Progressive or Regressive?

The Mindy Project, created by Mindy Kaling, is a television series centered around the life of Mindy Lahiri, an obstetrician/gynecologist living in New York city. Mindy's strange colleagues, boyfriends, and family help her to fill the show with comedic opportunities. This show and its protagonist typify an ongoing upward trend in American media: women protagonists on television. Other examples of this trend include Ugly Betty, Thirty Rock, Parks and Recreation, and New Girl.  Each of these shows discusses different subject matters, but they are alike in their general exploration of feminist issues. This burgeoning gender equality on television at times advances, and at times impedes, notions of gender equality. Although The Mindy Project presents an ostensibly feminist portrayal of modern American women, comedic reliance on gender stereotypes undermines the progressiveness of the work.

The Mindy Project displays many feminist elements. By virtue of having a minority female character as the protagonist, the television series places itself among sparse company. Beyond meeting the basic qualifications for gender equality, however, the complex character of Mindy Lahiri actively defies the traditional confines of women. Dr. Lahiri is neither domestic, nor submissive, nor pious, nor pure; she rarely appears in her apartment, she expresses her often contrarian opinion openly, she demonstrates no religious affiliation, she abides by no explicit standard of morality, and she shamelessly acknowledges her own sexuality: "I figure, if I'm gonna be a mess I might as well be a hot mess." This utter rejection of the "separate spheres" ideology affords Mindy an enlightened agency. In her most recent relationship, for instance, Mindy decided to pursue a fellowship in California despite her boyfriend's objections. This portrayal of an independent and powerful woman, working in a field traditionally available to only white men, can certainly be called progressive.

Despite these virtues, The Mindy Project employs several trite stereotypes. Two of the most notable character stereotypes are Beverly and Danny. Beverly embodies the "old maid" stereotype. Played by Beth Grant, the character serves as a receptionist at Mindy's practice. The character is clearly elderly, and speaks in a tone that betrays tiredness. She has lost sex appeal and fertility, and seems to be rendered worthless. She primarily chimes in with odd and off-putting comments about her disorderly life. In the most recent episode she demonstrates her irrelevance: "Do you even know what my job is? I mean, I definitely know it, I just want to hear someone else say it." This unawareness of what her job entails suggests that she does nothing at the office and is likely demented to some extent. This correlation between old women and worthlessness harmfully implies that as women lose their ability to please men sexually, they also lose their ability to live meaningful lives. 

Danny is a more prominent stereotype character. He works out, does his job well, sleeps with numerous women, speaks with a New York dialect, and generally aligns with the "tough guy" cliché. He often constructs gender in order to emphasize the frivolous nature of femininity: "Danny: That's not a good date outfit. Mindy: What are you talking about? It's glamorous and it's awesome. Danny: Girls may like that stuff, but guys don't." By commenting on his observation that women embrace intricate or unusual clothing whereas men are looking only for sex appeal, Danny limits women to the role of sex objects and restricts "real" men from any interest in fashion. Another component of the stereotype is Danny's extreme concern for his health, "His favorite junk food is raisins," juxtaposed with his laziness regarding "girly" activities: "It's really annoying to me because I gotta put on pants, a shirt, and shoes." These contradictory character traits illuminate the underlying implication that certain activities are masculine while others are feminine, and Danny is only interested in those that bolster his manliness. This portrayal pigeonholes men, and women, as creatures who must engage in only gender-acceptable activities. Both Danny and Beverly take advantage of our assumptions about men and women for the sake of humor, but ultimately reinforce stereotypes.

This phenomenon of strong female characters surrounded by and engaging in less than feminist subject matter is rampant among modern television shows. Perhaps the writers attempt to balance the new protagonists with recognizable comedy to avoid shocking their audiences, or maybe this represents the continued sexism of the media as a whole delivered through the arbitrary vehicle of female leads. In either case, the increased gender balance on hit TV shows has opened the door for the next generation of comedians to take the reigns and truly revolutionize what makes us laugh.