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Devika Kumra

Professor Granillo

English 101

11 October 2020

Cultural Women Making America Great Again

In 2020 alone we have all endured a variety of heavy emotions such as sadness, anxiety,

anxiousness, grief, heartbreak, and extreme amounts of stress. It’s safe to say we have dealt with

an increase of emotional turmoil this year due to a global pandemic, and people of color losing

their lives, for no apparent reason. These issues alone cost us our jobs, and more importantly,

aiding to support our families. Although many people in the world are struggling to adjust to the

“new normal”, studies have shown that women are having a harder time seeking employment.

This probably has something to do with us constantly having to adjust to society, and our roles as

women. This goes way back in history, with women having to prove their rights to men or more

importantly, the world. Hanif Abdurraqib portrays various roles, specifically toward the black

community in his book They Can’t Kill Us, Until They Kill Us. Although Abdurraqib’s views are

intersectional, they are lacking particularly in regard to women of color from various culture’s;

this can definitely be improved by focusing on the importance of coming together as well as

particularly women of color having a harder time working our way around how the media and

society look at us, and I know I can definitely relate as my parents immigrated from India.

Luckily, many powerful women such as Mindy Kaling, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and more have

helped us dominate and show our true roles in the world with no holding back.

Unfortunately, what comes from being a cultured woman in America is that many of us

have had the tendency to feel as if we are constantly being compared to men. Now, I certainly
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don’t mean to come off offensive in any way, just hear me out. We have faced plenty of

discrimination over the years, and are repetitively fighting for our rights, and independence in

this society. We have held protests, and petitions to aid in voicing our freedom. Thankfully, we

were introduced to Ruth Bader Ginsburg back in 1980 to understand our struggles, and fight for

not only her rights as a woman, but even for women of color. Ginsburg, accomplished so much

in her years in the Supreme Court but unfortunately, lost her battle to metastatic cancer this year.

Thanks to Ginsberg’s voice we have seen improvements in women’s rights and gender

equality. More importantly, she is one of the reasons women have the right to sign a mortgage

without a man. Also, the right to have a bank account without a male co-signer, and the right to

have a job without being discriminated against based on your gender. The highlight of it all is

that she created the right for women to be pregnant, have kids, and go to work thus leading to us

seeking employment and being the greatest boss woman. Many people aren’t familiar with how

much she has done, and honestly upon the news of her death, I learned so much about her and

her impact on not just America, but my role as a woman in America consistently struggling with

meeting society’s image of me.

Another woman that I not only look up too, but also relate too is Mindy Kaling. She just

released a new Netflix show called “Never Have I Ever”, it is about a first-generation Indian

woman growing up in America. She is very well known for her role in The Office, as “Kelly

Kapoor”. Kaling is a Tamilian Indian who was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts back in 1979

and is the daughter of Indian immigrants. She is a well- known American actress, author,

comedian, director, and served her role as an executive producer in “The Office” for some time.

She portrays herself as a “feminine feminist” and voices her power throughout her acting

especially when she directs some of her shows. Since the day her name became known
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throughout social media, as well as various T.V shows, and talk shows, many people stated that

her physical image is not something they would expect after seeing her character in T.V shows.

Throughout many of her acting roles, she plays a very confident person, that is not only

adjusting to the American lifestyle being an Indian woman, but also by striving, and conquering

toward neutralizing gender roles. She has a beautiful way of explaining the reality of how certain

male vs. female rolls should actually be portrayed throughout the world. In my opinion, her

confidence shines not just through her acting, but the person that she truly is.

One of Kaling’s popular books, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me, Kaling states “I

always get asked, ‘Where do you get your confidence?’ I think people are well meaning but it’s

pretty insulting. 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?”. How can this be fair to cultured women in

America, who are not only adjusting to a different lifestyle, but trying their hardest to maintain

their roots that portray the person they truly are. It is important to remember who we are,

especially during tough times where race and sexism come into play. For example, if a specified

situation is being portrayed in a certain way, it doesn’t mean we have to lower our values and

shift our opinions in order to “fit” the criteria.

You may wonder how difficult it is to be a brown woman in America, mainly because as

of now most of America is focusing not only focusing on African American’s but black women

too. I do feel for them and am thankful for those that are continuing to overpower the rules that

are in place, but the struggle does not only exist for black woman; many women of color have to

deal with a similar struggle in society, like moving out of their hometown, and creating a new

life for not only themselves, but their unexpected spouses that they were arranged with. For
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example, the majority of Indian women growing up, are taught that their future spouses will

handle the income, and maintain a roof over their family’s head, and all the women has to do is

housework, feed the husband and their kids. It may sound simple, but it is so much more than

that. I’m aware that these sexist roles occur in many different cultures, but often times I feel as

though it is neglected because so many other cultures are overlooked throughout America.

Moreover, we have to obey everything our spouses plan for us. When majority of the

time, we are the reason they wake up every morning and go to work to make a living for their

families. Obviously, I can’t relate to these marriage roles just as yet, but I know I won’t make do

with this adjustment either in my future. Growing up in America, my parents have always taught

me about equality. They never pushed on the fact of specified gender roles, because the

relationship with the man and women should be equal. Obviously, there are some encounters

where one partner might have a bigger role than the other but, majority of the time, there should

be a neutral agreement throughout the relationship.

In my opinion, when anyone throughout America thinks of an “Indian” they assume our

gender roles for us, because that is the way India has shaped this particular image throughout

their music, films, and T.V shows. Even when my friends would come over for dinner in high

school, these specified rolls would just be assumed because my mom would always be cooking

after work, while my dad would be relaxing, or finishing his work on the computer. In all

honestly, I am so grateful that there are many more Indian American people that are portraying

their voice and neutralizing gender roles. Even some brown women who are married, and are

used to running after their spouses, are surprised with how the male/female roles are slowly

changing not just within cultured families, but overall in America.

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Although, we are fortunate to have powerful women such as Ruth Ginsberg, and Mindy

Kaling who stand up for equality, and defining our true rolls as woman, there are many other

people who have helped shaped some of the gender roles that are continuing to change even till

this day. Some others that you may have heard of that have shaped the cultured women rolls and

have an impact in the world such as Mindy Kaling and Ruth Ginsberg are Cardi B, Kobe Bryant,

Kamala Harris, Rosa Parks, Lily Singh, and so much more. I could go on!

You might be wondering where in the world Kobe Bryant came from. Well believe it or

not, he was not just a well-known NBA basketball player. He was the father of 4 girls, and

unfortunately passed away earlier this year in January, from a fatal helicopter crash, with his

daughter, and other passengers who were on their way to his daughter’s basketball game along

with some of her teammates. He was a “girl-dad”, and it showed in many of the selfless things he

did not just for his family, but the WNBA as well. The Women’s National Basketball

Association was very grateful for him. He always had their back and helped train some of them

as well. His vision was to make people who watch and love basketball, see the WNBA just as

amazing, if not even better than the NBA. He really advocated for women, especially cultured

and colored women’s rights. He continues to leave his legacy throughout the world despite his

tragic passing, and we all don’t just look at him as a girl-dad but someone that showed so much

love in everything he put his mind too.

Moreover, being a cultured woman in America has taught me a lot. Although I'm

thankful for having the opportunity to live here and create a bigger opportunity for myself as far

as my future career goes, there are still day to day challenges that occur. Possibly getting an oil

change, going out past 10PM, hanging out with guy friends to watch the game, and even simple
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things like lifting at the gym. The guys are always staring, because it is not common for a girl to

be doing vigorous activities in the gym.

Although I have adjusted to understanding why we may be portrayed a certain way, I will

never let the ideas get to the best of me. I’m thankful to have many powerful women and men to

look up too that support our rights as a woman. As well as, helping to create gender-neutral roles,

and making it known that we are just as powerful as men, even if they are our significant other. I

continue to be inspired by Mindy, and all that she continues to do for her culture, as well as

every single woman in the world.

In conclusion, I can’t be extremely certain that gender-neutral roles will truly make a

breakthrough this year, or the year after. However, we are slowly but surely striving into the

right direction. Feminism is such a common characteristic in many women, and some people, or

some men I know, feel a bit intimidated by it. There are many guys I know that actually ponder

the fact that women are actually standing up for themselves and aren’t afraid of the racist or

sexist comments that they will probably receive. We may have a long road to go, but thanks to

people like Mindy Kaling, Ruth Ginsberg and many others who are fighting for our rights to

receive equal compensation, and more, we will continue to shape and educate the younger

generation of cultural women, as well as making our mothers proud of how life should be. It is

important that we all stand up for one another, especially when times are rough.
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Works Cited

Abdurraqib, Hanif. They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us. Turnaround, 2018.

Bauer, Patricia. “Mindy Kaling.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 20

June 2020, www.britannica.com/biography/Mindy-Kaling.

KeoHane, Amanda. “Why Mindy Kaling Is NYMM's Feminist of the Week.” New York Minute

Magazine, 18 Apr. 2019, www.newyorkminutemag.com/mindy-kaling-is-our-feminist-of-

the-week/.

Lunsford, Andra A., and John J. Ruszkiewicz. Everything's an Argument. 8th ed., Bedford/St

Martin's, 2020.

Nelson, Rebecca. “Mindy Kaling Didn't Sign Up to Be a Role Model.” ELLE, ELLE, 24 Oct.

2019, www.elle.com/culture/a29340748/mindy-kaling-interview-2019/.

Nguyen , Thuc Ni. “WNBA Lost a Huge Supporter in Kobe Bryant. Who Will Step up?” Los

Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2020,

www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/story/2020-02-27/wnba-lost-huge-supporter-in-kobe-

bryant-who-has-next.

Thapa, Shaurya, and Shaurya Thapa (151 Articles Published) Based in Delhi. “Never Have I

Ever: 5 Things That Are Actually Based On Mindy Kaling's Life (& 5 That Are Not).”

ScreenRant, 10 May 2020, screenrant.com/netflix-never-have-ever-things-based-mindy-

kaling-life/.
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Totenberg, Nina. “Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Champion Of Gender Equality, Dies At 87.”

NPR, NPR, 18 Sept. 2020, www.npr.org/2020/09/18/100306972/justice-ruth-bader-

ginsburg-champion-of-gender-equality-dies-at-87.