Authored by Audrey Ellen
There are starkly different portrayals of queer sexuality between the female prison of “Orange is the New Black” (“OITNB”) and the all-male prison in “The Night Of.” In “OITNB,” queer sexuality and relationships are a major theme. By contrast, gay sexuality is not welcomed in the hyper masculine environment of the male prison in “The Night Of.”
From the very first episode, the viewer of “OITNB” is directly confronted with queer sexuality, which is often portrayed in direct contrast to heteronormative relationships. Throughout the show, lesbian relationships are hyper sexualized, as compared to the sexually dull heteronormative relationships. The contrast between Piper’s relationship with her fiancé Larry versus her relationship with her past female lover, Alex, demonstrates this contrast perfectly. On the last night before Piper enters prison, her and Larry decide they need to have sex one last time. Right as they begin kissing, Piper gets up as she she has to pee, leaving Larry alone in the bed who farts audibly.
While these scene offers the audience comic relief, it also acts as a quintessential representation of the reoccurring theme of a lack of sexual energy in heteronormative relationships. Soon after, in the same episode, the audience sees the first flashback of Alex and Piper from when they were together. Piper slowly undresses for Alex while stimulating music plays in the background. There is palpable sexual tension and they talk in sexual innuendos to each other. In the same sex scene, Alex convinces Piper to be a ploy in one of her drug schemes, the very drug scheme that will end up landing her in jail. Thus, not only does the scene portray a sexually charged queer relationship, but it also presents their relationship as more impulsive and more manipulative.
Season 1+2 scenes of Piper with Alex (10:10-12:00: scene referenced above)
With that said, scholar Syme argues that while the show does depict queer sexuality, it only shows a particular type of queer sexuality: one that is comfortable for the heteronormative viewer. Throughout the beginning of the show, Piper continually insists that she is not a lesbian and her relationship with her girlfriend Alex was simply a phase. In a flashback with her family, her brother asks Piper if she is “still a lesbian” to which she responds she is not. Thus, Syme argues that the heterosexual viewer is comfortably able to engage with lesbian sex in “OITNB” because Piper is a protagonist who sexually identifies the same way they do. Sykes illustrates her point by explaining how one relatively graphic scene of two women performing oral sex in the shower is acceptable to the heterosexual viewer since, “the viewer sees what Piper sees…this scene that invites straight-identified women to engage with lesbian sex safely from Piper’s own distant and voyeuristic viewing.” (Symes, 32)
By contrast, queer relations are deeply condemned in the male prison of “The Night Of.” The only scene that involves a queer relation occurs when Naz sees two inmates engaging in oral sex through a murky jail window. The very image of the shot, taken through a dirty small window, demonstrates the marginalization and isolation of homosexuality in the prison. Upon seeing Naz watching, Petey, the man who is giving the oral sex, looks up as if he is clearly ashamed to be “caught” with another man. Later in that same episode, Naz is threatened by one of these men he saw earlier in the shower room. Holding a razor blade up to his neck, the inmate asks Naz what he saw earlier to which responds that he saw absolutely nothing. We find out later, when Petey commits suicide, that this sex was not consensual. Thus, “The Night Of,” paints a picture of a male jail environment in which queerness it not just condemned but also non consensual, a stark contrast to the emotional and open queer relationships of “OITNB.”
Naz threatened at knife point in the shower
One explanation of the different representations of queerness in both shows may relate to the contrasting prison environments in the two shows. The culture of the male prison in “The Night Of” is heteronormative hyper-masculinity, with no room for alternate forms or displays of maleness or sexuality. Naz’ own physical and emotional transformation throughout his time in prison is representative of the environment of the prison. He shaves his head, gets several tattoos (including one that spells SIN across his knuckles) and does push ups at night to bulk up. He also helps the drug dealer of the prison smuggle drugs, and by the end of the season, decides to try heroin with him. In order to fit in with the culture of the prison, Naz transforms to adopt a hyper-masculinity persona, extending to both his appearance and behavior.
By contrast, the environment of the OITNB prison welcomes a wide array of sexualities and sexual orientations. The environment of the female prison is far lighter, and at times, the show almost makes prison look fun. The show depicts relationships, both emotional and sexual, that are both queer and heterosexual – whether with their long distance partners or with the male prison guard. Further, unlike “The Night Of,” the female prison in OITNB welcomes a wide spectrum of personalities and appearances. Although some women may behave in more stereotypical masculine prison toughness, aligning with the culture of “The Night Of,” there are other women who look and behave in a diverse range of ways.
Finally, the different degrees of openness to queerness also reveals the difference in audience reception to men versus women queer relationships and sex. Perhaps the contrasting portrays of queerness reveal that the general media-consuming public is more open and willing to consuming lesbian than gay relationships, especially woman with woman sexual intercourse. In many ways, our mass mediated culture celebrates, and thus more normalizes, lesbian sexual relationships, as is perpetuated by a mass porn culture where woman on woman relationships are considered attractive and sexy by the hegemonic male discourse.
Sources
“I wasn’t Ready.” Orange is the New Black. Netflix. 11 July 2013. Television.
Katerina Symes, “Orange Is the New Black: The Popularization of Lesbian Sexuality and Heterosexual Modes of Viewing,” Feminist Media Studies 17:1 (2017), 29-41;
“Samson and Delilah.” The Night Of. HBO. 14 August 2016. Television.