Why Kaling's call to 'normalize unmarried-women wearing rings' is powerful

Mindy Kaling, best know for playing Kelly Kapoor in NBC sitcom The Office, is not engaged! Last week, many Internet sleuths concluded that she was wearing a ring on her fourth finger. But now, the word is out from the horse's mouth (read Kaling herself), who said that she just likes to wear a ring, which sometimes happens to be on the ring finger.

A diamond ring activated all the Internet detectives

The engagement rumors started after the TV producer-actor was recently spotted leaving a restaurant in Santa Monica, California, wearing a big diamond ring on that finger. Internet detectives soon went on an overdrive, determining her engagement status. Addressing these speculations, the actress tweeted, "Normalize unmarried women wearing rings on their ring finger without a hubbub," making us fall in love with her again.

Kaling hates the 'hubbub' around her 'engagement' ring

Many Twitter users agreed with the ring conundrum

She also found support in the netizens. "I've been wearing a ring since I was like 13 and when I was in high school people in public would ask if I'm engaged (sic)," a tweet said. "Let's just normalize unmarried women!!!" another Twitter user suggested. "My wife wears her ring sometimes, doesn't wear it other times," a separate post pointed out.

Treat her tweet as a wake-up call to break stereotypes

This statement by an established name of the entertainment industry should be treated as a wake-up call to break stereotypes. Whether she wants to keep her engagement a secret is a different issue altogether, but the obvious connection people make whenever a woman or man is wearing a ring on the ring finger should stop right away. And Kaling's tweet says just that.

The reticent performer had kept her second pregnancy a secret

The 41-year-old is known to be secretive of her personal life. She's so particular of her privacy that she didn't let anyone know of her second pregnancy. It was only announced last October on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert after she had given birth. "I'm telling this for the first time. I gave birth to a boy on September 3," she had gushed.

The father's identity will remain a secret, for now

Kaling has chosen not to share the identity of the man, who fathered her children, till now. The actress told The New York Times in 2019 that she will first have a discussion with her daughter before revealing the name. "My feeling is that until I speak to my daughter about that, I'm not going to talk to anyone else about it," she said.

Sitting atop $35mn, Kaling is also known for her memoirs

Besides her Kelly Kapoor act, the performer is also known for The Mindy Project, which aired from 2012 to 2017. She has written two memoirs - Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) in 2011 and Why Not Me? in 2015. Both reached The New York Times Best Seller list. Her net worth is estimated to be around $35 million.