Running head: REPRESENTATIONS IN 1

Representations in Orange Is the New Black

Student's Name

Language of Television

Montclair State University

April 27, 2017 REPRESENTATIONS IN ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK 2

Abstract

Representations are typically defined as something or someone that is being portrayed in place of something else. When discussing representations in the realm of television, it is outlined as the way that a group, community, topic, or idea is depicted from an ideology set forth by society.

The critically acclaimed show, Orange Is the New Black, authentically represents aspects of race, gender and sexuality in its narrative and diverse cast of characters. These three components of the show are examples of intersectionality because they are social constructs that create the overlying theme of oppression and discrimination that the characters face in the show.

“Enlightened Racism” by Sut Jhally and Justin Lewis discusses the negative stereotypes that

African-Americans face by the way they are depicted on television. “Television, Representation and Gender” by Julie D’Acci explores how representations in television shape how audiences view society’s perception of gender and sexuality. Both essays apply to how Orange Is the New

Black integrates the three topics into their narrative and character storylines. Ultimately, this essay highlights how Orange Is the New Black realistically depicts race, gender and sexuality and how it commendably gives voice to those who are misrepresented in television and media.

Keywords: Orange Is the New Black, representations, television representations, portrayals, character portrayals, race, gender, sexuality, shows, television, characters

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Representations in Orange is the New Black

In the world of television, characters are not only important to the narration of the story, but are also important to add structure and depth to the world that is created. The complexity and intricacy of a character creates a greater impact on their storylines in the show. One of the main reason why people engage in a television show is because of the relationship the audience has with the characters. The audience gets attached to characters not just because of their story-arcs in the show, but because the audience can relate to and empathize with the characters. Humans are always taught that they, the audience, are real and that the characters in the show are not- they are fictional. Contrastingly, characters give a sense of realness because they represent actual people so that the audience can emotionally connect with them.

Whether people realize it or not, characters and depictions on screen can shape who people become, aspire to be, and most importantly, how they view the world. We live in a world where children turn on the television and admire the person on the screen or look through magazines and want to look just like the person on the cover. Growing up today, it is important to see portrayals of characters from all walks of life in the entertainment industry. Television characters gives viewers a reflection of themselves, even though television cannot reflect one’s vision of reality. For instance, the phrase, “you can’t be what you don’t see” demands the media industry to tell stories of a large portion of people in the world who are often misrepresented in television. That being said, diversity in a cast of characters can impact the audience in a positive way. Because the world we live in today is constantly changing, the entertainment industry is continuously representing characters that anyone, regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, and economic upbringing, can be drawn to. REPRESENTATIONS IN ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK 4

Orange Is the New Black has earned high critical acclaim and scholarly praise for it’s realistic depiction of race, gender, and sexuality. The show gives voice to the groups of people that are not regularly represented in television and media. The Netflix original show tells the story of , a woman who is sentenced to Litchfield Penitentiary, a women’s prison, because she was convicted of smuggling drugs for her then-girlfriend . In prison, she is reunited with Alex and meets several inmates, all who come from different backgrounds and represent diversity. The success of this show proves not only to Hollywood, but the industry that people will watch programs that steer away from stories that feature straight, white males. Prior to this program, there was no other prison show that presented females in such a way; most prison shows were about men. Orange Is the New Black illustrates that women programs mcan just be as successful as shows about men, and it definitely got the ball rolling for more female representation in the future. Intersectionality takes place within Orange Is the New Black because it features racial, gender and sexuality issues of inequality and all three of these aspects of the show do not stand alone- they all interconnect in the prison setting.

As an approach to explore the representations in Orange Is the New Black, this following analysis considers Julie D’Acci’s “Television, Representation, and Gender” essay, along with Sut

Jhally and Justin Lewis’ “Enlightened Racism.” “Enlightened Racism” by Jhally and Lewis makes a point about how the wildly popular sitcom, The Cosby Show, helped American families recognize the exemplification of a different kind of family on television and its recurring importance in the real world, which its thesis collides with the racial parts of Orange Is the New

Black. Also, D’Acci’s “Television, Representation and Gender” composition discusses that representations in television, for example, shape how people understand societies perception of gender and sexuality in a cultural, economic, and ethnic way; this essay will strengthen the REPRESENTATIONS IN ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK 5 aspects of gender and sexuality that are depicted in the show. In what follows, this paper will discuss how Orange Is the New Black authentically represents race, gender and sexuality, and how it effectively incorporates these topics into their storylines and cast of diverse characters.

Race

Race and ethnicity play an important role in human lives, and is outlined as a biological characterization that individuals share based on skin color. Race can be intellectualized as a socially constructed character that progresses over time, where racial classifications are dictated by societal forces- socially, economically and politically (Omi & Winant, 1986). The show

Orange Is the New Black presents an accurate depiction of racial issues that people face today, like discrimination and oppression, while challenging cultural stereotypes.

The women in Orange Is the New Black deal with both oppression and privilege which is decided on because of their race. In Kimberly Crenshaw’s (1989) thesis titled “Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex,” the term intersectionality is instituted to express the diverse interlocking frameworks of oppression, domination, and discrimination that people may battle against. The frameworks cannot be isolated because they all add to the general mistreatment that an individual deals with in society. In the beginning season, the show’s antagonist was Officer

Healy, the prison’s corrections officer and inmate counselor. Healy took a liking to Piper in regards of just her race and status, and preferred her instead of the other inmates based on his assumption. In “Enlightened Racism,” Jhally and Lewis point out that the fight between racial depictions “is fought entirely on the turf of the dominant culture, ultimately legitimating white, upper middle class hegemony” (Jhally & Lewis, 2003, p. 284). Specifically, in episode 5 of the first season, titled “The Chickening,” Officer Healy strictly punishes , an

African-American inmate for running on prison grounds. Though, it was evidently Piper’s fault REPRESENTATIONS IN ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK 6 that Poussey started running in the first place. Healy is aware of this and lets Piper off easy by knowing that she only made a mistake. He tells Piper that the African-American inmates, like

Poussey, “are not like [Piper] and [himself.] They’re less reasonable. Less educated” (Jones,

2013). This hits home to issues going on in the world, such as the Black Lives Matter campaign.

Likewise, the women in Orange Is the New Black separate themselves due to race, and

Piper is awakened to see such racism in the prison. In the pilot episode titled “I Wasn’t Ready,”

Piper is introduced to the prison atmosphere. During the episode, Piper enters the cafeteria and while she is looking for a place to sit, another inmate tells her to “sit with the nice, white lady.”

Throughout the show, the cafeteria, along with the bathroom, evidently illustrates women being segregated with others within their own race. Piper is privileged and self-centered. Just from the beginning of the first season, Piper has an eye-opening experience because of her new reality, which , a white woman like her, assures her to be true when saying that in the prison they “look out for their own” (Friedman & Kohan, 2013).

Moreover, many shows that feature other races and ethnicities are primarily being shown on a white program. Thus, several of stereotypes are fed into those characters and storylines.

For instance, “Enlightened Racism” by Jhally and Lewis argues that The Cosby Show helped to break through the typical stereotypes that African-American families face because “it is, nonetheless, a notion that takes on a greater degree of urgency for black people, who feel that they have been victims of years of negative stereotyping” (Jhally & Lewis, 2003, p. 279).

Audiences who watch Orange Is the New Black may think that the show is filled with stereotypes, but the show challenges those typecasts by adding depth to characters through flashbacks and storylines. , an African-American actress who plays Taystee on the show, states that she does not believe that she is “playing a stereotype. [She feels] that the REPRESENTATIONS IN ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK 7 writers were really looking to the core of who these women were, and [she] really wanted to be apart of that” (Eurweb, 2013).

Although Orange Is the New Black begins as Piper Chapman’s story, the other characters’ background and race helps bring the story to life. The show portrays a wide array of personalities and their schemas by portrayals of Hispanic, African-American, and Asian characters. In this paragraph, the three characters that will be discussed are Aleida Diaz, Taystee, and Chang. Aleida is a Latina, and she has her daughter with her in prison. The typical Latina mother figure is uncovered and exemplified in this show, but the show’s depiction of it is truthful- without glorifying it, by showing the raw relationship between the two characters.

Aleida, and the other Latinas, are seen as tender, strong-willed, and are characterized by their beauty. Taystee is an African-American character who has a “tough-girl attitude.” In an episode,

Taystee is a candidate to represent the blacks in prison, and promises fried chicken in the cafeteria by playing on their stereotype. She is very aware of her race’s stereotype and embraces it, but scornfully refuses to get involved with real issues. The character Chang is pretty quiet and to herself throughout the seasons, but the representation of her character defies the typical stereotypes of Asian women on television, which are the exotic, sweet, and compliant characteristics. Chang is not depicted as ingenious or smart, but instead shown as a powerful woman who stands up for herself and has control over her life. What is essential to note about

Orange Is the New Black is the equivalent representations from each racial group. The diverse inmates are not reflexive characters incorporated as an attempt to advance differences on television; they are a complete piece of the Litchfield Penitentiary population that adds to the show.

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Gender

Ever since the golden age of television, women have been underrepresented in various shows. In the case that women were featured on a show, they had stereotypical female roles that asserted their gender roles, such as being a love interest, being attractive and thin, and depthless to fulfill the role as a wife or supporter. In recent years, slowly more and more television series have featured females as lead characters who are strong and heroic, such as Buffy the Vampire

Slayer (1997-2003) and Scandal (2012- ). With that, there has been a shift to, primarily, an all- girl cast of characters in shows like Sex and the City (1998-2004), Pretty Little Liars (2010-

2017), Girls (2012- ), and, of course, Orange Is the New Black (2013- ).

According to Julie D’Acci’s “Television, Representation and Gender,” when describing gender, it is defined “with the terms “masculine” and “feminine” usually referring to socially and culturally-produced gender, and “male” and “female” referring to biologically-produced sex”

(D’Acci, 2004, p. 377). Society tends to measure expectations and gender identities through gender roles, or norms that are based on the typical associations with being male or female which include personality, behaviors, and responsibilities. Gender is a social and cultural construction based in D’Acci’s essay, and in Orange Is the New Black there are no prominent gender roles; the show claims that no task is designed for one gender in particular. Therefore, the women on this show do not conform to what society expects from them.

The questions that arise in D’Acci’s thesis are as to why the “maintenance of gender norms deemed so crucial? Why does the blurring or the crossing of the gender binary cause such discomfort, indeed such panic” (D’Acci, 2004, p. 378)? In Orange Is the New Black, two characters that represent the crossing of gender binaries are Big Boo and Sophia Burset. For instance, Judith Butler, whose works include “Gender Trouble” and “Bodies That Matter,” points REPRESENTATIONS IN ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK 9 to society’s “enormous ranges of hormone distributions of individuals we typically call male and female, ranges of secondary sex characteristics such as facial and body hair and muscle mass…”

(D’Acci, 2004, p. 378). Big Boo neglects to obey the conventional, regulative idea of femininity.

She expresses herself in ways that society would view as “masculine”- her hair is cut short like a male, she has various tattoos, and the way her prison clothes fit her shows off her overweight, yet muscular physique. In John Fiske’s “Television Culture,” Fiske considers masculinity “to be a paradox of power and discipline” (Fiske, 1987, p. 210). Big Boo is one of the tougher characters, and does not fear using violence or threats against others.

One of the most groundbreaking characters illustrated on the show is Sophia Burset, a transgender, played by . D’Acci disputes that in today’s age, “one is continually confronted with the regulatory forms of gender and what it means or could mean to transgress them” (D’Acci, 2004, p. 378). She goes on to discuss that some people are comfortable with reassuring their children to be whoever they want to be in regards to gender. Through flashbacks, the audience familiarizes themselves with her backstory- she is a transwoman who committed credit-card fraud to help fund her surgeries when transitioning. D’Acci also goes on to state that “femininity may be readily understood as a constructed category (because of it’s association with things like makeup, hairstyles….)” (D’Acci, 2004, p. 379). In the early seasons,

Sophia had her own salon in the prison because she enjoyed doing hair and makeup on herself and the other inmates. On the show, Sophia is always honest when it comes to discussing her transition with others. Despite Sophia’s integrity, that does not stop the transphobic abuse placed upon her by her own son’s unacceptance of his father’s transition and the judgmental remarks from the other inmates in prison.

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Sexuality

The universal representations of queer women in Orange Is the New Black are a portion of a larger spectrum that goes beyond sexuality. Sexuality is defined as the “erotically significant aspects of social life and social being, such as desires, practices, relationships and identities” (Jackson, 2006, p. 106). D’Acci hypothesizes that if individuals were to look at television with new eyes,

for example, all the repressed homoeroticism in traditional TV depictions… [they] could

try to unleash the multiplicities in gender that are bound up in the conventional binaries

of male/female, masculinity/femininity, man/woman. [They] could try to see gender (and

sexuality) as a continuum (of multiple genders and sexualities), with innumerable

possibilities for individuals and for relationships (D’Acci, 2004, p. 380).

In other words, D’Acci (2004) argues that a television show does not need to have homosexual characters for it to be considered a queer program- one could examine heteronormative friendships and a team of characters. But, because Orange Is the New Black’s characters defy the traditional sexual and romantic relationships, it would be considered a queer program.

A main point that this show makes is that even though the lesbian aspects of the show are common, the show is not essentially concentrated on the gay narratives. D’Acci states that scholars debate that characters that present certain gender and sexuality roles should be seen “as it was manifested in and associated with particular narrative structures” (D’Acci, 2004, p. 380).

Due to this fact, there are few characters in the show that actually identify with a sexual orientation, stressing sexual orientation fluidity. Lorna and Piper are characters that apply to this sexual variability. Lorna is a white inmate who is engaged to a man back home, but has a fling with throughout the series. In the first season, Officer Healy misguides typical REPRESENTATIONS IN ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK 11 suppositions about queerness in prison and makes an assumption about Piper by assuring her that she does “not need to have lesbian sex.” (Friedman & Kohan, 2013). Though at the time Piper was engaged to her fiancé Larry Bloom, one would think that she identifies as bisexual because of her past and present relationship with Alex throughout the show. Though, Piper never admits her sexuality. Piper’s sexuality is portrayed differently than any of the other characters in the show. Because of that, Piper’s sexuality is a focal point on the show, and her relationship with

Larry fails. The other inmates label Piper as a lesbian, and Crazy Eyes, an African-American character who has a mental illness, wants Piper to be her “prison wife” throughout the first season.

While Piper would be argued to be a “feminine” lesbian or bisexual, Big Boo and Nicky represent alternate depictions. Past television programs illuminated lesbians as “gentle, sensitive, soft-hearted, soft-spoken, absolutely non-butch, and stereotypically feminine”

(Harrington, 2003, p. 216). Like previously stated, Big Boo is a butch, but Nicky has long curly hair and looks differ from Big Boo’s. Though, both of these characters offer another perspective on white, female lesbians. On the show, both of these characters are over-sexualized, a typecast of dyke females. They are seen as aggressive, affection-hungry and long for the company of other inmates. Nicky in Big Boo even had a contest to see who could hook up with the most inmates, showing off to each other in preceding episodes in season two.

Orange Is the New Black portrays a variety of relationships with it’s on twist on each relationship. Another representation of a lesbian couple is the relationship between Soso, a half

Asian couple, and Poussey, an African-American. This couple challenges lesbian interpretations on television because it features an interracial relationship. Orange Is the New Black takes two groups that are often marginalized on television, race and LGBTQ groups, and intersects them. REPRESENTATIONS IN ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK 12

Also, Orange is the New Black features a traditional, heterosexual relationship with an illegal, criminal justice spin on it. Aleida’s daughter, Daya, held a relationship with John Bennett, one of the prison’s correctional officers, from the first three seasons. Daya ended up pregnant with his child, and Officer Bennett disappeared later on after Daya had the baby. These various representations of relationships and sexual orientations help signify how intersectionality is portrayed on Orange Is the New Black.

Conclusion

To conclude, there are three main representations in Orange Is the New Black, and this thesis explored the aspects of race, gender, and sexuality within the show. This show is considered to be revolutionary for the way it presents these three issues authentically by intersectionally reflecting on the oppression that women face in prison. The portrayals of race, gender and sexuality help represent these three groups that are not normally depicted on television or in the media. The show does not just show one interpretation of race, gender or sexuality- it demonstrates a variety within each group using its diverse cast of characters. In some ways, stereotypes are shown within the show, but it helps to display the actuality of the issues that these group face, and help to explore the detailed depths of the storylines and the complex characters.

Since the show is originally seen as Piper’s story, Piper is awakened at first due to the racial issues in prison. Out of the inmates, Piper is one of the few characters that comes from an upper-middle class status, and because of that, her white privilege is exemplified when she first gets to Litchfield. Orange Is the New Black’s female diversity features women from all walks of life and different backgrounds- having African Americans, Whites, Asians, Latinas, etc.

Although the prison is primarily segregated, there are moments when the groups of women come REPRESENTATIONS IN ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK 13 together to fight for their rights and voice their opinions when they are not treated fairly by the guards.

With a predominantly female cast of characters, Orange Is the New Black includes an assortment of body types, ages, personalities, and genders. In spite of the fact that more shows today are featuring strong female leads, it is uncommon that a show highlights women, let alone different delineations of women that are not regularly pictured in media, such as transgenders like Sophia and other non-traditional gender norm crossings like Big Boo. Whilst the characters illustrate several parts of gender, the show accurately demonstrates the hardships that come with being different. The show does not let society’s expectations of gender roles affect the characterization of the main characters.

Alongside gender comes sexuality, and while the show gives prominence to a variety of sexual orientations and relationships, it is not the show’s main focus. The show invites audiences, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, to engage with various of sexuality elements and queer aspects. In the show, there are few characters that identify with a specific sexuality and they embrace that. The show features a range of lesbian depictions: with Piper’s past involvement with her ex-fiancé Larry and present girlfriend Alex- presumably ,

Lorna’s immersion with inmate Nicky while having a man at home, interracial lesbian depictions in Soso and Poussey’s relationship, and alternate depictions of lesbians in Big Boo and Nicky.

The show also has heterosexual relationships, such as Daya’s relationship with Officer Bennett.

Characters in this show remind society that there is not a certain way to be bisexual, heterosexual, homosexual, or gender fluid.

Lastly, Orange Is the New Black has set the pace for future television shows, with its diverse cast of characters and the way it sensibly depicts issues of race, gender and sexuality. REPRESENTATIONS IN ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK 14

Sut Jhally and Justin Lewis’ “Enlightened Racism” and Julie D’Acci’s “Television,

Representation and Gender” compositions discussed how negative stereotypes of African-

Americans had been featured on television and how society’s perception of gender and sexuality are represented in television. Both essays related overall to how race, gender, and sexuality are authentically portrayed in Orange Is the New Black. This show has won many awards and became such a hit throughout the world. Despite the characters’ race, gender and sexuality, they are humans and all have a deep backstory. The show continually exposes audiences to different depictions than they are used to seeing on television or media. With Orange Is the New Black’s success, one can only imagine the future of television in regards to such representations that can, in turn, impact the audience. REPRESENTATIONS IN ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK 15

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