This week, Elle Magazine sparked a heated debate when they released four distinct covers in honor of their annual ‘Women in Television Issue,’ each featuring an individual actress. Magnificently displayed on the covers of magazines everywhere were Amy Poehler, Mindy Kaling, Allison Williams, and Zooey Deschanel. In alluring photos that showcased their beauty, one stood out from the others!
Although the monochromatic shot of Kaling was beautiful, it only captured her face and neck while the other three had full-body shots. This provoked a flurry of criticism from the media as she is considered curvaceous in Hollywood at size 8. Unsurprisingly this isn’t Elle’s first time being called out for their photography choice with an actress when different actresses appear on alternative covers; they’ve been criticized multiple times within just one year!
In a recent article, The Gloss highlighted, “The fact that Kaling is a woman of color and a woman whose size defies the conventions for actresses are two traits that should never be stripped from her when slender, white women are allowed to keep their whiteness and bodies.”
In the autumn, a magazine received considerable criticism for featuring Melissa McCarthy on its cover in an oversized coat which was seen as an effort to hide her plus-size figure. Similarly, Kaling has opted to take charge and chuckle at this negative attention. Take a look at her Tweet:
Kudos to you, Mindy, for taking the moral high ground with your astute reply. It’s plausible that this decision was made because they didn’t want her body on display; however, unfortunately, this is how society operates currently. Although it is meant to emphasize the issues with fashion magazine airbrushing and their limited representation of women’s bodies, it can still be enjoyable to simply appreciate a cover for its aesthetic beauty.
Even more resourcefully, Kaling was able to cleverly utilize the situation for her sitcom’s promotion – “The Mindy Project.” Talk about using your brains!
