Shirin – Analysis Paper 1, Leslie Knope

I will analyze the fictional character Leslie Knope from the television series Parks and Recreation. Parks and Recreation airs on NBC and was created by the producers of The Office using a similar mockumentary filming style. The show started in 2009 and is currently in its 5th season. NBC describes the show as an “ensemble comedy that follows mid-level bureaucrat Leslie Knope and her tireless efforts to make her American town more fun.” Leslie is the deputy director of the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee, a fictional town in Indiana. She is “optimistic and over-achieving.” In Parks and Recreation, each character’s flaws are presented in a complete and unapologetic manner. Leslie Knope is everything a woman is not supposed to be at the workplace: she is highly emotional, irrational and takes everything personally. The coup de force of this show is that Leslie is an invaluable employee. Her passionate spirit, commitment and almost maternal sense of responsibility come together and create a whole that makes sense. It is a refreshing new note that seems to suggest women and men can be exactly who they are and still be highly valuable.

I watched six 21-minute episodes of Parks and Recreation, episode 17 to 22 of the second season. In Woman of the Year Leslie tries to solve a dispute between a boys and a girls’ soccer team. She wrongly assumes that the male coach coaches the boys’ team and mistakes a little boy with long hair for a girl. Back at the office Leslie is outraged when Ron wins a “Woman of the Year” award for a project that she started. Ron uses this occasion to teach Leslie a lesson because he believes that awards are stupid. To be especially annoying he thanks Leslie for making him look good in the job so that he can be recognized. It turns out that the “Woman of the Year” award was purposefully given to a man that year, simply to draw attention. In episode 18 The Possum a possum bites the mayor’s dog, so Leslie assembles a task force. The possum is caught but as they leave Leslie spots another possum, forcing her to question whether they caught the right one. In the 19th episode, Park Safety, Jerry has to fill the hummingbird feeders. He accidentally falls but claims that he was mugged in the Park to avoid ridicule. Leslie feels terrible and meets with the park ranger to improve park safety. In Summer Catalog Leslie reunites all the former living Parks Department directors for a picnic. She quickly realizes that these directors are cranky old men who never loved the job the way she does. In 94 Meetings Ron is furious with his assistant, April. Ron prides himself on not doing his job; therefore April scheduled all his meetings for March 31st thinking March only has 30 days. Luckily, Leslie loves taking meetings and is thrilled to help. When she learns that a historical landmark will be destroyed Leslie chains herself to a gate to stop the destruction. In Telethon Leslie hosts a local 24 hour telethon to raise money for diabetes research. Tom almost ruins the event by making a lengthy detour instead of driving the celebrity guest directly to the telethon.

In the article Business girls and two-job wives: Emerging stereotypes of employed women by Marcellus (2011), there are two types of women in the office: the office machine (or operator) and the office wife. Leslie is definitely an operator: an autonomous figure with power. Every character in the show is highly aware of how passionate and hardworking Leslie is. Clearly, Leslie is running the show and holding the department together. Nevertheless, the highest job title, director of Parks and Recreation, is held by Ron. Ron believes that there should be no government and plans on idly waiting at his desk until that day comes. This illustrates a gendered work environment. Throughout the show we notice that many of the male characters do not work hard. Tom almost ruins the telethon for his own private benefit. It seems that the women work harder in order to prove themselves. While Leslie is not an office wife, she does come across as the office mother. She cares for each employee personally and goes to great extremes when she feels that someone was unfairly harmed, i.e. when Jerry was “mugged”. Chaining herself to a fence in the 94 Meetings episode is an interesting metaphor because it does imply that she is somewhat married to the job.

The audience can observe that Leslie Knope’s character depicts many female stereotypes, working in a gendered office environment. Unlike Carlin & Winfrey’s findings, Leslie Knope receives the most attention and coverage. Leslie often has to fight in order to receive the credit she deserves, but she is successful in her quest. Ms. Knope’s character can be seen as a positive hybrid of both Palin and Clinton: she can be sexy, feminine, ditzy and aggressive. On the other hand, Leslie is an outspoken feminist, never afraid to demand fairness and equality. In her office, Leslie actually has framed photos of several female role models, including Hillary Clinton. Leslie is neither portrayed as a sex object nor an iron maiden. She plays a maternal role that accentuates her sense of human responsibility, personal accountability and ambition to improve the Parks. Unlike the negative framing that Clinton and Palin are subjected to, Leslie is loved and respected by her co-workers. The characters play pranks and tease each other, but they also have a skin thick enough to let it go. It is a comedy after all.

In the research article Audience perceptions of Strong Female Characters on Television, Oppenheimer et al examine the audience reactions to strong female characters on five prime time television shows: Amy from Judging Amy, Sarah from JAG, Margaret from Becker, Tess on Touched by an Angel and Maxine of Judging Amy. Oppenheimer states that changes in the portrayal of women on television may reflect changes in the personality and characteristics of women in the real world. The authors hypothesize that college women would view powerful female characters more positively than their male peers. The results were consistent with the hypothesis. The study also indicates that the men surveyed can accept a women character in a professional role without assigning her masculine characteristics.

The article by Oppenheimer et al ties in with Marcellus’ article by demonstrating that audiences are ready for television to present a strong female voice and not just the traditional male voice, which in this case would be Ron. Carlin & Winfrey’s article points out gender stereotypes, gendered media coverage and the objectification of female figures. In opposition, Parks and Recreation character Leslie Knope shows that despite remaining patriarchal structures, it is possible to have a strong, accepted voice. While it is still necessary for Leslie to fight old patriarchal remains, the show seems to imply that we are different but equally qualified: women simply have flaws that are unique to them and men have flaws that are unique to them.

Resources:

Carlin, Diana B. & Winfrey, Kelly L. (2009). Have You Come a Long Way, Baby? Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, and Sexism in 2008 Campaign Coverage. Communication Studies, 60(4), 326-343.

Marcellus, Jane. (2011). Business girls and two-job wives: Emerging stereotypes of employed women. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press. (Ch. 3 office machine, office wife).

Oppenheimer, B., Adams-Price, C., Goodman, M., Codling, J., & Coker, J. (2003). Audience Perceptions of Strong Female Characters on Television. Communication Research Reports, 20(2), 161-172.