Mindy Kaling has been making appearances and doing interviews this week to promote the new season (Season 5) of The Mindy Project, which has now moved to Hulu. I’m still sad about that, by the way. I know the ratings weren’t great on Fox, but I always watched and enjoyed the show. Anyway, these are some assorted photos of Mindy at an event for Harry Potter, and at the NBC Universal upfronts. Mindy has been in NYC to do interviews, plus she did a sit-down during the annual Women in the World summit. She ended up talking about double standards and how to “apologize” to men for being an assertive woman and demanding respect. Some highlights:
How she apologizes for being assertive: “I am very assertive, to the point of being brusk and then I just send cupcakes with a note saying, ‘I am sorry for being so assertive, Love Mindy!’ In L.A., there is a cottage industry of apology gifts you can send for being too assertive as a woman. Flower arrangements, artisanal ice cream. You can send a puppy party for demanding respect. ‘I’m sorry I demanded respect at that meeting. Here’s a puppy party. Love Mindy.’ ”
She’s a flawed woman playing flawed characters: “I wanted to be a really flawed, delusion, funny character. Because as an actress, that’s way more fun. All the best parts are villains…I hope that young women look to me, Mindy Kaling, as a role model, but let me play the characters I want to play.”
Playing a character with her own name: “It made it feel authentic. It really does feel like you’re right up close and there’s no artifice to what you’re watching. The downside is that I’ve noticed that people just assume that you are your character… If you’re a man who shares [a name with] the same character, they’re like, ‘Oh, he’s not his character.’ I’ve noticed that, in general, media does not think the same thing of me. I think it’s a little sexist, actually. They would look at a man who’s playing that character and they’re like, ‘Oh what an actor artiste who can adopt that persona.’ And I get kind of jealous, actually, that that’s afforded to them.”
I realize she’s half-joking about sending cupcakes, but I think that’s really sly and funny if she actually does that. Like, “I know you were butthurt about how I’m BOSS in all aspects of my professional life, so here are some cupcakes to soothe your delicate feelings.” Here’s a clip from her panel discussion:
And here’s Mindy on the Today Show on Thursday. This is a really charming interview, but… I don’t know you guys? I think she tweaked her face a little bit and it’s really throwing me off?
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I like her a lot. But her lips grow by the minute, she needs to stop.
my bff texted me when she watched this interview live and was like “HER LIPS!!! why?”
Gotta say, she’s looking pretty damn bad. Her lips have been morphing into this for a while. Now they’re too wide and stiff, she can’t smile with her mouth and eyes anymore. No to blond on her as well. It’s all a fail. She’s full-blown Real Housewife now. Maybe that’s s plot line in the show. If it isn’t, it should be.
People are commenting on her foundation and the truth is, POC are differ the shades throughout their faces, so whatever color you choose, it’s a little off in some area. That being said, she coujd do a lot better with her choice. MAC or Bobbi Briwn or some other brand that really does have some focus on WOC . Maybe she should ask her brother, though it was probably his great shame that he didn’t actually need a dark foundation when he was pretending to be black in order to get rejected from med school.
–TheRealPinky
@pinky
Funny you should mention Real Housewives, because I was looking at her, and suddenly realized she was the spitting image of Phaedra on RHOA. Though Phaedra’s lips are natural.
Regarding her foundation, she needs to stay away from cool tones. She has lots of red and orange undertones, so anything cool is going to look ashy and chalky. I don’t notice the chalky in the interviews just the one in front of the ivy.
speaking to your point Pinky did you see the new app called Cocoa Swatches, precisely created cause of how poorly served and stocked our makeup aisles are?? is basically to show swatches of colors/shadows/lips FOR US, links as to where to buy online etc I’m so SO Pumped about this, Ofunne Amaka, Cocoa Swatches, look her up!
God, I thought it was me, I saw her in Colbert last night WTF is going on with her lips and her face and her hair. Why Mindy!! Why??
@QQ That sounds great! Off to download….
Now that you brought up the lip injections, I cannot unsee them! I liked them better before. 🙁
Dear God! What happened to Mindy’s face????
Really bad makeup for red carpet lighting, right?
I know! I love Mindy, and think she’s fabulous just the way she is! Why is she doing this to herself? Maybe she had some fillers before her media blitz and the swelling didn’t go down as soon as anticipated or something?
When did brusque become brusk? Enquiring minds want to know.
Me too. I think it became brusk when the reporter or transcriber never heard the word and didn’t bother to look it up.
My thoughts too!
When spellcheck failed for the interns.
Thank you!
I don’t know but yikes I cringed at that too. I saw a similar error recently in an article — pallet when it should have been palate. And not palette.
I saw it but tried to power through but now I can’t. That’s lazee reporting.
Whew. That goodness it’s not just me who cringed when I saw that misspelling.
I didn’t think she was the type to get lip injections. I know she likes pretty things, but lip injections can go wrong…
I literally told mimif and Abbott a while back that her makeup is a disservice to her because often they don’t check her foundation match right for flash BUT that in the last article lainey wrote about her is almost bizarre whatever is happening around her chin/jawline lips area and i don’t know if that was angles or what
Observe : http://www.laineygossip.com/Mindy-Kaling-on-diversity-in-New-York-Times-piece–What-Its-Really-Like-To-Work-In-Hollywood/43131
I’m starting to see why I’ve always been a little disinterested in Mindy, because once I spend any kind of time with her I feel annoyed as hell.
Indian version of Lena Dunham, everything poorly fitting and miscolored. You can write a whole show about your fictional life but can’t hook up with a tailor to make sure your award’s show outfit doesn’t fit you like an off the rack prom dress?
Can’t quite deal with the foundation issues in all the photos.
Holy moly! What in the world has she done to her lips and jaw?! Dang. Mindy was the last person I’d expect to go down that path. That’s unfortunate.
I cant do this with her today, CAN-NOT
(Im going to caveat this post like I always do: I wish to Like her BUT CANNOT)
+1
Nor can I.
Omg you guys Im soooooooo assertive! No man knows how to handle it because other women are SUCH shrinking flowers, especially the skinny ones, but not me! You guyyyysss you dont even know how strong I can be, I just furrow my brows and stamp my foot and send cupcakes, its adorbs!!!
God this post sums up why I have tried to like her but something just hits me wrong.
Thank you she wolf!
Yeah, pretty much. It’s sorta Amy Schumer-esque. That said I find Mindy smarter than Amy and am always disappointed that she relies on this schtick.
I didn’t get quite that vibe but it rubbed me the wrong way too. Like, really? Cupcakes? For doing your job as the boss? I get it, I’ve worked with men who completely disregarded me because I was “just a girl” but apologizing for being assertive and doing my job literally never occurred to me. That’s part of being a leader, you don’t apologize for leading.
she comes across as very insecure and passive aggressive.
Yes, why the need for such a level of passive-aggressiveness? When you’re a leader and the boss, there’s no need to snarkily send cupcakes. Just be assertive and do your job, no cupcakes, no apologies.
Yes this.
I think there is truth in that a lot of guys don’t know how to handle it. She didn’t say anything about other women being shrinking violets. I also thought she sounded like she was joking about the cupcakes and puppy parties.
If Mindy sent a man cupcakes, he needed to get them. I love that so much. The world is filled with men running around with fragile masculinity syndrome and they should not be encouraged.
Oh no! Please don’t turn this great post into how she tweaked her face!
It is funny how women need to apologize for being assertive and yet it is just totally acceptable when a man is and no need for apology. The blatant sexism is infuriating. Now I know there have been shows with leading men who go by their real name but I can’t remember anyone other than Drew Carey and Louie CK. Who else?
I loved the Mindy Project. I always watched it and New Girl. I liked the Mindy Project more. With all I’m paying for digital cable with premium channels, Amazon Prime and Netflix, etc. I just can’t start paying for Hulu too! Drives me bonkers. I see shows mentioned all the time to watch and if I missed a couple of episodes or full seasons now it’s just the norm you have to pay for them?! Really? $3 an episode and it may be more to pay for HD! Pisses me off. I haven’t been able to watch Jane the Virgin or Crazy Ex-Girlfriend or Moms etc. Boo!
I know, I hear you, there’s something else I want to see on Hulu but just can’t add another to my monthly bill either! I splurged to see the end of Breaking Bad before it was on Netflix and the occasional Mad Men episode but $3 a pop really adds up.
I love her show too, and I am also in a delima about Hulu. My cable provider’s “new promotional rate” just ended after a year and a half, and I am paying waaaaaay too much for cable. I also have Netflix and Amazon Prime, so I am considering cutting the cord and getting Hulu and doing HBO/Showtime individually off of apps (I think its called HBO Go or something). I REFUSE to go back to Time Warner Cable, even though they are holding the LA Dodgers hostage (no other stations can play the games, so 70% of the LA market can’t watch the games).
@Tiffany, I’m a cord cutter. I have Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu and Sling. Amazon is about $100 a year (or $8 a month). Netflix is $7.99 a month, Hulu is a little bit less and Sling is $20 a month. Together, this is about $44 per month, way less than cable. Plus, I use Amazon for many other things besides TV and movies.
Thanks for the breakdown, WTW! That is very helpful! 🙂
I did that, and now only have Hulu and Netflix, but FYI…now Hulu has certain shows (like RHBH and RHNYC) that aren’t available just from Hulu. You have to sign in with your paid cable provider in order to get current seasons. I’m like AAAARRRRGGGHHH if I had a paid cable provider I probably wouldn’t have Hulu!
A couple of people have the Apple TV and raves about it
She is so fat, that’s all I can see…
omg GUYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYZ. Mindy is *fat*. F-A-T FAT. omgfat. omg.
omg.
why is she even alive.
Please feel free to post a link to your social media so we can judge your looks. And she is not fat, god forbid a woman in entertainment not be a size 0.
What ? Not fat? In what world is someone that size not fat?
I think the questions that are coming back are trying to say : Why does this matter to you and why is this the salient (IE most significant) point of the post for you? She’s a bit overweight, she knows it, we know it, and it’s only one person’s business — hers. So why is it necessary to point it out like a 3-year old who points at people and blurts out rude things because she hasn’t learned manners yet?
Eye doctor appointments available nationwide at all malls, big print forms available on request.
LOL ,no I can see how fat she is just fine ..she’s not huge but it is unattractive to be that big.
@Phaedra, lolwut. Does sum1 not see how fat she is. Lolololol. Look at Mindy just standing there, existing. Like the word F-A-T isn’t branded onto her forehead. She should just keep her fat words and fat thoughts and her fat accomplishments and fat successes to her fat self.
I am definitely not fat. I comment on the internet about how fat everyone else is but I am definitely not fat at all. And everyone should care when I call them fat.
This Yell right out of my Hondo, Eternal caused me to have!!!!!!! All the seats do need to be had!
Greenieweenie just made my day. How dare she be fat in public! For shame! Shaaaaaaaame!!!! Lol
Clearly the troll patrol has rolled up to celebitchy.
Exactly. The post was a cry for attention by a troll.
For real. Either that, or Donald Trump has joined us in the comment section.
Lip injections and a nose job maybe. She sometimes comes off as overly pleased with herself. Too smug.
Yes, God forbid an amazingly successful be pleased with herself. We should definitely take her down a peg.
BitsandPizzas, I know right! A non-white young woman who is a writer, comedian, actress, author, etc. Sick of people like this acting like they should be proud of what they accomplished in this perfect world where no one is prejudiced, sexist or trying to knock them down.
That’s the way! Have you ever read an Amal Clooney post? haha.
If she had rhinoplasty it wasn’t good work :/ Those poor people in Hollywood, they don’t see human faces normally at all. She was perfectly adorable before.
On a superficial note: there IS a foundation shade that will match your skin tone Mindy, I promise you it has been invented and is merely waiting for you to accept that you’re a mocha and not a caramel.
On a serious note: I think there was a great sly joke there about how there’s an industry intended to give the fake impression that women are more dainty and feminine when they care to speak up. That being said it defeats the whole purpose of being ‘assertive’. Hell no I’m not sending you flowers or cupcakes or puppies. I meant what I said and that’s what we’re doing. Full stop, period. If you need a hand stitched lace doily napkin delivered by kitten to get over the shock of me being the boss then order it yourself.
Send them a souffle with a note – “Like your ego, this souffle is easily deflated. Kisses!”
Boom!
To be fair, I have Indian coloring too and it’s really, really difficult to find a shade that matches my tone without looking like that in photos!
I could see that, I feel like Mindy’s off base with the whole thing since her skin (beneath the neck) seems golden brown but her foundation seems pinkish.
Either way it hurts my soul to see a WOC in the wrong foundation. Have you tried the two-foundation method (one shade for the center of your face and one shade on the outer half) I didn’t want to do it for a long time because it seemed like extra work but the difference between photos taken recently and in the past made me a believer.
As a kid back in the day, before women of color existed for the cosmetic industry, there were like between 6-10 varying shades of bisque and beige. I managed to make do with the darker shades called honey beige, or light tan – which essentially gave me the same slightly chalky look as Mindy, so I warmed it up with bronzer. Regular tan was usually this awful orangey shade. Looking back, it’s enough to literally make me cry when I think of all the girls/women who were excluded. It wouldn’t have been that big a deal if my hormones weren’t out of wack and I hadn’t been struggling with major acne – but I needed to cover that ish up with foundation.
Funny thing is, I’m black but had Jewish, Greek and Italian friends who in some cases, especially in the summer, couldn’t wear those shades either. So not only were cosmetic companies excluding WOC they weren’t serving ethnic Caucasian people.
If these were just candid pictures of her out and about I’d agree since foundation for Indian skin tones is hard to find, but in all the pictures where she looks too pale and ashy, she’s had her makeup done professionally. I don’t know a make up artist who doesn’t carry a full range of foundations AND mixers with them. Even if nothing they’ve brought is close to her skin tone, they’ll have red, yellow and brown mixers and can quickly create something that will match.
That she consistently wears pink foundation 5-6 shades too light when she has the opportunity to have professionals make her a custom shade means it’s a choice she’s making.
There must be people in India who have solved the problem. They’ve got lots of people. They make movies. Lots and lots of movies. Lots of experience with people in photographs and on video.
Yes, foundation fail.
Uuuh. Too much lips don’t even suit her. She was prettier before.
I used to like her show a lot, even though her “ditzy blonde” act as a doctor didn’t fit. She grew on me, her show grew on me because her ditziness was played off well by the characters around her. Now it is all about her. I hate it when shows go that route with lead characters, once it becomes popular it becomes less about other characters and more about the lead. Everything and everyone revolves around the lead. It is difficult to maintain interest and run many seasons around one character, especially when she is as ditzy and silly as Mindy is on the show. It has become hard to watch. Sad because I really liked the show. I still laugh at her “my thighs are like squeaky balloons on the treadmill”. Very creative, but what a waste with making this just about her and nobody else. I wish lead characters would realize that it never works to make a show just about them, other characters add angles and stories. Shows with an ensemble cast run longer. The Good Wife has the same fate now.
I find it interesting she needs to excuse her assertiveness sending whatever token.
I’ve never seen personally any Boss doing so, even when it’s obvious HE should.
I do agree that the villains are more interestion as characters (at least I prefer them) but I find too many of them sadly 2 dimentional.
And I hate her shoes in the first pic.
She has tweaked her face A LOT. It’s so disappointing.
I loved her on The Office and Mindy. It’s crazy that her show got the boot. I doubt I would ever follow it on Hulu.
It looks like she had her nose streamlined and lips enlarged. I don’t like the highlights. Her message always used to be very self-accepting, but now she’s going for the fake H’wood up-grades.
Why? Why is any of this something to be sad about? The show is still airing and it’s still good.
I’m just gonna say that I really like what she’s saying here and that I love her outfit in the header picture!
Bummer. I was such a huge fan and so is my husband- we actually have her on our fantasy 3some list- but those lips. Totally ridiculous. And she may have gotten a nosejob.
Mindy’s point about women and assertiveness is spot on. Since I’ve turned 30 a few months ago, I’ve made a pivot from being overly apologetic and deferential to being assertive and unapologetic. The most people who’ve had issues with this have been women. I’ve received responses from “friends” telling me that I’m being aggressive when I go for what I want or speak up for myself. It’s totally sexist. Especially because the first few times, I was around men who were doing the same things, but my “friends” had nothing to say about their (the men’s) behavior.
My suggestion is that women continue being assertive and going for what they want, regardless of people’s comments. I guess one suggestion that I would have to soften the “aggressiveness arc” is to smile or come off gregarious. I often smile or come off friendly while I am being assertive with someone. It’s incredible ridiculous that I’ve taken to doing this, but I already have an affable demeanor, so it works for me. It softens the blow for other people and allows me now to get what I want without having to deal (as much) with being told to stop being “so aggressive.” I’m still getting what I want and establishing my boundaries so it’s been a win for me.
On a ridiculously superficial note, Mindy has been bleaching her skin for a few years now, which partially explains her ashy skin tone. Look at pictures of her from a few years ago to compare. I used to love her so much, but she seems to have internalized some of her own issues with race, and that was incredibly problematic for me.
eh, I really think it’s bad makeup. Can’t tell you how many half black/half white-or-something-else friends I have had who couldn’t ever find a foundation that didn’t make them look like they’re wearing a mask. Little wonder Mindy can’t either.
Did you know even film is made to complement white skin? Between the film, the makeup and the lighting, a dark-skinned girl has her work cut out for her.
@GreenieWeenie: Thanks! I am aware of that. I have also been following Mindy since The Office and 40-Year-Old Virgin. She has been lightening her skin and the difference is fairly noticeable. I am also from a community that is BIG about skin bleaching. I have seen to many “play” Aunties and Uncles with lighted skin. So I have an eye for telling when someone has lightened their skin. 😉
Self acceptance is a beautiful thing. I can’t help but think how badly Beyonce was slammed for photo shoots that made her skin look lighter than it is. People have accused her of skin lightening for years although she is the same color if not a tad darker than her Destiny’s Child days.
If you have enough money to keep plastic surgeons in business then you have enough money to hire a top notch aesthetician and makeup consultant to locate or hand blend a customized palette for you.
@snarkweek
What irks me, is that people don’t seem to realize that WOC tan too. I never got the whole, they lightened her up, they darkened her up – people don’t stay the same shade year round. My foundation is two shades darker in the summer.
Beyonce in the dead of NYC winter, is not the same after Beyonce Christmas vacay in Barbados.
Excellent point!
Beyonces mom is also really light skinned, if you see them together you see why Beyoncé is so light compared to a lot of black people
I love her and The Mindy Show. That’s all.
Sometimes I can’t decided on whether I like or feel exasperated with Mindy (the real Mindy), mostly because of her personality in interviews and what she says. I definitely root for her to succeed, because it’s refreshing that the standard for female success is becoming more inclusive of other races and cultures. Growing up Middle Eastern and on the typical entertainment products that all of us grew up with, it seemed that the standard for success and beauty is basically, “White, skinny, good-looking”. That’s it. Nothing there for women like me, or like Mindy, so I’ve been really happy with the recent success of minority women in TV and film. However, some of the things she says in interviews are her own worst enemy. She’s breaking down barriers and finding success in a place that doesn’t cater to anyone with her ethnicity, looks, or brains, and in order to do that, she has to be assertive. But here she is discussing that, but then saying she apologizes for that ambition and assertiveness. As an assertive woman, I have never apologized or made excuses for pursuing my professional and personal goals, or for my ambition. I’m sure I’m not the only woman out there who has never sent “I’m sorry” cupcakes to anyone either.
If she is truly confident in how she executes her goals and pursues her ambitions, she wouldn’t send apology gifts. If someone doesn’t like her direction, they can go find another job–she’s the decision-maker, not them. Everyone who works for her relies on her for their career–so why does she need to apologize for being the boss? This is where I feel like Mindy’s ambition is mostly driven by the fact that she wants to be “as successful/famous as the perceived popular kids Hollywood”, and her vehicle into that main-stream crowd is how “different” she is–her ethnicity, her non-Hollywood-figure, and generally being “different” than what is out there in terms of Hollywood products. But is it really that different if she’s going to act like a ditz and say things like this about her goals? I want to take her seriously, and I’m sure she is not a dumb person by any stretch, but I wish for once she’d do interviews with a bit more “meat”, instead of interviews that are 80% her character and 20% a “lite” version of herself.
It annoys me to no end how she uses her gender and ethnicity to shield against criticisms as well as to brand herself while creating a totally white- male- love- in of a show. She is the creator of a show about OBs in NY, a medical practice with all white male docs with the exception of her …that is some high level fantasy world. I work in a hospital in a lesser US metropolis and i see so many Indian docs, male and female. Additionally, all her love interests are also white men. And I am not judging her for being attracted to white men, but coupled with the casting of just white men in a diverse city within a diverse profession gives one pause.
She clearly is doing very little to challenge the status quo even though she actually has a whole lotta of creative authority. Instead, she employs race and gender to sell her brand, for herself only- total turn off for me.
Well, there’s the nurse Tamara (sp?), but she’s a very stereotypical black woman who’s always singing and is very unprofessional. Plus, Mindy’s character has said a few things about black people that have pissed me off, so I just can’t support the show. One of my friends uses the word white-identified to describe people of color like Mindy. Even though she’s not white, she identifies with white people. Hence, the poor casting decisions, the tone deafness about race, etc.
I wondered about this too. It feels like lip service and it irks me. I was never onboard with her and don’t think I’ll make another effort.
She strikes me as someone who wants it all in the sense that she wants power (because otherwise she wouldn’t be able to be featured in the works that she is) but also wants the perception of the feminine shrinking violet who is just so quirky and gosh-darned lovable.
If you want to be the boss then act like the boss and don’t apologize for asking people to respect you.
I don’t think she’s had a nose job, but, looking at photos from 2007 vs now (slow work day!), it looks like she’s had a chin implant. So, chin implant + lip injections + recent botox = frozen face? It’s weird because her mouth is the only thing moving in that Today Show video!
She doesn’t come across as assertive, she’s always appeared needy and insecure to me. Smart and funny as heck but like Lena Dunham, wanting to be recognized for being attractive. Now that she’s messing with her face, I feel even more strongly about her insecurity.
This. Totally.
Do not think she is funny. Her show was beyond not funny. She is always swimming in Dunham territory.
Yeah I feel like she is always complaining about what’s holding her back and never acknowledging that she’s has actually found success.
Freaking love this show and love mindy. I want her to be my best friend… but watching that interview makes me really sad. I just keep looking at the disaster that is her lips. I hope this is a one-time thing, and that she doesn’t keep messing with her face. She is beautiful, and her lips were pretty already.
i get the feeling the quote about assertive gifts is a joke. I don’t think she would seriously do that, but she’s calling out guys that are intimidated by the assertiveness. Just my opinion.
+1 to everything you said! I just love Mindy. I thought she was so pretty and cute just the way she was.
I’m amazed how anytime a woman becomes successful or accomplished this site can’t wait to pick her apart then scream about the lack of feminism.
Geez wonder why.
Feminism doesn’t mean obedience to a vagina.
Not critizing someone simply because they do have a vagina is sexism.
Feminism is recognizing that women are absolutely able to make mistakes just as a man can and that they deserve to be treated equally.
Hope this clears up your confusion.
I agree with K Says. SAD.
I’m sad reading all these comments 🙁 YES her face is frozen, bad move Mindy but I STILL love her. She’s funny, she’s smart, maybe she annoys some people, but she’s unapologetically herself. TEAM MINDY ALL THE WAY. I have hulu, these interviews have motivated me to catch up on her show.
Hollywood “I’m sorry for being an asshole” gifts aren’t singular to women. My moron (male) ex boss the director used be a total dick to people far more powerful than him, then would have to send apology gifts to bootlick and stop them from wrecking his career.
It cost a fortune.
I love Mindy, and I miss her show 🙁