Mindy Kaling is no stranger to the venom that can be found on the internet. Her name has been a hot item on TikTok and Twitter multiple times over the course of the past year, and there has been a consistent theme across these mentions of her: she is not the representation that we require her to be.
The remarks started pouring in once more as she made an appearance at the Oscars on Sunday wearing a white corseted dress that accentuated her slimmer frame. The garment was designed by Oscar de la Renta.
Others criticized the writer, comedian, and actress, who is 43 years old, for transforming what many people viewed as a physique that questioned the industry’s norm. Several people praised the actor, comedian, and writer for her new look. Some people believe that because Kaling has become more like her Hollywood contemporaries, she is no longer the body positive icon that they had envisioned her to be.
The primary reason why this criticism is problematic in the eyes of media and body image specialists is that Mindy Kaling did not ask for any of it.
Critics point to the fact that no one person should be put on a pedestal as the beacon of body positivity or representation, and that no one person can shoulder the criticism of a deeply rooted issue like fatphobia in the entertainment industry. Additionally, critics point out that no one person should be put on a pedestal as the beacon of body positivity or representation. Women of color who are in the public eye have stated that they do not owe perfection to the world, in whatever form that term may take at any given time.
According to Harleen Singh, an associate professor of South Asian literature and women’s studies at Brandeis University, “how is this a question about body positivity if we are criticizing someone who chooses in their own manner to be positive about their body?” “I am puzzled.”
According to Singh, audiences support persons of color like Kaling in their pursuit of mainstream success; nevertheless, once they achieve this goal, they are frequently held to twice the standard and receive double the condemnation that their white contemporaries do.