I know we're way behind in the UK in terms of The Mindy Project airing but after watching episode 12 (Danny Castellano is my Personal Trainer) on E4 on Tuesday, I felt utterly compelled to blog about it.
The premise of the episode is this: Mindy's current love interest Cliff wants to take the two of them away on a ski break, complete with a bikini-wearing hot tub facility. In a moment of panic, Mindy commits herself to getting a body so hot, Cliff would still fancy her even with a terrible personality. If it's not already clear, Mindy Lahiri (the lead character and not the actress playing and penning her) can say a few salacious things. In a cute, intentional and completely expected way, Danny swiftly becomes Mindy's trainer (the title gives it away, no?) Cue amusing montages of celebrity-based motivational tactics which Mindy Kaling herself has spoken about in a hilarious interview on Conan. But the scene that I think is most pivotal comes near the close of the episode (after a perfectly acceptable amount of on-screen time has been dedicated to Chris Messina's torso. I am not complaining, the guy is gorgeous.) As her personal trainer (and, from the spoilers I've seen, future love interest), Danny offers his opinion on Mindy's body after accidentally seeing her naked. Twice.
Now I am sure I am in the majority when I say I've felt incredibly self conscious about my body image at times. Am I slim enough, am I toned enough; is my hair too curly, or too frizzy; why is my stomach not flat; why do my thighs always touch; the list really is endless. It's sad but true and I think a lot of women can relate. I found an extract of the scene in question on
Tumblr which I reblogged onto my own page, and have copied it here to really break it down.
I'm sure there are probably feminists out there who don't think it should take a (let's be honest,
ridiculously attractive) man to tell us women we're fine how we are. You are welcome to hold that opinion; I'm not here to tell you what to think. But we're not, by and large, great creatures of self empowerment, and I mean that as humans, not just women. We like the encouragement of others, we seek the approval of people we work and interact with. It's not unusual to have preconceptions of what other people find attractive and to strive towards these assumptions with obsessive commitment. To me, this scene is not just a guy telling a girl she looks hot to get her to stop worrying about her image; it's about a man telling a woman to be assertive in herself.
You have no reason to be self conscious - how can this scene be anything other than empowering? We need more body positivity in the world and if it takes American comedies to voice it on screen in order for it to resonate off screen, then so be it.
I mean, there's a fine line to be drawn here. The "look like a woman" comment is great in so many ways but I think there does have to be a distinction made too. I'm an English student, so I'm basically hardwired to look into lines a little too much, but I would put money on the fact that this line was meant to be taken positively. To me, the line embodies the idea that we should embrace our bodies which is, as ever, easier said than done. There is however, perhaps unintentionally, a suggestion that "real women" are more curvy, or should embrace the "womanly shape" but many women, many of my friends in fact, are naturally slim and they are just as real and just as easily feel self conscious as anyone else. So the real take home message I think is that we need to start liking ourselves a little bit more, whatever we look like, as long as it's healthy.
As a side note, it does jar me
slightly that there is the underlying suggestion that this is all for a man's benefit (Cliff, the weirdly hot lawyer) but again, can we really criticise someone wanting to look good for other people? I think it is as much for Mindy (the character) as it is for Cliff it seems, and it's not exactly unheard of for a positive comment from a boyfriend or partner to work wonders for self esteem. So yeah, I'm going to go out on a limb and say it is an empowering piece of television because someone has finally said something all women need to hear. Mindy Lahiri starts the scene in question storming (as well as one can on crutches) into Danny's office, berating him that just because he's an exercise enthusiast with, and I quote the show, zero percent body fat, he has no right to tell her what's wrong with her body. As it turns out, Danny doesn't think there is anything wrong with her body, and rightly so. And let this really sink in, anyone who is still reading what has rapidly turned into an essay: absolutely no one but yourself has any right to tell you what they think is wrong with your body. It is your body and your opinion on it is the only one that matters.
Jade x
