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

There are unfortunate, stereotypical expectations that come with being a woman. You must cook, clean, have babies and be the homemaker. Real life women are fighting against that stereotype by proving you can have a successful career as well as a family. Organizations like Her Campus and A Global Friendship seek to empower women. AGF has inspired us to look for women all around us, including on TV who demonstrate listening to their inner voice and female empowerment. Here are a few female TV characters who awaken our inner goddesses:

1. Leslie Knope, Parks and Recreation

She’s the true matriarch of Pawnee, Indiana. Throughout the show she is constantly shattering the glass ceiling for women in government and politics. She even created her own girl scout troop called Pawnee Goddesses, when a girl was turned away from joining the boy scout troop the Pawnee Rangers. She is also always there to support her girlfriends, and celebrate them on Galentine’s day.

2. Robin Scherbatsky, How I Met Your Mother

Robin is constantly choosing her career as a broadcast journalist over finding love. She’s not afraid to hang with the guys either as she drinks scotch, smokes cigars, shoots guns and loves hockey. She is never afraid to speak the truth and tell the gang what they need to hear.

3. Olivia Benson, Law and Order: SVU

Olivia is always there for her victims and advocates strongly against rape and abuse outside of her job. Even when she was taken hostage by an A-list psychopath, she never showed him fear. Despite her busy career, she still finds time to be a mom. She is a true role model.

4. Mindy Lahiri, The Mindy Show

Mindy is constantly trying to find balance in her love life and career as an OB/GYN. She isn’t afraid to care for herself before a man, or speak about her sexuality or others as her career entails. Like every woman, she sees flaws in her physical appearance, but refuses to have her focus in life being to be physically perfect and skinny.

5. Brooke Davis, One Tree Hill

After constantly getting her heart broken, she always remained true to herself and her friends. She’s never afraid to stand up for herself or others. Despite growing up with absentee parents, she matured into a strong and grounded woman. She kicked two psycho path stalkers a**es, and created her own fashion company from the ground up.

6. Jessica Day, New Girl

Post break up, Jessica moves in with three quirky guy roommates. Jessica is the voice of reason in the “loft” and never fails to voice her strong belief in feminism. She successfully advanced her career as a teacher to vice principal and believes in finding the good qualities in people.

7. Olivia Pope, Scandal

As manager of her own crisis management firm, Olivia Pope and Associates, she’s quite the boss lady. Despite having an affair with the President, she makes him work for her affection. She knows her self-worth and isn’t afraid to remind you of her power in Washington.

8. Cristina Yang, Grey’s Anatomy

Cristina saves lives every day at Seattle Gray Hospital, and advances from being a surgical intern to a cardiothoracic surgical fellow. Her ambition never slows down and she’s at the top of her game. She is also Meredith Grey’s “person” and fellow “twisted sister”, and regardless of the men in their lives, they are each other’s soul mates.

9. Blair Waldorf, Gossip Girl

The queen of New York socialites, who’s constantly scrutinized by the blogger “Gossip Girl”, takes control of life in her own hands. She’s had tough times in her love life, but refuses to settle for less than she deserves. She may have been born into riches, but she knows the value of hard work.

10. Buffy Summers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer

High school student and cheerleader by day, tough and feared vampire slayer by night. She’s girly, but she also knows how to kick a**. In the end, she decides to share her powers with all women, so women alone, not just her, could be powerful.

11. Lorelai Gilmore, Gilmore Girls

Lorelai is a strong single mother who raised her daughter to follow her heart. She is the bada** mom we all aspire to be. She got her heart broken multiple times, but turned it around to make her almost invincible in her career and family life.

12. Jane Villanueva, Jane the Virgin

After her practically planned life goes in a different direction as she’s accidently inseminated by her OB/GYN, she’s faced to make some tough life altering decisions. She is surrounded by strong female influence in her Latina family. Despite her family being Catholic, she decides to keep the baby, stay pure and pursue her dream of being a teacher.

13. Samantha Jones, Sex and the City

Samantha is the true definition of female empowerment. She isn’t afraid of her sexuality, giving her friends tough love, and doing business like a man would. In the end, she chooses to love herself over a man and not to conform to society’s idea of how a woman should live her life.

These women constantly go against the expectations of society and prove that women can and will do anything they please. Follow your inner voice, and their example and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!

13 Female TV Characters Who Represent Female Empowerment

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