I love women who are bosses and who don't constantly worry about what their employees think of them. I love women who don't ask, "Is that OK?" after everything they say. I love when women are courageous in the face of unthinkable circumstances, like my mother when she was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer. Or like Gabrielle Giffords writing editorials for the New York Times about the cowardice of Congress regarding gun laws and using phrases like "mark my words" like she is Clint Eastwood. How many women say stuff like that?
Mindy KalingHere's my feeling: For everyone, men and women, it's important to be a feminist. It's important to have female characters. It's wonderful for women to mentor other women, but it's just as important for women to mentor men and vice-versa. In my line of work, having Greg Daniels be such a great mentor to me is fantastic. Finding a writer's assistant, be it a man or a woman, and encouraging them to think with a feminist perspective, is key.
Mindy KalingThere are little Indian girls out there who look up to me, and I never want to belittle the honor of being an inspiration to them. But while Iโm talking about why Iโm so different, white male show runners get to talk about their art. I always get asked, โWhere do you get your confidence?โ I think people are well meaning, but itโs pretty insulting. Because what it means to me is, โYou, Mindy Kaling, have all the trappings of a very marginalized person. Youโre not skinny, youโre not white, youโre a woman. Why on earth would you feel like youโre worth anything?โ
Mindy KalingWhen I was a kid, my parents smartly raised us to keep quiet, be respectful to older people, and generally not question adults all that much. I think that's because they were assuming that 99 percent of the time, we'd be interacting with worthy, smart adults... They didn't ever tell me 'Sometimes you will meet idiots who are technically adults and authority figures. You don't have to do what they say.
Mindy Kaling