7 TV women it’s okay for us to emulate

The evolution of the strong female TV lead

It used to be that girls and young women couldn’t find good role models on TV. Pre-millenium, main female roles were mostly doting moms, sexy sluts and strict teachers or nurses.

But now there are strong female characters everywhere, so much so that they make up a wide variety of heroine — from good to, well, not so good but still strong and smart.

Here are a few of our favorite TV women and why. Tell us yours.

Olivia Benson: We love this hard-nosed Law and Order: SVU detective. This list wouldn’t be right if it didn’t start with our own TV queen of justice for other women. Whether she’s taking down a perp or soft-talking a traumatized teenage rape victim into identifying the scum who violated her, Benson (played by Mariska Hargitay) does it with a strange mix of class and sass that is hard to match on the air. She is beautiful without having to be girly. And she can be matter of fact cold and calculating one minute and then vulnerable and soft and emotional the next — as has been shown in episodes so raw they are hard to forget. She is the longest running female TV cop and never has anyone aged so well throughout the seasons.

Olivia Pope: Another strong TV woman named Olivia? Okay, maybe she drinks a little bit too much wine and is a sucker for the bad boys and their excuses — even if one of those bad boys is the president. Oh, and there is that little thing about fixing the election. But Olivia Pope (played by the glorious and drop-dead gorgeous Kerry Washington) from ABC’s Scandal doesn’t just look good in white all year round. She commands attention and demands respect. And even if her work is sometimes dirty, she is all business and nobody does her job better than she. As D.C.’s No. 1 “fixer,” she has freed an innocent man on death row, convinced a politician to come out of the closet and put a terrorist away — even if that terrorist was her mom. She is so cool, in fact, that she used her own brains and her gift of gab to save herself after she was kidnapped by paramilitary goons and held until the president declared war on a country. Which he promptly did.

Emily Thorne: Although her quest of revenge isn’t quite role model material, her determination could be considered so. It takes a lot of control to keep your self calm, cool and collected in difficult and dangerous circumstances; it’s definitely a skill I would love to learn. Emily (aka Amanda Clarke) may seem cold and corrupted due to her troubled childhood after her father was wrongfully taken away from her. However,  her vulnerabilities and conscience are what keep her from her deadly vengeance that she so determinedly declared against the Graysons and others who betrayed her family. And the strength and control she keeps even after losing so many people she loves while protecting the innocent against her enemies is admirable.

Gloria Pritchett: Her not-so-good English speaking skills and lack of sophistication might make her seem like someone you wouldn’t want to look up too, but she’s a strong female role model for so many young Latinas globally. First, her accent is absolutely charming and who ever doesn’t say so is wrong. But most importantly, it doesn’t stop her from speaking her mind. Because, second, she doesn’t care what people think about her. Yeah, she’s the loud, young and foreign woman with big boobs that married the semi-old man with lots of money. That’s gonna start a lot of gossip. But that doesn’t bother her. In fact, she sees nothing wrong with that. Third, this woman does not take no for an answer. You might think her hard-headed and stern husband, Jay runs everything but la que manda en la casa, es Gloria! And lastly but most importantly, Gloria puts her family first. She may have left everything behind when she moved to the United States but she embraces her husband’s Modern Family like her own. From babysitting her son-in-law’s daughter whenever they need a day off to being her mama bear self when it comes to her son, Gloria is as family oriented as it gets.

Cookie Lyon: Although she has been recently introduced to the world of television, Cookie Lyon from FOX’s Empire still qualifies as a powerful female on TV. Her grammar isn’t always perfect and she definitely has a criminal record but she always demands respect and she never fails to pull through with her commitments; even if one commitment was going to jail for drug dealing in order to protect her family and her family’s up and rising empire. Like Gloria Pritchett, Cookie loves her family. From publicly embracing her middle son’s homosexuality to constantly ensuring her children get the best of everything. Meanwhile, she is another woman who doesn’t need a man to make her feel important and powerful.

Leslie Knope: This cute and comedic character from NBC’s Parks and Recreation has been a role model since she was a little kid. Grown from her love for her city and community programs in her neighborhood, Leslie vowed to dedicate her life to giving back to her city by public service. She was in over a dozen school clubs during high school, was the co-vice president of her student body and was on the JV field hockey team; all while remaining and graduating in the top 5% of her class. And we’re just getting started. As an adult, Leslie is an active member of many committees in and around City Hall of Pawnee, Indiana (where she’s from) just like she was in high school. And after so much of her dedication to the city, she runs for city council and officially wins. During her first years in city council; she proposes a soda tax against specific ounces in cups, she taught sexual education to elders that experienced STD’s and she got a lot to build a new park called Pawnee Commons. And she does it all with humor. Even though Parks and Recreation said it’s final goodbyes a couple of months ago, Leslie Knope will always be in our hearts. And there’s always Netflix.

Rachel Berry: Last, but definitely not least, is another television retiree: Rachel Berry is ambitious and driven and the TV leading lady that inspires me the most. Besides the fact that we both share dreams of Broadway and she has impeccable taste in men, Rachel is definitely the role model for those dreamers out there. Rachel is passionate about what she loves and determined to get what she wants. Although she may seem a little too determined at sometimes, especially when she puts her dreams in front of people she loves, her intentions are pure and she’s just looking out for herself. It all pays off at the end because she’s happy with her career and surrounded by her friends and family. She taught me a very valuable lesson that she could possibly teach you. If you follow your dreams and take many risks, it will all pay off in the end. Glee’s final episode aired just a couple of weeks ago but like Leslie Knope you can find Rachel Berry on Netflix.