Adrienne Trier-Bieniek

April Kalogeropoulos Householder

Since its 2013 premiere, Orange Is the New Black has become Netflix’s most watched series, garnering critical praise and numerous awards and advancing the cultural phenomenon of binge-watching. Academic conferences now routinely feature panels discussing the show, and the book on which it is based is popular course material at many universities. Yet little work has been published on OINTB. The series has sparked debate: does it celebrate diversity or is it told from the perspective of white privilege, with characters embodying some of the most racist and sexist stereotypes in television history? This collection of new essays is the first to analyze the show’s multiple layers of meaning. Examining Orange Is the New Black from a number of feminist perspectives, the contributors cover topics such as gender, race, class, sexuality, transgenderism, mass incarceration and the prison industrial complex, disability, and sexual assault.

Thirteen Critical Essays

Feminist Perspectives on Orange Is the New Black

"Finally, an anthology that brings together a useful selection of essays on Orange is the New Black...Netflix's most watched series. Authors pay close critical attention to the show's diverse assemblage of characters, focusing on its production of gender, politics, and intersectional identities. Scholars, teachers, and fans of the show will welcome this book’s timely contribution to discussions of one of the most-talked television shows in years."--Dana Heller, Old Dominion University, author of Loving The L Word "A timely critique of the popular Netflix series, this volume explores the nexus of race, class, gender and sexuality as both a site of resistance to and reification of oppressive stereotypes, brilliantly illustrating the myriad ways in which the show simultaneously creates and contests hegemonic discourse through its diverse characters and compelling storylines."--Joanne Gilbert, Alma College "Just when you thought queer representations had become as predictably normative as an episode of Modern Family, along comes Orange is the New Black, a break-out hit for Netflix and an exciting, whirling mess of a series that raises crucial questions about gender, race, class, and sexuality. This wonderful new collection of critical essays plumbs the depths of OINTB, and offers up trenchant analyses that will be of great interest to scholars and students of popular culture, feminist and queer studies, and everyday fans who just can’t get enough of these outside-the-box characters."--Suzanna Walters, Editor-in-Chief, Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society. Since its 2013 premiere, Orange Is the New Black has become Netflix’s most watched series, garnering critical praise and numerous awards and advancing the cultural phenomenon of binge-watching. Academic conferences now routinely feature panels discussing the show, and the book on which it is based is popular course material at many universities. Yet little work has been published on OINTB. The series has sparked debate: does it celebrate diversity or is it told from the perspective of white privilege, with characters embodying some of the most racist and sexist stereotypes in television history? This collection of new essays is the first to analyze the show’s multiple layers of meaning. Examining Orange Is the New Black from a number of feminist perspectives, the contributors cover topics such as gender, race, class, sexuality, transgenderism, mass incarceration and the prison industrial complex, disability, and sexual assault.

April Kalogeropoulos Householder

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