If you’re anything like me, you spend the vast majority of your time rewatching old Parks and Recreation episodes and admiring the queen that is Leslie Knope. I spend most of my time thinking about how I can be more like her, and I want to share a few of my favorite things about this character.
Her love of breakfast food.
I have spent my entire life thinking that there is nothing better than breakfast food, and I had yet to find anyone that felt so passionately about waffles before I started watching Parks and Rec. Leslie’s love for the best type of food there is is just one reason why she’s my favorite fictional person.
Her compliments to Ann.
Nothing makes me laugh harder than the compliments Leslie gives her best friend, Ann. My favorite is when she calls her an “opalescent tree shark.” Does it make sense? Absolutely not, but it’s just one of the best things about Leslie. I even tried to start calling my best friend nicknames like this. She didn’t appreciate me calling her an elusive, run away hot air balloon, though.
She stands by her beliefs even when they don’t benefit her.
The episode where she filibusters at a Pawnee City Council Meeting so that the citizens of formal Eagleton are able to vote in the local elections is truly inspiring. Even when she found out that they were not going to vote for her, she still stood up there and fought for their rights because she knew that the right to vote is one of the most fundamental rights that must be protected.
She loves and helps her friends.
One of the best things about Leslie is how much she cares about her friends. She pushes Ann to get a job with the City of Pawnee because she knows she would be great at it, she helps April find a job she will love even though it means they won’t be working together anymore, and she gets Ron a job as a Park Ranger so he can be outdoors while he works. Her dedication to her friends is one of her most admirable traits.
She is a strong woman.
Leslie, despite being a fictional character, is one of my biggest role models because of how strong she is. She stands up for what she believes in, has an amazing career and family, and never stops going after what she wants. The way she stands up for herself during Bens’ congressional campaign is one of my favorite Leslie moments.