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3 Inspirational Female Television Characters

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Monmouth chapter.

With all the Michael Scott’s and Phil Dunphy’s in the television world, it can be easy to ignore the Pam Beesly’s and Gloria Pritchett’s. In today’s somewhat hostile climate, it is more important than ever to highlight the female characters on television. Here’s just a few of the many inspiring female TV characters.

Selina Meyer on Veep

Image Credit: TVOvermind

Now this is a politician I would be confident giving my vote to! Veep follows Selina Meyer and her political team through Meyer’s journey as the Vice President of the United States. Throughout political scandals, personal issues and disrespect from her colleagues, Meyer remains firmly formidable. Meyer shows that even in a male dominated career path, a strong woman can always prevail with a little confidence. The best part of this character is the courageous woman that portrays Meyer. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, of Seinfeld and Saturday Night Live fame, has recently beat breast cancer and is a non-fictional inspiring woman.

Meredith Grey on Grey’s Anatomy

Image Credit: ABC

It’s very possible that there is no show on television with a lower mortality rate than Grey’s Anatomy. Throughout all the fatalities, one woman has remained a constant at the Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital; the titular character and renowned surgeon Meredith Grey. Not only has Grey had to manage grieving a mass amount of her friends and family, she has also had to deal with a mentally abusive childhood, multiple difficulties with pregnancies and even a plane crash. Throughout all of these complications, Grey stayed positive and hopeful of a better future.

Mindy Lahiri on The Mindy Project

Image Credit: Womens Post

Women, especially those in a position of authority, are so often told to neglect any feminine attributes they may possess. They’re taught to ignore their emotions and not show signs of vulnerability for the sake of not appearing “too girly.” Mindy Lahiri, the star OB/GYN featured on the The Mindy Project doesn’t abide to these unspoken rules.

Instead, she does the complete opposite; she brings her troubles to work, isn’t afraid to cry and actually admits her mistakes when she makes them. And that’s what makes her so wonderful. Besides the fact that she does not ignore her femininity, Lahiri is also an extremely capable doctor, moves across the country to pursue her dreams, and embraces her Indian culture throughout her work.  

 

These are simply a few of the many powerful women that are featured on television. Take some additional time today to recognize not only the strong women on your TV screen, but also the ones in your real life!

 

Sara Sikora

Monmouth '19

Sara is a senior at Monmouth University, with a major in communications and a minor in psychology. She is also the social media director for Monmouth's Her Campus chapter! Sara can be found drinking copious amounts of coffee, at the beach or at a yoga class.