The Top Ten Reasons (For Parents, People, Pets, The Population) To LURVE Mindy Kaling

So obviously all good people in the world love Mindy Kaling. She is a perfect role model for kids, teenagers, women, men, babies, humans, aliens, just anyone/thing really. So what would I tell my kids about all the reasons everyone should love her?

10. She's South Asian

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Mindy, rightly, refuses to limit herself to being the funniest Asian comedienne because she’s funnier than funny people of all races. But I want my children to have positive Asian influences and Mindy’s absolutely at the top of that list. She’s normalizing South Asian success in the entertainment industry and because of her, my kids won’t think twice about seeing an Asian play the lead in a top-rated show.

9. She Says What The Rest Of Us Are Thinking...

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She’s not afraid to admit that some things don’t change, even if you’re a celeb (a bad playlist at a party mayhaps or pestering a crush until they die). It makes her even more relatable and real. My kids will be bombarded with messages from the entertainment industry and Mindy’s willingness to share both her ‘work’ and ‘progress’ is a great message for young people to receive.

8. She's Happy And Positive And Optimistic

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She’s not one of those whiney celebs that complains about how awful fame is while they rake in millions. She projects an image of someone who’s so grateful for her success and her fans. I want kids to know this because if you work hard and achieve your dream, you should be grateful for that, even if it comes with some warts. Very little in life is perfect, but that doesn’t mean we still can’t be grateful for and happy about it.

7. She's Into Her Family

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In her book, she talks fondly and lovingly about her family. Her show draws upon her family and it’s clearly a strong and consistent influence in her life. Obviously, this something I want to impress upon my kids because I want them to be into their family too.

6. She's Humble

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Every time she makes a public appearance or is on a show, she is just so darn cute when she’s complimented for being smart or funny or talented. It’s so endearing and just seems to speak volumes about her personality and her approach to her work. If anyone should be an egomaniacal ahole, it should be her but she’s so gracious whenever she’s complimented.

5. The Mindy Project - It's Just Too Much

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WHY is it so funny and witty and quick and sharp? How does she write, produce, and star in it? Why is the cast so great and why and how do they all work so well together? Granted, I’ll wait until my kids are older to let them watch it, but still, every episode is like Christmas come early!

4. Her Dress Sense

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Forget the fact that she ‘embraces her body’ (her body is fine, get over it) I LOVE her dress sense and will tell my kids about it because she’s ridiculously styling without being gross. She can be fun, flirty, sexy, chic, suited, booted, whatever and she’s never slutty. Again, that’s great role model material for growing children and grownups! For boys, it shows them that women can be beautiful without being naked all the time and for girls it shows that a) polka dots are appropriate at any age and b) you can be sexy and have fabric on. What a novel idea!

3. She Refuses To Put Limits On Herself As A Woman (Or A Minority)

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Mindy is constantly asked questions about her success as a female and she calls people out about why they would ask her a certain question but not her male peers.

“I always get asked, ‘Where do you get your confidence?’ I think people are well meaning, but it’s pretty insulting. Because what it means to me is, ‘You, Mindy Kaling, have all the trappings of a very marginalized person. You’re not skinny, you’re not white, you’re a woman. Why on earth would you feel like you’re worth anything?’”

Or like at SXSW when she stood up to the idiots trying to pin all the world’s problems on her. I’m sure Mindy is a little tired of hearing her speech repeated but it bears mentioning.

“I have four series regulars that are women on my show, and no one asks any of the shows I adore — and I won't name them because they're my friends — why no leads on their shows are women of color, and I'm the one that gets lobbied about these things.”

B.O.S.S.

2. She Doesn't Put Others Down To Be Hilarious

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Obviously her sense of humor is unrivaled but what makes her so funny is that she’s not nasty to others to be funny. Some comedians, while funny, really make you want to not be alive because their humor is hurtful and/or degrading. Mindy, on the other hand, uses the perfect combination of wit, oddball antics, and self-deprecation to keep her audience chuckling constantly. This really speaks to her talent as a writer, actress, and human.

1. She's Smart

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And I don’t just mean because she picked a dream, stuck with it, and made it work. She’s smart-smart. She did well in school, went to Dartmouth (hello genius), and worked her bum off. Her dedication earned her an internship with Conan. She was only 24 when she joined the writing staff of The Office and quickly proved both her on and off screen talents. I’ll tell my kids that Mindy Kaling is clever because she was born gifted but what makes her so smart is that she always worked hard regardless of her talents. That’s a lesson we can all learn.

Oh, the list is over. I'd like to write it again with 10 new things. Maybe I'll just reinvent it every week and read it to my children. Surely that's a form a parenting too? The Mindy Kaling approach to parenting.

The original article can be found at http://whatdoitellmykids.com/2015/01/10/about-the-top-ten-reasons-to-love-mindy-kaling/