Leslie Knope s Privilege And White Feminism Essay

Leslie Knope’s Privilege and White Feminism in Parks And Recreation Parks And Recreation is a work place comedy utilizing dry humor to comment on the current American government system. The main character, Leslie Knope, is a white middle-aged cis-gender female who loves capitalist government, breakfast foods, and strongly believes that if you put in the hard work you can overcome anything. The show succeeds in demonstrating a women in a position of power, climbing through the ranks, and assumingly breaking the glass ceiling in the end; however, the show also succeeds in demonstrating white privilege and not recognizing Leslie Knope’s privilege. While also glorifying a capitalist society, the show refuses to acknowledge that gender inequality and racial inequality go hand in hand, due to the hierarchal nature of capitalism. Parks And Recreation portrays what white feminism looks like - underrepresentation of people of color, their struggles, systematic racism, and more. White feminism is a central problem with Hollywood’s idea of what feminism is today. People like Lena Dunham, Amy Schumer, Jennifer Lawrence, Taylor Swift, and our fictional focus for analysis, Leslie Knope fail to recognize the intersection that gender, race, and LGBTQ+ have with each other. The show fails to represent people of color appropriately, does not intersect race inequality and even perpetuates racial stereotypes, doesn’t hold women of color to the same standard, and more. These are all factors