31 TV Characters Trumps America Needs Right Now

PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 06: Actress Mindy Kaling and interviewer Lesley Jane Seymour speak onstage during the Pennsylvania Conference for Women 2016 at Pennsylvania Convention Center on October 6, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Marla Aufmuth/Getty Images for Pennsylvania Conference for Women)

15. Mindy Lahiri- The Mindy Project

The Mindy Project, created and starring Mindy Kaling, is in its fifth season and has jumped from Fox to Hulu. The series follows ob/gyn Mindy Lahiri, juggling personal and professional life in the big Apple.

Mindy Kaling has an incredible story herself- an Indian-American woman who is now considered one of the most prominent comedians on television. She’s grateful for the experience, telling The Guardian, “It’s very nice to have a show at a time when a woman who is not traditionally beautiful having her own comedy show and being openly pro-choice is commonplace. Right now, all my favourite shows star women who, if not producing it, created it themselves. I’m glad I’m coming up at this same time.”

The Mindy project is bringing an Indian-American woman who’s not the traditional size zero to the big screens, and the show has only gotten larger, reaching more and more people. We need more Mindy Kaling’s in this world. She’s confident, intelligent, and bringing diversity to television.

“Insults about the way I look can’t be the thing that harms me and my heart the most. It has to harm me the least. If I have a daughter, I’m going to tell her that. Far too many women are much more hurt by being called fat or ugly than they are by being called not smart, or not a leader. If someone told me that I was stupid or that I wasn’t a leader, or that I wasn’t witty or quick or perceptive, I’d be devastated. If someone told me that I had a gross body, I’d say, ‘Well, it’s bringing me a lot of happiness.’ Like, I’m having a fine time of it. Having my priorities aligned like that has helped me have a happier life, I think.”