![]() ![]() We also see her hiding against Ron when Chris forces her to interact with her, closing doors whenever people want to engage dialogue, refusing to have important talks if she has to look people in the eye, hanging up on the telephone abruptly, using Andy as a shield (staying with him all the time at social gatherings so he does the talking), etc. For example, and despite the fact that Tom has always been one of her favorite colleagues, it’s the only reason she gives for refusing to help Tom promote his new alcohol, the Snakejuice (“ I hate talking to people about things, this is a nightmare,” season 3, episode 13). This is something we observe in April on multiple occasions: she is very uncomfortable talking to people. When you have social anxiety, the most basic interactions like talking, holding a simple conversation can be a source of stress and even fear. She does say that, on more than one occasion, but what people might forget to take into account is her even more frequent “I hate talking to people”. Now, everyone who watches the show will have noticed April saying that she hates people. ![]() What if I told you that April has social anxiety? The ultimate ice queen, the deadpan snarker who claims loud and clear she doesn’t care about anything or anyone, except maybe her husband and dogs. This is a story for another article, maybe.)īut let’s talk about April Ludgate today. His arc of fighting depression, covered in seasons 4 and 5, was a great showcase of how depression can happen to anyone, and how therapy is a healthy and normal way to navigate it. His depression was not made part of his personality, but rather an issue he was facing - he is generally a very positive, active and cheerful person, traits that aren’t usually associated with depressed individuals. I also acknowledge the existence of Chris Traeger who goes completely against such a trend. The same can happen with a character’s sexuality, their gender identity, their religion, etc. (I’ll open a parenthesis here to underline that mental illness is not the only kind of headcanon built through more or less obvious subtext. Just like that line of thinking prevents people from getting diagnosed and maybe receive the appropriate treatment, in the same way, mental illnesses often remain in the realm of headcanons and are denied vehemently by other parts of fandom, claiming that the perceived symptoms are just part of the character’s personality. Is that character depressed, or are they sad a lot? Are they suffering from anxiety, or are they a shy person? Are they introverted and awkward or are they on the spectrum of autism? And all mentally ill people would probably agree that such questions are also relevant in real life: am I just easily distracted, or could this be a sign of ADHD? Am I shy or do I have social anxiety? The two are often one and the same in a person’s mind. Representation of mentally ill people can be quite tricky because it can be so intrinsically linked to personality. However, there is one type of struggle the show did represent, and in my opinion quite well, and that is mental illness. ![]() ![]() There isn’t much to say for trans or disabled representation, as there simply isn’t any. In my last article, I talked about gay representation in Parks and Rec and how it is mostly derogatory and stereotyped. While, yes, there are women filling key roles in all plotlines, starting with the lead of the show Leslie Knope, and there are several people of color in the main cast (same proportion as women, at four out of ten, almost half, which isn’t a lot and most likely isn’t enough, but is more than your average show − noteworthy, three out of the four main female characters are women of color), the show did a rather poor job of giving most marginalized minorities a voice, characters to relate to and identify with. To that, Parks and Recreation offers some sort of answer. Maybe you’ve felt like your particular situation wasn’t depicted often enough, or you’ve wondered why you don’t see more people like you on TV, or, most likely, you’ve been upset to find out once again that so and so directed a movie with a straight white male lead. Unless you’re the mythical able-bodied cis straight white male, chances are you’ve found yourself wanting more representation of your specific struggles in popular culture. ![]()
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