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“Parks and Recreation’s” Satire of Women in the Work Environment Natalie Hill

Abstract

This essay examines the satire of women and gender relations in the workplace through the

comedic mockumentary style of Parks and Recreation. I am using The Office as a point of

comparison because they are both comedic mockumentaries. I am doing a content analysis of

Parks and Recreation using the themes from The Office’s scholarly dialogue such as how satire

is created through the mockumentary production through the representation of the everyman,

relevance of popular culture, and the breaking of gender hierarchy. I will use the research

conducted and scholarly dialogue on The Office and apply the findings along with my own

content analysis of Parks and Recreation. Based on the literature and episodes of The Office and

Parks and Recreation, I argue how Parks and Recreation presents seemingly more progressive

gender roles through the female lead politician Leslie Knope played by (Amy Poehler), but it

falls short due to the satire of women in a workplace environment through portraying

exaggerated stereotypical female roles, interactions with male co-workers, and relationships

through the mockumentary production style.

Keywords

gender, mockumentary, Parks and Recreation, reality television, satire, The Office

Word Count

8196

 

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Introduction

“The mockumentary genre holds that discomfort as central to its mission- for its through

that discomfort that we, as both audience and subject, reflect on our norms, values, ideologies,

and ways of being” (Miller, 2012, p.xii). Television comedic mockumentaries such as NBC’s

The Office and Parks and Recreation are satires of the mundane everyday lives of ordinary

people in a work environment. Both mockumentaries focus on mocking workplace norms,

values, and behaviors. The Office and Parks and Recreation satirize the social commentary and

cultural norms of what is normal work behavior bringing the audience a level of discomfort

when the characters’ display outlandish behavior breaking these social norms in the workplace.

Through the mockumentary production style, satire is created by the viewer’s interpretation of

the show and being “in on the joke” by understanding the references of gender norms and

behaviors in an office setting, relevant popular culture references, and current affairs. The

mockumentary production style emulates the style of reality television and is able to create the

discourse of satire in an office setting through on camera interviews, lack of a laugh track, and

showing characters’ natural behaviors (Walters, 2005). The mockumentary genre captures these

“real” moments in an office environment and makes it a satire based on the audience’s

interpretation of proper workplace behavior contrasting it by mocking cultural norms.

Parks and Recreation was not originally a commercial success, struggling with its

identity because viewers thought it was a spin off of The Office during the first season (Carter,

2011). The New York Times article states Parks and Recreation was originally intended as a spin

off of the hit show The Office until creators Greg Daniels and Michael Schur took the show in a

different direction (Itzkoff, 2009). NBC’s Parks and Recreation targeted the same niche

audience as The Office by using the same mockumentary style and satirical humor. Parks and

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Recreation has a similar visual style and production of The Office, but centers on the local

government through the parks department in Pawnee, Indiana. Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) is

the main character who works as the deputy director of the parks department. This creates a

different dynamic in the work environment than The Office. Parks and Recreation has a female

protagonist, Leslie Knope, at the center of the comedy as opposed to The Office’s male boss,

Michael Scott (Steve Carrell). Parks and Recreation uses the same style of production as The

Office to create the aesthetic feel of a documentary with a single camera, on camera interviews,

and constant surveillance, but shows the political sphere through the female protagonist Leslie

Knope.

After five seasons, Parks and Recreation has become a commercial and critically

acclaimed success. In 2012 the show was nominated for multiple Emmys for Outstanding

Writing for a Comedy Series, and Amy Poehler was nominated for Lead Actress in a Comedy

Series (Bierly, 2012). The show has grown into a commercial success with audiences as well,

now reaching syndication and an expanding audience. After the short first season of six episodes,

the writers made a few crucial changes to the show. They shifted the focus of the show from

more than filling in a sizeable pit in a residential neighborhood. This plotline was felt to be

limiting future plot developments. Leslie Knope’s character has subsequently evolved since “The

Pilot” even in the first season in “Boys’ Club” she started coming off less naïve and showing her

character as evolving with more depth (Carter, 2011). The mockumentary has become an

increasingly popular form of modern television serving as the narrative form for comedic texts.

With shows like Modern Family and Arrested Development, audiences feel through the

mockumentary style the shows are relatable and popular among younger demographics (Hight,

2010). The prominence of the mockumentary in contemporary society stems from the popularity

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of reality television among the younger generation as it emulates similar production styles and

aesthetics. Parks and Recreation is current because it discusses the recent success women

politicians have had in the 2008 and 2012 elections. The political success of Michelle Bachman,

Sarah Palin, and Hillary Clinton shows its relevancy. By mocking how government works in

Pawnee, Indiana, the show critiques government, authority figures, and social norms in the work

place through a satirical commentary.

Although The Office and Parks and Recreation have similar production style and

aesthetics, this essay performs a content analysis of how Parks and Recreation demonstrates the

satire of women and gender roles in a work environment and political sphere through the female

protagonist Leslie Knope played by Amy Poehler. This paper will examine the academic

literature of the comedic mockumentary The Office as a form of satire in the workplace. Then, I

analyze three episodes of Parks and Recreation performing a content analysis of the show using

the academic literature from The Office as a comparison. Parks and Recreation presents

seemingly more progressive gender roles through the female lead Leslie Knope, but falls short

due to the satire of women in a work environment through stereotypical female roles,

interactions with male co-workers, and relationships through the mockumentary production style.

Scholarly Dialogue

NBC has been a top broadcast television network for decades often recognized by its hit

sitcoms like The Cosby Show, Seinfeld, and Friends. These traditional sitcoms all have similar

visual aesthetics such as filmed with multiple cameras, have a laugh track, filmed in front of a

studio audience, and musical interludes (Beeden & de Bruin, 2009). The increasing popularity of

reality television programs has spawned a new form of the television sitcom: the mockumentary.

Alexandra Beeden and Joost de Bruin says the mockumentary breaks the conventionality of the

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sitcom by avoiding the “style and visual aesthetics that made the sitcom famous” (Beeden & de

Bruin, 2009, p.7). Along with the aesthetic differences the focus of the sitcom has changed from

a family or a friend group to the interactions of co-workers in a work environment, “This sense

of entrapment is vital to the continuing narrative of the series, as it ensures a return to the

equilibrium despite the conflicts that occur” (Beeden & de Bruin, 2009, p. 7). With the work

environment as the center of the show the characters’ are always there despite their personal

lives outside of the office. In 2004 Greg Daniels adapted The Office for American audiences

from the BBC original show The Office. The premise remained the same but it was cast with

American actors with Steve Carell as the boss Michael Scott. The show used the same premise as

the BBC version but tailored the humor for the American audience. The show got mixed reviews

in its first season with audiences and critics not sure how to interpret it. The show gained more

viewers in the second season, especially among a younger demographic (Griffin, 2008). The

NBC version of The Office catered to American audiences through humor and satire of popular

culture references, social norms, and proper behavior in an American work environment.

Through the popularity and critically acclaimed success of The Office lead to the creation of the

comedic mockumentary Parks and Recreation in 2009 (Itzkoff, 2009).

The mockumentary production style allows The Office and Parks and Recreation to

parody a real documentary by using satire to comment on issues presented in the work

environment. Both shows satirize behavior and actions that are appropriate in a work

environment by presenting situations that violate proper office behavior. These shows mock the

violations of social and cultural behavioral norms in an office setting causing both the characters’

and the audience discomfort by breaking down social norms (Miller, 2012). The Office violates

these social and behavioral norms by showing sexual harassment, inappropriate behavior with

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the women in the office, discussing money and class, prejudices, and negative stereotypes. Eric

Detweiler says The Office challenges race, class, and gender through irony to “undermine and

restate American cultural norms” (Detweiler, 2012, p.744). Parks and Recreation addresses

these issues of inappropriate work behaviors as well. Parks and Recreation moves beyond the

office and into the political sphere. In The Office, the lead character Michael Scott is always the

one violating the workplace norms. While on Parks and Recreation, Leslie, as a woman, often

has to overcome inappropriate gendered behavior and inequality in the work place. Women in

the political sphere have recently had momentous gains from Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin,

which Leslie often mentions. She refers to them as her idols because even though politics is still

dominated by men, they were able to break down gender stereotypes and inequality in politics

and the work place. Throughout the show, Leslie continually deals with inappropriate gendered

directed behavior in the work place and political sphere.

The mockumentary serves as a satirical comedy by having the characters breaking social

norms and behaviors by bringing up topics like race and gender. Jessica Birthisel and Jason

Martin discuss how The Office violates these behaviors, but the audience must understand how it

breaks convention as satire to be in on the joke, “The Office is intended to be fictional

entertainment. Not necessarily a mirror of real life; however, the program violates familiar

workplace norms in the name of humor, relying on the audiences familiarity with the realities of

office culture to sell the joke” (Birthisel & Martin, 2013, p.65). Biethisel and Martin explain The

Office satirizes the characters inappropriate behavior of gender and race in a work environment

through awkward and comedic scenarios, but the audience must understand Western culture and

societal norms to view them as humorous. Parks and Recreation shows this through a different

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lens because it deals with the work environment along with the political realm. Often Leslie

Knope is depicted as having to overcome obstacles to achieve her career goals and ambitions.

Detweiler describes how the mockumentary production style creates a new genre through

use of irony. Detweiler believes The Office’s use of irony comes from how the viewer decodes

the show. On The Office the oppositional decoding is the hegemonic product of the dominant

culture creating irony, “The overt meaning of the show is that hegemonic corporate structures are

inherently ridiculous, and the only way of surviving is ironic opposition and the fellowship of

one’s co-workers: an oppositional retotalization of corporate America’s message” (Detweiler,

2012, p.740). The ironic oppositional code is created through the mockumentaries, The Office

and Parks and Recreation, critiquing work corporations and government. They emulate how

reality television often captures the mundane and creates a narrative through the characters in a

corporate environment, “The Office, is set in a veritable Mecca of American banality- a suite in a

squat, rectangular office complex- and features the everyday employment of its eponymous place

of work” (Detweiler, 2012, p.729). Parks and Recreation capitalized on this notion of showing

the ordinary lives of local government employees in a small rural Indiana town. Amber Day says

a prominent component of contemporary satire is the representation of the everyman as a

surrogate to comment on society (Day, 2011). Through the oppositional decoding of The Office

as the dominant code is a critique on capitalist corporate structures through irony.

In the case of The Office and Parks and Recreation, the use of the characters’ in their

work environment is a commentary on capitalist corporate work in middle America in the early

21st century. The appeal to the show is through the audiences’ ability to form connections and

relate to the characters because they represent the every man (Walters, 2005). The viewers are

able to empathize with the characters through their dialogue in the confessional speaking directly

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to the camera thereby addressing the audience directly. Ben Walters refers to the audiences

empathizing with the characters in the normality of their lives as the key to the show as “banality

is the new escapism” (Walters, 2005, p.64). The Office and Parks and Recreation, featuring the

everyday lives of regular people in an ordinary job, allow audiences to relate to the characters’

situations and view the mockumentary as an ironic commentary of the corporate work

environment in middle America. The audience can interpret the episode’s content as oppositional

to the current hegemonic culture.

Irony is further reinforced through the production style of the mockumentary. The

mockumentary allows for the breaking of the fourth wall, characters speaking directly to the

camera in a confessional, lack of a laugh track, secret taping of characters, and characters

looking into the camera (Detweiler, 2012). Through this style the viewer is included in on the

joke when the characters look into the camera, almost like reacting with the viewer. This uses

irony as a “double voice” with the characters’ being ironic commentators by breaking the fourth

wall, and the viewer’s of the show watching it ironically which resonates with the main

demographic of young college students not corporate office employees (Detweiler, 2012). For

example, on Parks and Recreation Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari) Leslie’s assistant serves as the

“audiences primary ironic connection with the in-jokes” through his reaction to situations by

looking into the camera or rolling his eyes. Tom’s reaction into the camera substitutes a laugh

track by letting the viewer know how to react making them feel part of the joke (Detweiler,

2012). Tom’s role as the “ironic commentator” drives the satirical narrative of the show and

allows the audience to connect to the show through his character. The breaking down of the

fourth wall by characters by being able to address directly into the camera with a look or gesture

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serves as satirical commentary on those around them and cues the viewer through the character’s

reaction into the joke.

Jonathon Gray says in order to fully understand satire, the audience needs to be aware

and knowledgeable about political affairs and popular culture (Gray, 2009). Both Parks and

Recreation and The Office rely on the audience’s knowledge of popular culture and current

affairs in order to understand the satirical references. On The Office, Michael Scott’s extreme

behavior as the boss is humorous the audience which is expected to be knowledgeable of popular

culture in order to understand the satire. Beeden and de Bruin describe NBC’s The Office as

using culturally specific “inside humor” of American culture, with trends in popular culture

references that carry specific connotations (Beeden & de Bruin, 2009). The culturally coded

humor is based on the audience being aware of the specific references relevant in American

culture in order to understand the humor as satire. Throughout the series Michael Scott is always

referencing popular culture, often by imitating celebrities or referring to popular shows. The

audience’s knowledge of the celebrity or popular culture reference frames is important in

understanding the how the humor is satirical. On Parks and Recreation, Leslie is always

referencing top politicians Hillary Clinton, Madeleine Albright, and Joe Biden, thus relying on

the audience’s basic knowledge of these politicians and their personalities in order to understand

the joke. While Leslie is knowledgeable of politicians and politics, she is unknowledgeable about

popular culture, which contrasts with her assistant Tom’s popular culture obsession. He is always

talking about the latest Twitter trends, celebrities, and fashion. Leslie does not understand Tom’s

references, but the audience, if they’re aware of popular culture trends, understand the “inside

humor” of the reference. In order for audiences to understand the satirical humor of Parks and

Recreation they must be aware of American culture and current affairs.

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Satire is often gendered with women being the target of humor or inappropriate behavior.

The gender hierarchy is created in the work environment through women being excluded due to

men’s camaraderie through their humor. Biethisel and Martin state the masculine hierarchy in

The Office reinforces gender stereotypes. For example, in The Office episode “Sexual

Harassment” reinforces gender stereotypes when the office must take a course on appropriate

behavior in the workplace, but many of the characters continue their inappropriate behavior

especially towards the women in the office. The humor from satire stems from exaggerated

characters that mock our culture as a social critique and commentary (Birthisel & Martin, 2013).

Michael refuses to comply with the regulations because he feels it is ruining the rapport of the

office by not allowing jokes, and announces he will be retiring from comedy by no longer saying

“That’s what she said jokes” or forwarding crude emails (Birthisel & Martin, 2013). Michael

ultimately does not comply with the corporate policy and continues his behavior as before. Thus,

humor derives from his lack of censorship and not following proper social behaviors as the boss

and creating a satirical discourse of gender relations within the office through mocking the

exaggerated behaviors.

In Parks and Recreation, the gender hierarchy is created from the gender division in the

work sphere and political atmosphere. The satire comes from Leslie’s overcompensation due to

her gender causing her to try to break down the barrier, and pave the way for other females in

local government. Leslie’s passion for government politics drives her, but due to her gender, she

has to work twice as hard to break through the gendered hierarchy of the government caused by

exclusion from the “boys club.” Much like The Office, Parks and Recreation shows how women

must prove themselves to earn the respect of their male co-workers and superiors who often use

humor to bring them down through a satirical lens.

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Method

I will examine three episodes of Parks and Recreation through a content analysis of the

show. The content analysis of these episodes will focus on themes The Office uses to create satire

and how Parks and Recreation uses satire in the work environment. These themes are how satire

is created through the mockumentary production, the representation of the everyman, the

relevance of popular culture, and the breaking of the gender hierarchy. I will use the research

conducted and scholarly dialogue on The Office and apply the findings along with my own

content analysis of Parks and Recreation. Parks and Recreation began in 2009 as opposed to

The Office, which is on the ninth and final season. Since Parks and Recreation is relatively new,

there is a lack of academic scholarly research that has been published.

I will examine three different episodes two from the first season and one from the second

season. I chose these episodes because they start with establishing the character of Leslie Knope

in the “Pilot,” her progression at the end of the first season when she tries to infiltrate the “Boys’

Club” which is crucial in understanding dynamics of politics from her perspective. Then, with

the changes made in the second season how Leslie Knope’s character evolved into season two in

“Beauty Pageant.” I will be using the content analysis of the specific episodes of Parks and

Recreation along with the supplemental evidence from trade publications, interviews, and the

popular press. The first episode I will examine is “The Pilot” which premiered April 9, 2009.

Leslie tries to help turn the pit into a park after it was brought up at an open public forum. The

next episode “Boys’ Club” premiered April 30, 2009. Leslie tries to infiltrate the “boys’ club,”

but gets into trouble when she brings out a gift basket. Finally, the last episode I will examine is

“Beauty Pageant” which aired on October 1, 2009 (IMDB). I will be exploring how Leslie

Knope (Amy Poehler), the female lead character on Parks and Recreation is portrayed as an

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exaggeration through the satire of women’s gender roles is created in a work environment

through the mockumentary production style.

Analysis

Parks and Recreation premiered on April 9, 2009 on NBC before an episode of The

Office. The pilot episode begins with the lead character Leslie Knope played by Amy Poehler in

a park asking a young girl how she is enjoying her time at the park. Then, a boy comes up to her

yelling there is a drunk stuck on the slide. The camera cuts to her trying to force the drunk out of

the slide while she is explaining into the camera the importance of working for the government.

Leslie Knope believes the people need the help of the government. Leslie is shown again

speaking into the camera while sitting at a picnic table in the park and talking about how women

are involved in politics and having great success, “Government isn’t just a boys club anymore

women are everywhere. It’s a great time to be a woman in politics, Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin,

me, Nancy Pelosi” (Daniels, 2009). This first scene establishes the character Leslie Knope as a

passionate and driven woman working in the parks department for the local government.

Although it is clear she is very passionate about her job, she appears to be borderline delusional

of her role in local government comparing herself to some of the most influential women

politicians from the last decade. Amy Poehler describes her character as, “Naïve and narcissistic,

completely deluded and completely out of touch with reality” (Itzkoff, 2009, p.1). The pilot

demonstrates Leslie Knope as extremely passionate as the deputy of parks, but comes off as ditzy

and lacking self-awareness. Through the character of Leslie satire is created based on her

extreme character as a female working in the government whose life revolves around her job and

her lack of success with her relationships with men. The show was created in 2008 during the

peak of the election during which Hillary Clinton ran in the presidential primaries, and Sarah

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Palin was running for vice president, thus the show can be viewed as a commentary of women in

politics (Itzkoff, 2009). Therefore, Parks and Recreation appears to celebrate women politicians

through Leslie Knope, but actually satirizes women in politics by making her character an

exaggeration undermining women in the political sphere. Parks and Recreation appears to be

depicting a more progressive role of women through the protagonist Leslie Knope, but satirizes

the role of women in the work environment through portraying stereotypical behaviors, gender

patriarch, and relationships with men.

The pilot episode continues with Leslie and her co-worker Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari)

conducting a public forum. At the forum held in a small classroom in the school the citizens of

the community are telling Tom and Leslie their problems with the local government. Ann

Perkins (Rashida Jones) proceeds to tell them about the large pit across from her house that her

boyfriend fell in one night and broke both his legs. After she tells them about the pit, Tom begins

to flirt with her while asking her a series of questions about the pit and her relationship. Leslie

promises Ann she will build a park on the pit before getting the project approved. The next day

Leslie visits Ann and her boyfriend Andy Dwyer (Chris Pratt) so she can see the pit. While

visiting the pit she falls, but is not injured. After visiting the pit, Leslie tries to convince her boss

Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) to let her form a committee to fill in the pit and put a park there.

At first Ron is against letting her form a committee until the city planner Mark Brendanawicz

(Paul Schneider) who Leslie is secretly in love with convinces Ron to approve the committee

without her knowing. The pilot concludes with the motion for Leslie to form a committee to

build a park on the pit.

The pilot episode sets up the dynamics and relationships within the parks department.

Leslie appears to be the only person working in the parks department who is passionate about

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what she does. This attitude is in comparison to Tom who is apathetic and Ron who does not

believe in the government. Leslie’s over enthusiasm to fill in the pit and build a giant park with

an amphitheatre, swimming pool, and racquetball courts. This depicts her naivety by thinking she

can fit all of that on the small lot, and there is a budget for the project. Leslie knows as a woman

in politics she may be viewed differently, and is always strategizing how to “get in with the

boys.” She explains her success in the politics of local government while addressing the camera,

“City hall is like a locker room. You got to get in there and snap some towels at people and you

got to give them the business and if you can’t take it then you can’t take it” (Daniels, 2009).

Leslie feels as a woman working in politics one has to get on the good side of the guys, and

overcompensates her lack of masculinity with her behavior so she can be one of the guys. She

becomes a satire of women in politics and the work place by overcompensating to fit in with the

males due to the gender hierarchy. Leslie realizes she is considered an “outsider” due to her

gender as a female. Her male coworkers Tom and Ron do not feel this need to prove them like

Leslie does because she is female and they know politics is predominately male. Due to Leslie’s

overcompensation to fit in and gain the respect by her male colleagues, she becomes a satirical

representation of women in politics and the work environment through her behavior.

The pilot episode uses the mockumentary production to set up the sense of irony.

Throughout the episode each character speaks directly into the camera and introduces

themselves, explains their job, or how they feel about an issue. The viewer is able to form an

opinion and understand the characters relationships through the mockumentary production style.

They are able to see their interactions with other characters and their motives. Through the

mockumentary production style of the show, irony is created by breaking down the fourth wall.

The viewer feels they are part of the show by being in on the inside joke because they get the

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irony of what is said and what is meant (Detweiler, 2012). This rapport set up between the

characters clues the audience in on the irony through the lack of the fourth wall which is broken

down through on camera interviews, looking right into the camera, and by making faces as

commentary.

In the first episode, Leslie begins by talking about her job as the Deputy Parks Director of

Pawnee parks and recreation department, and how politics is no longer just all men. Leslie comes

off extremely excited and passionate about her job in local government, while they show b-roll

footage of her doing a minimal task of pushing a homeless person out of the slide and

exclaiming, “We did it!” The mockumentary production style sets up the ironic tone of her

overzealous passion for politics. This causes her to perceive her job as the level of importance of

her idols Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi. Leslie’s over enthusiasm for her job is contrasted to

many of her co-workers. Her boss Ron Swanson explains his hatred for the government in the

pilot episode in his interview with the camera. Ron believes all government is a waste of

taxpayer’s money, and does not believe the parks department should build any more parks. He

believes the parks department should charge people so they can make a profit. Ron’s views are

contrasted to Leslie’s who believes everyone should enjoy the parks. The rapport between Leslie

and Ron creates a humorous relationship built on the irony of their opposing beliefs. The

mockumentary production style supports the satire of women in the work environment through

Leslie’s interactions with her co-workers who are often mocking her in their interviews or

ironically looking into the camera as commenting on her actions.

The pilot episode continues with Leslie visiting the pit on the empty lot. She compares

her expedition to some of the past presidents of the United States accomplishments and visits.

First, she states that the chance to build the park from scratch will be her own version of the

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Hoover Dam. While at the pit she refers to the trip as a “fact finding mission” while going in the

“battle zone” by entering the pit. Before she explores the pit, she compares it to when George

Bush flew over New Orleans and when Richard Nixon visited China. Leslie comparing her

situation with the pit to former presidents roles demonstrates her delusion of the importance of

her job as the deputy of the parks department. After giving her speech she asks Tom to

document the moment of her at the pit, but then she falls into the pit and rolls down to the

bottom. Ann is a nurse and makes sure Leslie is not seriously injured. Ann asks Leslie if she is

okay, and Leslie replies she is fine because she was wearing a hard hat, which falls off when she

was tumbling into the pit. Leslie falling into the pit depicts her as ditzy. The depiction of Leslie

as a ditzy blonde is a stereotypical female behavior which causes her to not be taken as seriously.

Leslie is a satire of stereotypical behaviors of women by portraying her as out of touch with

reality while reducing her to the role of a ditzy blonde female. Parks and Recreation’s ironic

treatment of Leslie’s political aspirations undermines her political agency and is not progressive.

For example, Leslie takes her job so serious even in banal circumstances, but then falls into the

pit while on the job undermines her political aptitude. Leslie becomes an exaggerated character

making a mockery of women in political roles, therefore not taking a progressive stance on

women politicians. Leslie’s ironic situations that she is faces on the show cause her political

aspirations to be undermined and fall short of being a progressive representation of women in

politics.

Along with Leslie, Ann is reduced to a stereotypical female through her job as nurse a

predominantly female occupation. This demonstrates the workplace stereotypes of women being

caring and compassionate (Birthisel & Martin, 2013). Ann is occupied with taking care of her

boyfriend, due to his broken legs, and her full time occupation as a nurse. She is constantly

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waiting on him by cooking meals and cleaning up after him. Therefore Ann is not only reduced

to stereotypical female roles as a nurse, she is also a caretaker for her boyfriend. Leslie and Ann

are both satires of female roles and behaviors in a working environment. In the pilot episode Ann

is not only reduced to a female stereotype of being caring, she is also sexualized when Tom

proceeds to hit on her at the public forum. Ann tells Leslie and Tom about how her boyfriend fell

into the pit and broke both his legs, then Tom begins to ask how serious her relationship is with

her boyfriend. Tom tells Ann, “You have to take care of him you probably feel like you need to

move on just become more adventurous in relationships with your body” (Daniels, 2009). Tom

reduces Ann to a sexual object in front of everyone in the forum causing her public humiliation.

When she responds by asking if he is hitting on her, he replies no because he is married and

points to his wedding ring. Tom then proceeds to tell Ann that he enjoys the accompany of other

people such as beautiful women, while Leslie sitting next to him nods in agreement as the

camera cuts to Ann’s confused face. The irony in this scene stems from Tom objectifying Ann.

All the while Leslie is completely oblivious and thinks he is trying to help the situation with the

pit like she is. Tom is exerting his masculinity in order to gain control of the situation by

sexualizing Ann. This is a satirical representation of how men often have the upper hand

politically and in a work environment, but Leslie fails to see this.

Leslie’s office creates an exaggerated representation of herself, mocking her obsession

with women political figures. Her office is covered with photographs of female leaders showing

her character as obsessed with women politicians but has an oppositional meaning as well

(Birthisel & Martin, 2013). All the framed photographs of female politicians represent a critique

of women in the political sphere by her looking to them as future colleagues and personal heroes.

When she is speaking directly into the camera she is usually sitting at her desk with the giant

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bronze crest medallion for the City of Pawnee, Indiana behind her. The crest has the city name

carved around it with a rural pasture scene in the middle representing when Pawnee was first

established. Next to her desk on one side are the American flag and the other the state flag of

Indiana, showing her patriotism to the state she serves and her country. Decorating the walls of

her office are framed photographs of all her personal heroes from Condoleezza Rice, Hillary

Clinton, Madeleine Albright, Nancy Pelosi, and many other politically influential women

throughout history. Not only do they represent her heroes for being powerful women in politics

like she views herself, she views on a personal level often comparing herself to them and

believes one day they will become colleagues. In most of her interviews with the camera a few of

the pictures are in the frame. Leslie’s identity is established and reinforced through her office and

her interviews with the camera that shows her obsession with women in politics and how

seriously she takes her job. Leslie’s office shows off an exaggerated representation of herself

with all the photographs, but the oppositional reading can be seen as mocking what women

politicians have accomplished in the political sphere.

In season two, episode three “Beauty Pageant” cop Dave Sanderson (Louis CK) visits

Leslie’s office to ask her out on a date. Upon seeing the photographs he does not know who they

are and refers to Madeleine Albright as Leslie’s grandmother. She appears shocked and appalled

that someone would not know who Madeleine Albright is, and does not think she can see him

again as they do not share the same interests. This is a satirical commentary on people not being

knowledgeable about politics, but also especially not paying attention to women in the political

sphere. Upper class, white males still mostly control politics, but Leslie believes now is the time

for women to break this barrier. Leslie’s life revolves around the women politicians like

Madeleine Albright, the first woman to become Secretary of State, but is seen as unimportant to

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most people. The scene between Leslie and Dave is a satirical commentary on the state of

politics in the United States and the public’s general unawareness of women in politics influence

through this humorous exchange.

As a woman in the political sphere Leslie always has to prove herself more in order to be

taken seriously in a predominately masculine realm of politics. Therefore she always follows the

rules because she is committed to serving her job to the best of her ability because due to her

female gender she is under more scrutiny. Leslie’s need to always follow the rules is her

overcompensating because she is a female worker in government. This is a satire of the gender

hierarchy in the political sphere and work environment. Leslie takes this rule following to the

extreme by always following the highest moral code while even regarding miniscule rules.

Leslie’s need to abide by the rules and overcompensate is because she is a female in a work

environment controlled by the gender hierarchy of politics.

This gendered hierarchy is shown in season one, episode four “Boys’ Club.” Leslie is in a

moral dilemma after she infiltrates the “boys’ club,” the group of male city hall workers like city

planner Mark who drink beer in the courtyard after work. When Leslie and Ann decide to join

they are welcomed and offered beers. When they run out of beers they are about to leave until

Leslie opens a basket of wine and cheese that was sent to their office. She initially did not let

anyone drink it because over the value of $25 beyond which government employees cannot

accept. They end up drinking the wine and the next day she makes a video apologizing because

she failed to uphold the government employee’s ethics code. Leslie tells her boss Ron about the

situation and he tells her not to blow it out of proportion. The intern April Ludgate (Aubrey

Plaza) who is only 19 years old posts a video of her drinking wine online, which the ethics board

finds. The ethics board requests a disciplinary hearing with Leslie because of allowing a minor to

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consume alcohol. Leslie apologizes for the incident and takes responsibility, but they attack her

for opening the gift basket and letting the intern consume the wine. Ron stands up for her by

saying she has never broken a rule before, and they are done here and leaves. The only

repercussion she has to deal with is a letter in her file. The episode concludes with Mark giving

Leslie a beer and telling her he has seven letters in his file, and welcomes her to the “boys’ club.”

As a women in a political work environment Leslie feels she is sometimes disadvantaged

due to her gender. Leslie does not want to be excluded from this activity due to her gender

because the boys club is all male exclusive. When Leslie is talking about the boys club into the

camera she is standing in front of all the city councilmember’s portraits which are all male

representing the dominance of males in politics. Leslie wants to break down this barrier in a

work environment separated by gender. Due to Leslie’s femininity she feels she needs to prove

herself to the other males by infiltrating the boys club and overcompensate by getting the wine

from the gift basket so the men will not leave. While she attends the “boys’ club” with Ann, she

feels it is a step towards gaining more gender equality in the work place. It is ironic that once

Leslie breaks the rules she is able to join the “boys’ club.” She was trying so hard to stick to the

rules but once she got a letter in her file she was one of them. This episode is a satirical critique

of women in the political sphere and work environment are that often left out because they are

not part of the “boys’ club” representing the political sphere as a masculine dominated

environment.

Along with being left out of male activities the episode is also a critique of women being

held to a different standard. Before they find out about April posting the video while drinking

wine Leslie is making a bigger deal out of opening the gift basket and punishing herself for the

situation. She continues to heighten the severity of the situation because she knows she will be

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reprimanded for it. When Leslie is discussing the situation with Ron she tells him due to her

gender she will be judged harder for the offense, “Maybe in your world it isn’t a big deal you’re

a white Protestant man. I am a woman and I need to hold myself up to a higher standard” (Yang,

2009). Leslie is critiquing how this double standard hinders women because they are judged and

scrutinized because of their gender. Leslie is being the hardest on herself in the situation, which

is not that serious by even making a public apology video stating, “Good afternoon. Since we last

spoke I have taken extraordinary steps to make further amends for the mistakes I have made. I

have written a full confession, which I will be emailing, to everyone in the Pawnee government.

I asked Ron to blow the whistle on me which he refused which is why I had to whistle blow

myself” (Yang, 2009). Leslie acknowledges in a work environment she will be judged stricter as

a woman, but it is humorous as she takes her small mistake into a huge issue. This is a

commentary on manufactured crises that often mark contemporary national politics.

The situation is satirical as Leslie’s public apology mimics a press conference of a high

level politician involved in a scandal, while her incident was petty. Due to her gender she

believes she will be reprimanded for her crime. After the incident of the intern April consuming

the wine is made public, the disciplinary committee punishes Leslie for it. The committee comes

down hard on her even though it is her first offense until Ron defends her by telling them her

record is perfect. Due to Ron coming to Leslie’s defense, she only gets letter in her file as

opposed to being reprimanded or fired. Leslie is aware she is held to a different standard as a

woman and due to the gendered hierarchy in work and political environments she must work

harder to earn the respect.

The second season of Parks and Recreation slightly altered the show’s format due to

mixed reviews and low ratings by abandoning the pit storyline, which the first season evolved

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around (Carter, 2011). The next season featured different storylines each episode allowing the

show to evolve by building character development and character relationships. In season two,

episode three “Beauty Pageant” shows Leslie and Tom as judges for the Miss Pawnee beauty

pageant. This episode demonstrates Leslie’s belief in feminism through a satirical lens because

the contrast of how she judges the pageant is based on intelligence, values, and morals while

Tom r judges the women based on superficiality appearances. Leslie takes the job as judging the

pageant extremely serious because she believes whoever wins will be the “representative of

womanhood in Pawnee based on their talent and poise” (Dippold, 2009). Leslie believes the

pageant will be a way for strong young women leaders of Pawnee to come together for a good

cause and promote women’s leadership. Leslie takes her role very serious because she believes

the new Miss Pawnee must fulfill the characteristics of what she believes strong young women

should have. In contrast Tom and the other judges, one being a former Miss Pawnee winner,

judge the girls based on appearance thus making a mockery of Leslie’s voting style.

The young women have to go through three rounds during the pageant introductions,

talent, and questions from the judges. The pageant becomes an extreme representation of

superficiality showing the plain, smart girl Susan competing against the “hot one” Trish. The

beauty pageant is seen as hyperbole through the exaggeration of the women represented

satirizing the meaning of femininity and beauty pageants. The two girls, the focus of the pageant,

are opposite each other. They are an exaggeration of stereotypes and reduces them into two

categories, attractive or not. Susan is the smart one, but she is not attractive and is nerdy. Trish is

the attractive one so she does not seem intelligent and is promiscuous. The pageant is showing

two exaggerations of women to mock how women are reduced to falling into the virgin whore

dichotomy, where women must fall into one category. This shows how women are categorized

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and judged on superficiality in the pageant world through Parks and Recreation’s hyperbole

exaggeration of the two types of women competing. Susan is a volunteer at the hospital and

plays the piano. Trish is the opposite of Susan she claims to have been on “Youtube” and her act

is the baton, but does not twirl she just dances with it. Tom mocks how Leslie was scoring the

contestants in an interview into the camera, “Here we have Leslie’s custom score card. With

categories such as presentation, intelligence, knowledge of “herstory,” fruitful gestures, and

something called the Naomi Wolf factor” (Dippold, 2009). Leslie’s scorecard was a satire of

feminist views through specifically targeting categories like women’s history and Naomi Wolf a

leader of the feminist movement. Leslie’s extreme stance on promoting feminism is turned into

a joke because she is the only one judging on those merits. The other judges do not take her

seriously. Her extreme stance is contrasted with Tom who proceeds to flirt with all the

contestants and judge them based on breast size. Tom reduces the contestants to sexual objects

while Leslie is trying to find the next young women leader. This situation creates a satire of the

women’s representations. This places women in two categories the strong, female leader like

Leslie or the dumb, attractive one like Trish. This gender stereotyping demonstrates women’s

inability to have multiple roles or identities by placing them into one of two categories.

During the pageant, Leslie asks Trish how to improve on America. Trish answers

extremely offensively by saying due to high immigration rates it should be changed into “Our-

America” and not “Their America” while everyone looking on applauds and cheers her (Dippold,

2009). The other judges approve calling her adorable. This is a comment on a popular political

topic immigration reform, which Pawnee a small town in the Midwest seems to support

immigration control. Leslie’s belief in feminism and promoting strong women leaders is turned

into a satire when no one listens to her as a judge and they override her decision. The other

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judges pick the “hot one” Trish over Leslie’s choice Susan. Leslie is frustrated and speaks into

the camera telling Trish she hopes she honors the crown with dignity and devotion while the

camera pans to her taking shots with some of the other pageant contestants. This creates irony

because while Leslie took her job as judging very serious the contestants take shots in front of

her. This demonstrates that Leslie’s push for a strong young woman leader of Pawnee failed as

did her push for feminist values. The other judges and contest made a mockery of Leslie’s

beliefs by picking the unintelligent “hot one” Trish. Trish winning the beauty contest based

purely on her appearance demonstrates how women are reduced to sexual objects through her

stereotypical character by placing her in the category of being attractive and unintelligent, unable

to be both. Thus, satirizing the role of women by only being able to fit into a stereotypical role.

Conclusion

Parks and Recreation and The Office are both satirical mockumentaries of the dynamics

of the work environment. By using The Office as comparative discourse to Parks and Recreation

the main difference is the role of gender on Parks and Recreation. The main character Leslie

Knope is a woman in the work environment and the political sphere. Parks and Recreation

demonstrates seemingly more progressive gender roles through the female lead Leslie Knope.

However, it falls short due to the satire of women in a work environment through stereotypical

female roles, hierarchy of interactions with male co-workers, and relationships through the

mockumentary production style.

Parks and Recreation shows the struggle of gaining equal gender roles in the work

environment through Leslie Knope. The content analysis of the three episodes showed how her

character did evolve by becoming less naïve, but she still took her job as serious as the

president’s. Leslie Knope often overcompensates to try to break down the barrier but fails when

Hill 25

reduced to a stereotypical women behavior. The masculine work environment creates the gender

hierarchy in the office, which excludes women often holding them to a different standard. Parks

and Recreation appears to show more progressive female roles through Leslie Knope, but she is

reduced to stereotypical female behaviors and roles when trying to break down the gender barrier

in the work environment.

Parks and Recreation premiered in 2009 an important time for female politicians in the

2008 and 2012 election, but the show undermines women in the political sphere through

satirizing Leslie Knope. Leslie Knope’s ironic treatment on the show does not celebrate her

political career, but makes her ambitions and goals humorous by making them an exaggeration.

In today’s society most high-level women politicians face ridicule and mockery through satirical

representations. Parks and Recreation appears to celebrate women in politics, but through the

exaggeration and mockery of Leslie Knope the show does not take a progressive stance on

female politicians, but undermines’ their agency through irony and satire.

Hill 26

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