If you’re like me and you’ve binge watched every popular television show available on Netflix, Hulu, HBO, etc., you’ve probably developed some favorite characters — and some not-so-favorite characters. Here are a few of the best and the worst female role models in TV that y’all should keep eye on.
The Best
1. Leslie Knope, Parks and Recreation
It goes without saying that Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation is one of the best female role models in TV comedy. She’s driven, professional, independent, and rocks a pantsuit like you wouldn’t believe. One of my favorite things about Leslie is that she faces real issues that women in politics face: sexual harassment, boys’ clubs, and the “bitch” stereotype that any woman with a strong voice gets labeled with.
2. June, The Handmaid’s Tale
While The Handmaid’s Tale hasn’t been around for as long as Parks and Rec, June has quickly become one of my favorite female leads. While dealing with a dystopian reversal of feminism, June proves herself not only a strong woman but a real woman. She doesn’t look glamorous at all times and she reacts to the bullshit of the reinstated patriarchy with a spitfire temper and cynical sense of humor.
3. Joyce, Stranger Things
This mom of two has definitely got my vote for Mom of the Year. Joyce from Stranger Things is a single mother raising children on her own, working a job. But when her child is kidnapped by a Demogorgon, getting him back proves more than challenging with the community denouncing her as a mad woman. She is tenacious, brave, and honestly a total badass. She faces basically hell itself to save her son when no one else will.
The Worst
1. Meredith Grey, Grey’s Anatomy
Okay, a large part of this is probably because her monologues are extremely obnoxious, but if you dig further she isn’t the greatest female role model in Seattle Grace — even if Grey’s Anatomy is technically her show. She is unprofessional, selfish, manipulative, and honestly just plain rude.
2. Kelly, The Office
Don’t get me wrong — I love Kelly and her on-and-off-again relationship with Ryan in The Office. However, Kelly has been caught doing some somewhat questionable things: lying on official company employee reports and cheating on her fiancée and abandoning him with Ryan’s adopted baby to name a couple. Needless to say, she doesn’t have the best track record.
3. Rachel Berry, Glee
Rachel Berry is by far the biggest diva on this list (and not in a good way). I think that we can all agree that Rachel is the most selfish and doesn’t understand when someone other than herself gets a solo even for ONE EPISODE. She drops out of college after being warned by multiple advisors that it will negatively affect her career and then doesn’t understand how she ended up back at her old high school.