50 fearless, confident, all around badass women on television

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Barbara – Girlfriends’ Guide To Divorce

You might be so used to Retta’s character from Parks and Recreation, but her new role on Girlfriend’s Guide is so much more badass. Barbara started out as a minor, supporting character, but over the last season and a half, she’s emerged as a scene stealer and fan favorite.

Sure, she’s funny and quick, but her character adds some much needed depth to this circle of friends that are often vapid and shallow. These LA ladies can grow a little tedious at times. While the glamour and expensive lifestyles can be great aspirational television, Barbara is the character we most admire.

Barbara is a working mother, raising a son with special needs alone after his father left her for her sister. She started out bitter and a little mad at the world, but with the help of a new job and some undeniably fierce new clothes, she’s finally finding her stride. Not only is she relatable and down to earth, she most often is the voice of reason. In a season of exaggerated shrieks, torrid affairs, and expensive shoes and handbags, Barbara has to the courage to buck the LA stereotype and just be herself. Having the confidence to be a Barbara in a world full of Barbies is about as brave as it gets.