On Second Thought…
During my freshman year, I wrote my first article for Her Campus titled “Finding Good Brown Representation.” In it, I criticized Mindy Kaling’s characters for falling into tired and harmful stereotypes. I argued for fresh takes on South Asian characters that focused on their strengths without resorting to self-deprecating humor. I still stand by that, but after re-reading the article, I felt like I was being unfair. While I did offer my praise, I don’t think my criticisms were thoughtful. In the unlikely event that Mindy Kaling read and was offended by my article, I would like to take this chance to remedy my assessment.
In my article, I described Mindy Kaling’s characters as “self-inserts” and “self-hating.” And there is truth to this. All of her South Asian female characters spend a significant amount of time embarrassed of their culture and their features. Their main struggle is typically fighting for a white man’s attention. But looking back, if that’s how Mindy Kaling expresses herself, I don’t think it’s her fault.
The biggest pitfall in my article was assuming that Mindy Kaling should be responsible for the representation of all brown women. Mindy Kaling writes about brown women in relationships with white men because she is a brown woman who has had relationships with white men. Mindy Kaling writes characters who feel self-conscious about their identity because she has felt that, too. She simply creates based on her personal experience. Just because she is a successful brown woman in comedy it doesn’t mean she should be defaulted as a spokesperson for the community. People of color should be allowed to lead messy and complicated lives without worrying if it’ll be perceived as “poor representation.” As an audience, if we feel that there should be more diverse and positive South Asian representation, then we should take it up with Hollywood, not with Mindy Kaling.
It is common for women of color to feel undesirable in the face of Western beauty standards, and Mindy Kaling chooses to express those insecurities through her writing. While her characters may be a reflection of the brown community, they are not an uplifting addition. However, I think this shows a great deal of vulnerability and self-awareness on her part. She’s not responsible for making me feel good about myself. I’ve come to appreciate the honesty in her storytelling, even if it’s an uncomfortable truth. I stand by saying that her characters are an expression of her worst self-hating tendencies. But considering why Mindy Kaling felt that way in the first place may be a more worthy use of time.
In approaching how Mindy Kaling relies on stereotypes in her work, I ignored the nuance of being one of the few South Asian women in show business. Mindy Kaling is not a perfect person, and she does not make perfect art. I still crave brown characters who are confident, but I can appreciate Mindy Kaling’s brand of heroines. In the future, her work should be viewed as a serious starting point in the push for authentic South Asian storytelling.