Nocturnal

One thing I love about Mindy Kaling is the way she can take a secret sentiment and express it in a way that's plain and unapologetic, all while also being fun about it so you don't get too weirded out. A good example is the blurb she wrote about one of the items on her holiday shopping suggestions list:

I am really bad at skating, she writes, and I have countless scrapes and bad memories from doing it. However, nothing says you think of your girl like a sexy pre-teen ingenue than a pair of dope skates. Price: $70 at fredflare.com

"...a sexy, pre-teen ingenue". She's essentially saying that women (yes, I mean "women") want to be 12-year-olds. I'm pretty sure that Feminism rails against this with all its power, and yet...I can attest to the truth of the sentiment. I sometimes feel that way! I want to be all lanky and and quirky and carefree and shit. Like Kate Moss when she was 14, not like me when I was 14 (oh Jesus no thank you) - that idealized, fetishized Lolita.

And P.S.: None of that is to mention the scientific ramifications of wanting to be 12. That's the secret behind starving ourselves, wearing lipstick/ mascara/ eyeliner/ eyeshadow, wanting long legs and small hips. We sort of want to be young. Younger than that. No, younger than that, too. I won't bore you with the details, but if you don't know them already, you should look them up. You will never look at yourself or (if you're not one) women the same way again. In a kind of strange, yeah-you-think-too-much way.

Another thing to love about Mindy is how completely accidentally thought-provoking she can be. I wish I could get my hands on a tape of Matt & Ben.