Because celebrities are inundated daily with unsolicited advice and commentary, it’s no surprise they pick their battles — who has time to respond to all the trolls? But on Monday, Mindy Kaling took to Twitter to fire back at a fashion blogger… and I’m so glad she did.
The offending tweet came from the official Twitter account for the 2007-2012 series Gossip Girl, linking out to a fashion review of a look Kaling recently wore. After reading the review, presumably, Kaling decided she couldn’t not respond to this particular sling of snark.
Her response was short, but to the point: “@gossipgirl whoa, u guys are dicks.”
https://twitter.com/mindykaling/status/608058573386579968
Yep, that essentially captures my sentiments, too. But I have a few more thoughts to add to the prattle.
For starters, Gossip Girl was being a dick. Not only were they being a dick to Kaling, but they were also being a dick to anyone who deigns to find Kaling funny. In fact, I can’t imagine many people who wouldn’t be offended by the pretentious tone of their post — except, you know, other dicks.
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“Mindy Kaling is one of those ‘woman of the people’ types who basics find soooooo hilars,” they start their sartorial diatribe. “However. I feel compelled to weigh in on this ‘outfit,’ as she’s presumably calling it.”
Seriously, though?
While I didn’t think I could be more disappointed than I was in the fashion blogger who wrote this, I was mistaken. My disappointment was exponentially heightened upon learning this post/site/Twitter account is officially affiliated with the former show.
You see, I was a huge fan of the show — a loyal watcher. Even now, I find myself curling up in bed after particularly long days, cuing up Netflix and letting my stress wane with the overly indulgent world and witty one-liners of everyone’s favorite fictional Upper East Siders.
Some defenders of the post claim everyone needs to lighten up since this site is simply written from the perspective of “Gossip Girl.” I take issue with that for several reasons.
As any loyal watcher of the show knows, “Gossip Girl” was a mantle passed from character to character. She was the unseen, and often cruel, narrator of their lives. In no way was Gossip Girl the protagonist of their story.
I always considered “her” to be a coward. She hid behind her anonymity and cast a pall of judgment over everyone. So why perpetuate such a hateful persona? Couldn’t Gossip Girl 4.0 be a more benevolent — or at the very least, less cruel — arbiter of style?
And speaking of style, this fictional fashion dictator isn’t an authority I give much credence.
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When I was in the fourth grade, I was in a spelling bee. (It was kind of a big deal.) I found a picture of that day recently, in which I was wearing a crocheted cat vest my grandma bought me. Yes, you read that right. While I cringe a little looking at the ensemble now, upon closer inspection I realize I rocked the shit out of that cat vest.
Because I was confident.
Because wearing something my grandmother bought me made me feel like a winner, even if I did go on to misspell the word “general.”
More importantly, style is subjective. It is fluid. It is both transient and eternal. There is no one authority who deems what is or is not worthy in fashion. The very same look Kaling was crucified for by Gossip Girl may have been well-received if style darling Alexa Chung had been the one wearing it.
The bottom line is that Gossip Girl’s response is rude, regressive and annoying, regardless of what outfit Kaling was wearing. See also: Many people found that very outfit to be charming and adorable.
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But since I suspect rationale from a “basic” such as myself will fall on deaf ears to the elitist crowd over at Gossip Girl, I defer to the wise words of legendary late designer Yves Saint Laurent, who said, “Over the years, I have learned that what is important in a dress is the woman who is wearing it.”
Oh, and style icon Audrey Hepburn, who astutely noted, “You can tell more about a person by what he says about others than you can by what others say about him.”
Based on Gossip Girl’s personal attack on Kaling, I think we’ve learned all we need to know.
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