Women have been objectified and sexualized in the media for years. In 2011, the documentary Miss Representation credited an increase in eating disorders among young women and a diminished number of women in leadership positions to the media’s representation of women. In fact, you can find various articles that discuss the lack of positive female role models on television in a quick Google search. After all, shows such as The Real Housewives franchise or Keeping Up With the Kardashians portray women as vapid, shallow, petty, and unnecessarily malicious.
Television series that are meant for male audiences such as Entourage and Californication emphasize these negative stereotypes and make women appear weak. However, television has begun to produce strong female characters that women everywhere can be proud of. The following leading ladies on this list are not always perfect, but each of them are intelligent, persistent, and strategic in their own way. More importantly, they prove that they have more to offer to society than their beauty.
Alicia Florrick (The Good Wife). A Georgetown University graduate who became a lawyer at a prestigious law firm, where she had the highest billable hours out of any junior associate. Eventually, she quit her job when her children were born to become a homemaker and to support her husband’s political career. However, Alicia is forced to support her family financially once her husband’s sex scandal emerges and he is removed from his position. Not only does she handle the scandal with grace, but she manages to land a job as a junior associate at the top law firm Stern, Lockhart & Gardner despite having been out of the work force for over a decade. In the show’s current season, she’s the partner at her own law firm, Florrick & Agos and she’s even running for state attorney. She shows that it’s never too late to start over if you have drive and determination.
Leslie Knope (Parks and Recreation). Female role models don’t just exist in drama series. They can be still be quirky, have a sense of humour, yet possess a strong passion for their community and beliefs. Parks and Recreation fans can recall the feminist rants of deputy parks director, Leslie. She stood her ground in the beauty pageant episode where all the other judges insisted on giving the Miss Pawnee title to a beautiful but airheaded contestant. Leslie may have failed to convince the other judges, but her stance sends a strong message to women everywhere. Also, no one can forget her love for female politicians such as Hillary Clinton. She proves that a woman’s character and intelligence are the most important qualities.
Peggy Olson (Mad Men). She’s a young woman in 1960s America who makes it big. She starts out as a secretary at Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency and becomes the first female Junior Copywriter ever at the firm. She proves that she can be just as good, if not better than the men at their jobs. She usually writes copy for feminine products, such as the Belle Jolie lipsticks but has moved towards gender neutral accounts such as Burger Chef. She’s not afraid to express her opinions to her male superiors and she definitely isn’t afraid to ask for recognition for her hard work when necessary. She proves that there’s another option for women in a period where they were meant to get married and have children.
Michonne (The Walking Dead). She’s one of the remaining survivors of a zombie apocalypse, yet has managed to survive seamlessly without many weapons or people. Everyone, including the men in the series, have needed firearms or arrows to survive at some point. However, she has survived with her simple katana. She slays zombies like a pro and cuts their heads off at short range. She has even saved other humans, such as Andrea, from being slaughtered. In fact, everyone else has stayed in group to survive while she has managed in isolation. If you’re looking for a tough female character, Michonne is the one for you.
Jessica Pearson (Suits). This Pearson Specter managing partner is so ambitious that she never let’s anything stand in her way of success. She never accepts excuses from her employees and expects tasks to be completed to perfection. Jessica may seem cold-hearted and tough, but she cares deeply for those who are in her life. She may not have much of a love life either, but her work fulfills her like no man can. In fact, she’s not afraid to strike back if you mess with her. She has even led a coup to eliminate the former partners of her law firm to rebuild it as her own. The next time you think you’re being too hard on someone, just think about Jessica.
Mindy Lahiri (The Mindy Project). She’s cute and bubbly, but she’s also an OBY/GYN specialist who holds her own. At first, she may seem vapid and shallow because of her obsession with celebrity gossip and her ignorance towards important figures. However, she calls out cultural snobs (remember when she dated Jason?) like no tomorrow and has been mentioned as one of the most highly recommended OBY/GYNs in New York City during the series. She makes it okay to like Katy Perry and shows that you don’t have to sacrifice love to succeed in your career.
Olivia Pope (Scandal). You may notice that there are a lot of lawyers on this list, but politics is the place to start if you want to create change in the world. Many may be confused as to what Popes & Associates does, since they don’t battle in courtrooms like regular lawyers. All that’s certain is that they prevent and control public scandals. Her moral compass may not be perfect, especially since she’s had an affair with the very married President of the United States. However, she’s the first person that anyone goes to when they’re in trouble and she almost always saves the day.
Virginia Johnson (Masters of Sex). She’s persistent and ambitious, despite her lack of medical training. She was a former jazz singer who ended up as a secretary for the esteemed Dr. William Masters and becomes his research partner in human sexuality. Not only does she try to promote and to understand such a controversial topic for the 1950s, but she strives to get an education to authenticate her position. Sometimes, she struggles to find the balance between her work life and her children, but she makes up for it at the end. More importantly, she embraces her sexuality despite her conservative environment and has been a willing participant in the studies as well.
Annalise Keating (How to Get Away With Murder). She has only been on television for a few weeks, but she has already been met with acclaim. Not only is she a tough law professor, but she does anything to win help her clients win a case. Her teaching methods may be unconventional (her students practice law with her real cases as opposed to reading a textbook) and some may argue that her legal practices are somewhat unethical, but she makes no excuses and gets the job done. She’s simply the best in the field and she has the confidence to match it.
Amy Farrah Fowler (Big Bang Theory). She may be a little strange and she lacks an awareness of common social cues, but she never feels the need to conform. After all, she’s a Ph. D neurobiologist who excels in a male-dominated field and she has never even felt a need to date. She only agreed to do online dating as a condition of her mother, so that she can continue to use her George Foreman grill. As a result, her relationship with Sheldon Cooper is only coincidental. Remember girls, your time will come.
Selina Meyer (Veep). She’s the Vice-President of the United States. Need I say more? She may have been humiliated at times and disregarded by important officials, yet she’s tough as nails. In fact, she has amassed more power and influence to become a presidential candidate. Currently, she’s the President of the United States by default, but her dry sense of humour and her no-nonsense attitude has made her the powerhouse that she is. When her underlings do something wrong, she makes sure they know it
Buffy Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer). She broke the cycle for young blonde women in horror films everywhere. She may look like the victim, but she fights and slays the supernatural like no tomorrow. Her role as a vampire slayer may have intruded upon her teenage life and made her an outcast, but she takes these shortcomings like a champ. She understands that it’s her duty to protect the world and she’s not afraid to do so. In fact, she has sacrificed herself in potentially fatal situations to protect those she loves. Despite these challenges, she manages to succeed.
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