Parks and Recreation's Leslie Knope Is Not Allowed To Have A Good Boyfriend?

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 I love Leslie Knope.

BACKGROUND INFO : 

Although it should be obvious, Leslie Knope is one of my favorite fictional characters on the hilarious show "Parks and Recreation". (Sensing bias, yet?)  In a world where most female characters on television are dulled down to fit and further the female stereotype, Knope is a strong woman who has her own voice without being the spokesperson and face of feminism. On the show, she is also a bureaucrat in the Parks and Recreation Department of little Pawnee, Indiana. She's competent and strives to be the first female President. (How many other female television characters do you know of who strive for that?)

Here's a pretty funny and accurate video to further describe Knope:

 

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And she loves waffles.

So how can you possibly hate on this amazing character?

AMANDA MARCOTTE CAN : 

It seems as though the fact that Leslie Knope has a boyfriend and that her boyfriend does nice things for her seems to  have tarnished Ms. Marcotte's opinion of Knope and what Knope stood for to her on television today. 

Marcotte implies that Knope has become weak ever since the writers gave her the romance storyline with co-worker Ben Wyatt, much like a damsel in distress. It is true that when Leslie hits a bump in her life, as does everyone, she sometimes turns to Ben for suggestions and support. But isn't that what a girlfriend should expect of her boyfriend if he truly cares about her? And Leslie asks for the advice of just about everyone on the show, so why is she being considered weak to turn to her boyfriend for support? Marcotte makes it sound as though Knope is becoming anti-feminist just because she has a GOOD boyfriend who she, in turn, is a good girlfriend to

But I guess she's not allowed to be happy, right? 

Here's the link to the original article:

Click Here

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JESSICA SAYS : 

I think I may have voiced my opinion a bit too much in the prior paragraph, so there may not be much to say here. 

Ultimately, I just think it's stupid to insinuate that a strong-willed woman is not allowed to have a boyfriend she can turn to for support, comfort, and advice. Is she not allowed happiness just because she has feminist qualities? And the writer of that article may argue that Leslie is free to find happiness and have a good relationship, but would Leslie's character being paired with a jerk boyfriend really be much better for the sake of this argument? Sure, after she realizes she deserves better and dumps him, she will be dubbed ~Strong Woman Knope, but is it truly THAT bad that she's in a relationship with a good guy? And it's not as though Ben deters her away from her aspirations. If anything, he helps keep that fiery passion alive.

Obviously this blog entry is about the big picture, here, not just this one particular couple on this one particular show. Women all over the world are entitled to  a partner who treats them the way they deserve to be treated. And just because some woman may be strong as hell doesn't mean they become weak when they find this partner.

Sheesh.

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TO THE READERS : 

• So do you think if a strong-willed woman turns to her boyfriend for support, she has become weak?
• Do you think Amanda Marcotte may have narrow view of what exactly embodies feminism?
• On a scale of 1-10, ten being highest, how AWESOME is this show?

~xxj