Mindy Kaling Dresses To Challenge Hollywood Body Shaming Culture
A Mindy Kaling dress that she wore at the Costume Designers Guild Association award alongside designer Salvador Perez is turning heads. Not because it is risque or revealing, but because it was elegant and flattering. Kaling is one of the hottest acts in television comedy right now, but she is breaking down walls in the body shaming culture of Hollywood.
Perez is the designer for Kaling on The Mindy Project. The two work together on a daily basis and have gotten to know one another over time. Their mutual respect for each other has led Perez to design some stunning dresses for Kaling. At the “It’s Our Turn: Young Women’s Conference” in LA recently, she talked about why she is not afraid of who she is and how she looks.
“I get so worried about girls with body image stuff,” she said. “And I feel like I have been able to have a fun career and be an on-camera talent and be someone who has boyfriends and love interests and wears nice clothes and those kinds of things without having to be an emaciated stick.”
Her average figure has been a source for Kaling to talk about the difficulties faced by actresses in the industry. She often plays a character known for shopping and the way she dresses, as is the case on The Mindy Project. Being comfortable with who she is and using that to her advantage for comedy has produced excellent results in her career.
In one recent episode of The Mindy Project, she wants to get in shape before a trip where she will have to wear a bikini in front of her boyfriend. In a moment that is hilarious because it hit so close to home, she begins to list all of the defects about her body. Her personal trainer Danny then says something that probably came straight from the mind of Mindy Kaling herself, “You’re a woman and that’s good; look like a woman.”
Of course, conversation about Mindy Kaling fashion has not always been positive. After appearing on the cover of Elle, many criticized her and the magazine for trying to hide who she is. The magazine cover featured her in black and white and was clearly photoshopped. The comedian obviously has nothing to do with the editing process and the criticism for her is undeserved. Magazines are a separate issue altogether.
Will Mindy Kaling dresses become a normal sight on the red carpet? According to People magazine, fans should get used to it. “She was so impressed with how perfectly the first fitting went, she asked me to design her gown to wear to the Oscars,” Perez said. It would not be surprising to see the two show up for Hollywood’s biggest night in something that turns heads.
Do you think Mindy Kaling dresses in a way that challenges the body shaming culture in Hollywood?
