What The Sex Lives of College Girls Teaches Us About Student Debt
Mindy Kaling’s new show makes a case for student debt forgiveness.
Last year, a friend of mine introduced me to one of the few shows on television that documents college life through the lens of young women: The Sex Lives of College Girls. The HBO Max show, which is in its second season, is another Mindy Kaling hit and breath of fresh air, full of punchy and cringeworthy moments that come with the ebbs and flows of college life.
The show stars four protagonists who are roommates that meet each other during move-in day:
- Whitney — a senator’s daughter and student-athlete
- Bela — a fake pre-medical student turned aspiring comedy writer
- Leighton — a beneficiary of generational wealth who aces Calculus
- Kimberly — a high school valedictorian with financial need
All their story lines are interesting and worth exploring (and perhaps if given the opportunity, I will delve into the show more in the future). However, Kimberly’s story is most intriguing because unlike her roommates, what distinguishes her is core to how she navigates social and academic circumstances in college: Her socioeconomic status.
On move-in day, Kimberly is revealed to be on a (mostly) full scholarship because of her excellent grades and recommendations from state officials. All of which adds to the pride her parents feel as they tearfully kiss her goodbye when they drop her off.
Which brings me to the first myth the show debunks: Student debtors are financially irresponsible. As Kimberly’s trajectory through the show suggests, the opposite could not be more true. Within the first two episodes, we see her sign up for a work study and immediately begin working the next day. Later on in the semester, when tempted to spend an obscene amount of money on a form-fitting dress, she purchases it with the sole intent of returning it after one wear (which she does). That is all to say, we get lots of evidence early on that like many college students, especially those with debt and first generation, Kimberly is working hard to afford her degree.
The second myth that Kimberly’s arc debunks is that college students with financial need are navigating the same obstacles as their counterparts. The short answer is they are not. In a Season One episode, Kimberly and her mother are put in a tough spot when one of Kimberly’s roommates hosts a dinner with all of the parents at an ultra-fancy restaurant. After she breaks out in hives, Kimberly communicates to her roommate that her mother unable to afford the dinner. Given that Kimberly is on financial aid and working, she simply does not face the same reality as her roommates.
The thing is Kimberly’s experience is emblematic of so many students who are constantly concerned about how their academic decisions will inform the financial future of their families.
At the end of season one, due to an incident, Kimberly is placed on academic probation, which makes her financial situation even more dire. To contrast, the other student involved in the same incident is able to transfer successfully after his father makes a handsome donation to another selective university. His life largely is unaffected because access, opportunity, and grace is oftentimes a function of race, gender, and class.
The Sex Lives of College Girls is groundbreaking because it does not shy away from the harsh realities of navigating financial need in college. More importantly, by witnessing a “first-hand” account of a student weathering financial hardship, we are learning about how the college and university experience is not a one-size-fit all and why the setbacks plaguing President Biden’s student debt forgiveness policy are harmful. Moreover, in light of conversations surrounding graduate student and post-doctoral pay, shows like The Sex Lives of College Girls are making clear that financial realities for some are not financial realities for all.
For those of us who grew up with Gossip Girl, we saw young women who grew up with so much privilege that college or university were merely suggestions. Thus, witnessing the evolution of Kimberly on Kaling’s new show allows us to understand, deeply, how student debt can rob some of the freedom that college promises them.
P.S. Mindy Kaling, cast and crew, I am forever down to host a podcast series on this fantastic show and/or attend a premiere if the show is renewed for Season 3.
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