Mindy Kaling Bashes 'Confidence' Question

There is no doubt that Mindy Kaling is a trailblaze. The actress at the head of The Mindy Project is one of very few Indian faces on network television (and virtually the only one whose ethnicity isn't played for laughs). Now Kaling is refusing to answer the typical questions lobbed at actresses viewed to be different from Hollywood norms.

"I always get asked, 'Where do you get your confidence?' I think people are well meaning, but it's pretty insulting," the actress told Parade.

"Because what it means to me is, 'You, Mindy Kaling, have all the trappings of a very marginalized person. You're not skinny, you're not white, you're a woman. Why on earth would you feel like you're worth anything?'"

The actress also seems ready to finally be able to talk about all the hard work and thought that went into her show, as opposed to her own status as "abnormal" within the confines of television.

"There 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," Kaling said. "But while I'm talking about why I'm so different, white male show runners get to talk about their art." 

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the problem will disappear for Kaling any time soon. The top two suggestions Google gives once you type her name have nothing to do with her show. One is her Twitter (which is understandable, she's a comedian), the other is her weight. And that's just plain sad.