The Netflix teen drama-comedy series, Never Have I Ever, recently concluded with its fourth season. Created and written by Mindy Kaling, Never Have I Ever focuses on the story of Indian teen Devi as she navigates high school relationships while grappling with the loss of her father.
With its diverse casting and character stories, Never Have I Ever appreciates beauty in various ways. Devi herself struggles with insecurity about her own beauty and status as a high schooler. She finds out that the acronym people call her and her friends, UN, stands for “Unf***able Nerds.” She compares herself to the new Indian girl at school, who is “cooler” than her. One of Devi’s own arcs as a character is learning to love and accept herself before subsuming herself in romantic relationships.
In television media saturated with white main characters, Devi shines on the screen and learns to accept her own beauty. And she never gives up her “nerdiness” throughout the series.
Devi’s academic drive and academic rivalry with the character Ben is one of the plotlines that is carried through the four seasons. Her main goal: get into Princeton. Historically, many “nerd” characters in media have undergone transformations–most commonly physical. However, Devi’s nerdiness never is a negative trait–it’s something celebrated.
Besides Devi, the cast of Never Have I Ever is joyously diverse, and every type of person is normalized no matter their race, gender identity, cultural background, or ability. There are no “token” characters or characters whose stories seem to be attached for diversity points. Rather, the diverse cast feels like a reflection of real life–of all the sorts of beauty that surround us.
So… if Never Have I Ever the show were playing the game, “Never Have I Ever,” they most certainly would lose a point for “Never have I ever challenged beauty standards.”