lifestyle

Finally. Two famous women who are proud to call themselves feminists.

Lena Dunham (left) and Mindy Kaling.

 

 

 

What happens when one of the most intelligent and brilliant funnywomen in television interviews another one of the most intelligent and brilliant funnywomen in television?

Epic amazing magic happens, that’s what.

Lena Dunham, creator and star of hit TV show Girls, recently interviewed Mindy Kaling, creator and star of hit TV show The Mindy Project.

Two women, both of whom are running their own comedy shows in a male-dominated industry, both of whom are under 35, both of whom have become stars based on their humour and not their looks and both of whom proudly call themsleves feminists BOTH JUST TALKING ABOUT AWESOME STUFF?

Yes thanks.

And just in case you hadn’t wet your pants already, the interview was commissioned by fellow young, intelligent,

Lena Dunham on the cover of Rolling Stone.

brilliant and creative feminist Tavi Gevinson for her website Rookie and printed book ROOKIE: Yearbook Two.

Here’s are the six best quotes from the interview.

Share it with any young woman who could use a role model other than… Well, you know.

1. MINDY: Journalists don’t like to be told that their questions are sexist. Every so often I read insane things like, “Who is the next Lucille Ball?” and they list all these red-haired actresses. As though the essence of Lucille Ball’s talent was derived from the color of her hair.

2. LENA: I often feel guilty pointing out behavior in other women that I don’t support. Like somehow, the moment I was pulled from my mother’s severed stomach, a pen was placed in my tiny balled fist and I signed a binding document that says “I got all your backs, ladies.” And the thing is, I do support women, but part of that is being clear about what behaviors aren’t helping the bigger cause [of feminism].

ADVERTISEMENT
Mindy Kaling on the cover of The New Yorker.

3. MINDY: More than half the questions I am asked are about the politics of the way I look. What it feels like to be not skinny/dark-skinned/a minority/not conventionally pretty/female/etc. It’s not very interesting to me, but I know it’s interesting to people reading an interview. Sometimes I get jealous of white male showrunners when 90 percent of their questions are about characters, story structure, creative inspiration, or, hell, even the business of getting a show on the air. Because as a result the interview of me reads like I’m interested only in talking about my outward appearance and the politics of being a minority and how I fit into Hollywood, blah blah blah. I want to shout, “Those were the only questions they asked!”

4. LENA: I love seeing women stand up for things they believe in, teach their daughters how to do the same, prepare meals out of whatever they have in their fridges, wear helmets when they ride their bikes, call BS when they see it, and accept that feminism comes in a lotta different forms.

5. MINDY: 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.

6. MINDY: I love women who love sex and realize that sexual experience doesn’t have to be the source of their art. I love women who love sex and can write about it in thoughtful, creative ways that don’t exploit them, as many other people will use sex to exploit them. I love women who know how to wear menswear.

To read the interview in full, head to Rolling Stone right here.

Like Mamamia Rogue on Facebook for all the good stuff:

Now over to you – who are your role models? And who do you hope your kids’ role models will be?