Family
channel is where it started. I would wish to look like Lizzie McGuire or then
it transferred to Hannah Montana. I would continuously beg my mom to colour my dark brunette hair to platinum blonde to try and be like the girls I
looked up to on my television screen. That’s when my mom would pause those
shows and put on That’s So Raven. Viewing Raven Symone may have been my saving
grace in this life, but personally I still feel victimized by women’s
television.
If all I am ever viewing as someone going through adolescence and young adulthood is thin girls with long legs and beautiful luscious blonde hair, it’ll probably impact the audience immensely without them ever knowing. This is where the subconscious comes in. We are forever taking in information that may not seem relevant, but in some way has shaped the way we look at the world. This is why we need to be aware of the television being produced.
Television is always going to influence the viewers watching, but what if what they are watching is full of rightful representation and diversity? Well then maybe this television thing could be alright.
First time, I ever saw Mindy Kaling on TV, it was the second episode of the first season of The Office. I saw her name in the credits as producer and writer – and it may sound cliché, but it gave me a little bit of hope for myself in the future.
Fast forward to the Mindy Project, and I see this as a large step into the right direction. Not only is Mindy Kaling someone to look up too, but her character Mindy also makes a girl feel like we can do it. Of course, it can be a little silly at times, but this show took a story line that I believe would have been given to a white actress 5-10 years prior (peep Ellen Pompeo first starred as Meredith Grey in Grey’s Anatomy in 2005…. SEE!) and gave it to someone who would be able to represent multiple demographics of women.
Kaling doesn’t just star in
The Mindy Project, she owns her character like no other. They start off the
series with Mindy running away from ruining her ex boyfriend’s wedding – so you
may think she’s just a crazy girl, but really she’s a hardworking professional
who has to keep up with her everyday life even though it may be consuming. This
seems like many other story lines in television shows, but the lead actress is
an Indian women who does not have the conventional body as many other leading
ladies have in the past. It’s as if Mindy’s representation gives the green
light for other girls who may not meet society’s beauty expectations that they
are able to go out and live their life like any other person. She rids that
feeling of shame and gives girls the capability to own their image, their body,
and their identity. When all one sees on the television is the tall blonde,
people start to believe that she is the beauty standard, and if you do not look
like that, then well you’re not pretty! This thought probably enters the minds
of many people daily and part of the problem is women’s television. We need
people like Mindy Kaling running through the streets with an abundance of
confidence to make sure women know that true beauty comes from being different
and being yourself. We have been told for so long not to accept your body, your
skin colour, or yourself if you do not meet expectations, but now is the time
for women of all walks of life to live your life any which way you want while
loving yourself.
If all I am ever viewing as someone going through adolescence and young adulthood is thin girls with long legs and beautiful luscious blonde hair, it’ll probably impact the audience immensely without them ever knowing. This is where the subconscious comes in. We are forever taking in information that may not seem relevant, but in some way has shaped the way we look at the world. This is why we need to be aware of the television being produced.
Television is always going to influence the viewers watching, but what if what they are watching is full of rightful representation and diversity? Well then maybe this television thing could be alright.
First time, I ever saw Mindy Kaling on TV, it was the second episode of the first season of The Office. I saw her name in the credits as producer and writer – and it may sound cliché, but it gave me a little bit of hope for myself in the future.
Fast forward to the Mindy Project, and I see this as a large step into the right direction. Not only is Mindy Kaling someone to look up too, but her character Mindy also makes a girl feel like we can do it. Of course, it can be a little silly at times, but this show took a story line that I believe would have been given to a white actress 5-10 years prior (peep Ellen Pompeo first starred as Meredith Grey in Grey’s Anatomy in 2005…. SEE!) and gave it to someone who would be able to represent multiple demographics of women.
Kaling doesn’t just star in
The Mindy Project, she owns her character like no other. They start off the
series with Mindy running away from ruining her ex boyfriend’s wedding – so you
may think she’s just a crazy girl, but really she’s a hardworking professional
who has to keep up with her everyday life even though it may be consuming. This
seems like many other story lines in television shows, but the lead actress is
an Indian women who does not have the conventional body as many other leading
ladies have in the past. It’s as if Mindy’s representation gives the green
light for other girls who may not meet society’s beauty expectations that they
are able to go out and live their life like any other person. She rids that
feeling of shame and gives girls the capability to own their image, their body,
and their identity. When all one sees on the television is the tall blonde,
people start to believe that she is the beauty standard, and if you do not look
like that, then well you’re not pretty! This thought probably enters the minds
of many people daily and part of the problem is women’s television. We need
people like Mindy Kaling running through the streets with an abundance of
confidence to make sure women know that true beauty comes from being different
and being yourself. We have been told for so long not to accept your body, your
skin colour, or yourself if you do not meet expectations, but now is the time
for women of all walks of life to live your life any which way you want while
loving yourself.
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