Pam Beesly Has a Posse

» Beesly part of 15 most kickass women on television

2. Pam Beesly (The Office)
Is there a more unlikely heroine than a receptionist at a paper company? And yet, Pam Beesly inexplicably is one. At the beginning of the series Pam is a mousy pushover, in a loveless, never-ending engagement with her high school sweetheart, Roy. The only color in her drab, dead-end life is office pranks and long-forgotten dreams of becoming an artist.

But the joy of Pam is that more than any other character on the show, we get to watch her grow and evolve before our very eyes. Pam kicks Roy to the curb, enrolls in art classes, and grows a backbone with her head held high. And she does it for herself, despite being in what seems to be a never-the-right-time love with Jim, the show’s resident dreamboat. (That’s right, everyone, I went there.)

Pam’s ability to plow through the romantic angst and grow on her own ends up not only fulfilling her on a personal level, but paves the way for her and Jim to finally get together the way fans have been rooting for since day one. Pam is funny, adorable, warm, and strong. She’s an ordinary woman who makes doing ordinary things extraordinary, and that’s what being kickass is all about.