Now, you might ask yourself, Why do people hate these women so much?
Put simply, Lena and Mindy defy traditional depictions of women in the mainstream media. They are not the skinny, perfect Barbie dolls we are used to seeing on our television screens, and they certainly don't resemble sitcom stars like Jennifer Aniston on Friends or Zooey Deschanel on New Girl. They are curvy and slightly overweight, and they resemble real women. Moreover, they never apologize for their bodies or attempt to hide their sexuality. Instead, they are both very frank in the way they depict their characters' sex lives and in the way they honestly discuss their characters' struggles with their weight and body image.
In particular, that Girls is on HBO allows Dunham the luxury of including explicit sex scenes in her series. Instead of being the sexless fat girl or fat best friend, Girls lets Lena be the protagonist, and it intimately explores Lena's romantic relationships and one night stands. Moreover, Girls is notorious for its frequent nudity, as Lena refuses to hide her body or be embarrassed by it. Rather, she fearlessly exposes herself (often from unflattering angles or in unflattering clothing), thus confronting the audience on their fears of real women's bodies and challenging mainstream depictions of women in the media. However, Lena's body weight is never the butt of the joke like with more overweight comedy actresses like Melissa McCarthy or Roseanne Barr. Unlike Melissa and Roseanne, Lena never adheres to the stereotype of the crass, over-the-top, ridiculous caricature of the fat lady, and Lena is never stripped of her sexuality or femininity. She is not afraid to be girly, to have boyfriends, or to have a sex life while she still challenges the typical prototype of the female TV star.
While The Mindy Project is a network sitcom on FOX and therefore unable to push boundaries as much as Girls does, Mindy's series is still incredibly groundbreaking due to the way it depicts female sexuality. Mindy frequently and openly talks about her sex life, constantly dates (and sleeps with) new boyfriends, and is unapologetically boy-crazy. This is the first and only network sitcom where an overweight woman of color is allowed to have desire and be desired. However, Mindy refuses to let herself be defined solely by her love life; she also runs an incredibly successful OBGYN practice and attended Columbia Medical School. Thus, she is both strong and girly, feminine and feminist; she can have her cake and eat it, too.
People are not only outraged by Lena and Mindy's "disgusting" nudity. They are frequently up in arms over the fact that Lena and Mindy sleep with men who are "are out of their league." This abhorrent and sexist opinion is particularly unfair due to the fact that it's an outrageous double standard. For instance, no one complains when schlubby George sleeps with gorgeous women in Seinfeld or when unconfident and nerdy Louis C.K. has a one-night stand with a supermodel in Louie. Somehow, dating "up" only seems to be a problem when overweight women are doing it. For example, viewers freaked out when Lena Dunham slept with Patrick Wilson's character, a handsome, rich doctor on Girls, and they were equally upset when Mindy finally started dating Chris Messina's handsome and charming character on The Mindy Project. It doesn't matter to audiences that both of these relationships develop organically and believably and are completely justified in each narrative. If the women are slightly overweight, they are not allowed to ever seduce a handsome man.
What is most appalling is that scholars and critics often share the public's misogynist criticisms of these shows. In a recent interview, Dunham was forced to defend her character's "unpleasant" nudity as an honest depiction of female nakedness. Moreover, Mindy Kaling receives constant criticism due to the fact that Mindy's boyfriends are not only too handsome but also too white; thus, her detractors imply that, being Indian, Mindy should only be permitted to date minorities.
Furthermore, lots of people complain that both Lena and Mindy's characters are entitled, annoying, and unlikable. This is perhaps the most frustrating criticism of all. We see complex, flawed male antiheroes on TV all the time--just think of Larry David on Curb Your Enthusiasm, Jerry Seinfeld on Seinfeld, Louis C.K. on Louie, James Gandolfini on The Sopranos, Jon Hamm on Mad Men, or Bryan Cranston on Breaking Bad. These male characters, some of whom are even guilty of murder, are beloved and praised for their complexity, while Lena and Mindy are criticized for being selfish and unrelatable. Critics and viewers alike should be praising Lena and Mindy for their nuanced, well-written, multi-dimensional female characters, but this is not the case. Judd Apatow, one of the producers of Girls, had an interesting quote addressing this unfounded criticism in a recent interview:
"Well, I think there's a normal human compassion for people's struggle to get through the day, get through life, get their shit together. You root for them to figure it out, but they make a lot of mistakes along the way, just like, I think, anybody you know in life. These aren't weird mistakes. Cheating on your boyfriend, experimenting with drugs, trying to figure out what kind of sex you like or what job you like. It's not really that shocking. They're not selling meth [like on Breaking Bad] or anything."
Apatow's quote hits the nail on the head. The characters in Girls as well as The Mindy Project are some of the most relatable, honest, well-rounded female characters I have ever witnessed on TV, and they perfectly capture the struggles of being a young woman today in such a funny, honest, and insightful way. Their characters are not perfect, but in my mind, they are still incredibly sympathetic and human. Unfortunately, because they are not supermodels, and because they are often crass, fight with friends, get angry, or make mistakes like all women do, most of the American public has written them off.
Finally, Mindy and Lena are amazing and inspiring women simply due to their fantastic sense of humor. Unfortunately, women still have to prove that they can be funny, and it is so refreshing to see two hit comedy series that are written, directed by, and starring hilarious women who can make you laugh so hard your stomach hurts. For that reason alone, men and women alike need to open their minds and give these smart, funny, unique and visionary women a chance.
And now, for my unrelated Feminist Movie/TV Recommendation of the week: Masters of Sex!
Lizzy Caplan is absolutely incredible in Showtime's series about legendary sex researchers Masters and Johnson. The show beautifully depicts Johnson's struggles to gain respect in the workplace, date, and raise a family while dealing with the harmful sexist attitudes of the 1960s.
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