Orange is the New Black, Netflix is the New HBO

There's a great new series, only on Netflix, that is taking the world by storm. It follows Piper, who voluntarily surrenders for a 15 month jail sentence for a stupid, impulsive mistake from ten years ago. There's lots of lesbians, cute men in uniform, and plot twists  for all.

The plot really isn't the most important thing. It's the doorway, but not the destination. Though the show centers on Piper, there's a large cast of characters, each given their own storylines and air time. Remember awhile ago when I was whining about lack of diversity? Well, I've found it. The Bechdel test incarnate. Women that are racially, culturally, physically, and ethically diverse as it gets. Issues that effect women, but aren't brought to light because we're viewed as these flawless things. Red handles the struggles of growing older, Aleida and Daya(mother and daughter)deal with their less-than-perfect past(while dealing with Daya's pregnancy), Nicky fights her longtime drug addiction, Caputo tries to oust his corrupt boss(who is married to a closeted gay man running for Senate), and Piper struggles with understanding her sexuality.

I want to focus on that last one for just a moment before moving on. Here we have a main character actually struggling with their sexuality. Though people are quick to call her bisexual, it seems that she's only attracted to one particular woman. Personally, I think she's more demisexual(only experiencing sexual attraction to someone you form an emotional connection with). Either way, it's incredible to see someone that's not a confirmed anything, because I don't think I've ever seen that before. The best part? That's not her defining characteristic. She's not the token bisexual. It's so fucking great and I'm so excited about that.

For too long, shows have been the same cast over and over; straight white people, or shows about black families. That's really it. You had a few outliers, but overall, you knew what kind of show either one would be in the first five minutes. I'm so happy for people who don't fit into those molds to finally see themselves on t.v. Little boys and girls will have something to look up to, no matter who they are and how they feel about themselves. It gives a point of reference for transgender people; "Oh, you're like Sophia? I guess I get that". All in all, I'm excited that the media is catching up to the rest of the world. Onward!