Mindy Kaling perfectly defies Hollywood’s standard of beauty, and she does so with a sense of finesse and nonchalance that people simply gravitate toward her. The former star of The Office, Mindy now stars in her own show, The Mindy Project, and she uses her show as a “buck-the-industry” platform.

Kaling’s recent cover of Elle magazine came under scrutiny because she was portrayed in black and white–some felt that was because she was a woman of color–and because her shot was cropped. Many believed that happened because she isn’t the typical rail thin model type that graces magazine covers. Elle denies both of these accusations and Kaling is simply so comfortable in her own skin that she doesn’t seem to care.

Recent episodes on The Mindy Project have supported “normal sized” women recently. Her episode called Danny is My Personal Trainer featured Mindy Kaling getting in shape before a getaway with her boyfriend. It was to be the first time he would see her in a bikini. After working out and creating a laundry list of her perceived flaws, her boyfriend set her straight.

“You’re a woman and that’s good; look like a woman,” he told her.

Mindy recent shared the creation of her beautiful gown for an awards show with her fans via Twitter. She is a beautiful woman.

Fashion garments! http://t.co/xEoQGq8ejW

— Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling) February 23, 2014

Mindy Kaling–like actress Lena Dunham–is showing Hollywood that women can be sexy, beautiful, and also rise to the top of their game while being a few pounds over what Hollywood perceives as being stereotypically perfect. Unlike Dunham, Kaling’s way of conveying her message isn’t quite as “in your face” as Dunham’s but her message comes across loud and clear just the same.

Kudos to actresses like Mindy Kaling and Lena Dunham for instilling in women everywhere that not only is beauty more than skin deep, but that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. One needn’t weight 85 pounds and starve themselves to death in order to be truly beautiful.

Image via Wikimedia Commons