It sems as though a new article is posted every day about the negative influence the media has on young girls. However, it’s important to remember that there are strong female characters out there as well. Television has done a fairly decent job of developing shows over the past decade with strong female leads. Let’s take a look at some of TV’s top female role models:
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Cristina Yang from Grey’s Anatomy
Yang is a dynamite force on Grey’s Anatomy, she is one of the top doctors in Seattle, and overall in the United States. She became the head of her department at a young age, and was nominated for the prestigious Harper Avery award. Yang is fiercely career driven and does not let love or relationships interfere with achieving her goals in the operating room or in the lab. While being fiercely career driven, she is also an excellent “person” for Meredith Grey. Yang is a loyal friend and is consistently there for Meredith, despite any troubles she might be having.
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Bernadette and Amy from The Big Bang Theory
With their Ph.D.’s, these two ladies are the money makers in their household (a touchy subject for Bernadette’s husband). Both females are highly educated scientists doing advanced, ground-breaking work in their field of study. While they might have been bullied in high school, they didn’t let the negativity get to them as they pursued their education at top universities in the country. These two prove that women don’t need a man to be whole, but can still be in a relationship without compromising their intelligence or career duties.
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Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation
Introducing the first female President of the United States: Ms. Leslie Knope. While Parks and Recreation sadly came to an end last year, Leslie Knope is still a powerful female character in television. Leslie celebrates strong females in her life with the annual Galentine’s Day celebration. She fights the world of politics, and is consistently standing up for female rights. She doesn’t let the men on the city council push her around as she fights for more female workers in city hall. In addition, she is dedicated to her town. Leslie Knope is a powerful woman who falls in love. Her husband doesn’t ask her to compromise anything, and so the series ends with her head of a Federal Parks Department, married, and raising her triplets in Pawnee.
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The female cast of Bones
The entire female cast of Bones needs to be applauded here. Dr. Brennan is the lead of the show, and she is a self proclaimed (no need to be humble, girls!) genius, who solves crimes, discovers hundred year old mysteries about humans, writes books, and is a devoted mother to boot. But let’s not forget Cam, Daisy, or Angela. Cam is a single mother of an adopted teenager, former coroner of New York, and head of the Jefferson lab. Daisy, while still an intern, lives up to the seemingly impossible standards set by Dr. Brennan and (spoiler alert!) is now a pregnant single mom to be as her partner, Sweets, was killed. Angela is still a strong female without being strictly career driven. She embraces the artist in her, and saves the day in many of their crime solving endeavors while also sneaking her baby into the lab to play with him.
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Olivia Benson from Law and Order: SVU
Olivia Benson works in the SVU department in New York. After several years dealing with rape victims and rapists, she maintains her strong demeanor and determination to help as many special victims as she can. Not to spoil anything for those not caught up on the most recent seasons, but Benson undergoes her own trauma. She is a staunch supporter of female and victim rights, making her one of the strongest female characters on television. Clearly Taylor Swift thinks so, as she named her first cat Olivia Benson!
Photo Credits:
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http://uschina.usc.edu/Files/images/201310/cristina-yang.jpg
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