kaling’s character, Dr. Mindy Lahiri, has the coolest NYC apartment I’ve ever seen, the best clothes, and a desperate need to find a boyfriend. I think The Mindy Project did a great job focusing on things like race, size and age, but they made the main character’s biggest life goal finding a steady boyfriend? I don’t know if I personally identify myself as a feminist, simply because I’ve never found a solid definition, but I know women who are fine/happy/ecstatic being single. Still the message the show sends seems clear… even when you are educated, wealthy, and independent – you need a boyfriend/husband/partner.
I get that her love life is a central theme in the show, and I’m no screen writer, but I wish The Mindy Project didn’t make her single status look so pathetic. Another character, BFF Gwen, is married with a kid and seems ‘put together’ and ‘well-adjusted’. I know that Mindy does proclaim being a ‘woman of color’ multiple times, but it didn’t really take away from her desperate nature. Similar shows, like New Girl, doesn’t emphasize the notion of being a ‘single hot mess’ as negatively.
Am I being to critical? What do you think of Mindy’s show?
By Ananya Juneja
Amy
I do feel the same way! I too really wanted to love The Mindy Project, but I am over it. I too am a successful single woman being drowned by the thought that I not need to find a man to complete myself. I am perfectly happy drinking with my friends, and not obsessing over when prince charming is going to sweep me off my feet. Things happen when you least expect them to.