Orange is the New Black....who's watching it? Supposedly, if you're not watching it, you're missing out. I took it for a test drive a few weeks ago, but I didn't find myself going back to it after episode 3. At the time, I wasn't sure why I stopped watching it, but I had a moment of true honesty with myself a few days ago which revealed that answer to me: sex...sex obsessed...lesbian sex, in particular...lots of nasty, raunchy lesbian sex and vulgar sexual innuendo.
I've never thought of myself as a homophobic. In fact, I'm very supportive of my homosexual friends and their rights. So, why was I so bothered by all the lesbian activity in Orange?
Sure, homosexual sex is always going to make me a little uncomfortable to view since I'm not homosexual, but I'm usually pretty good about separating myself and "norms" when assessing situations outside my comfort zone. I was bothered by my apparent feelings of homophobia coming through! Then it hit me. I didn't have a problem with the general homosexuality present in the show; I had a problem with the sex only and how homosexual sex was being represented...dirty, raunchy, disrespectful, and calloused. I started recalling other shows involving homosexuality and sex, and I found this "raunchy homosexual sex" trend to be pretty prevalent. Sure, I know there a shows/movies out there representing a more respectful and sensual portrayal of homosexual sex, but I feel like those shows are in the minority. I actually felt a sense of relief upon assessing my comfort level while watching homosexual movies like Piper Perabo's Imagine Me and You and the infamous Brokeback Mountain. The love, respect, and sensuality were more apparent in these shows which resulted in me having a more comfortable experience as a hetero-viewer, but I haven't found this to be the norm for LGBT media.
Maybe my assessment is inaccurate as my LGBT media experience is most definitely not on the "experienced" side of the spectrum. Or, maybe I'm just a sexual prude, and I simply have an issue with rough, animalistic sex in general whether it be gay or straight.
So, my question is this: Do homosexual people feel cheated or misrepresented by media's portrayal of homosexual sex? Do you think people view homosexuals as being sex-obsessed because of media? Do you feel like the sex represented is accurate or false and exaggerated? If you feel like it's a false representation, do you feel like the media's representation of homosexuality plays a big part in stunting homosexuality's acceptance in a heterosexual world? I'd love to hear some of your opinions!
For the record, I restarted watching Orange and am enjoying it. The character development is brilliant!
1 comment:
I love Orange is the new Black! I'm about 5 episodes in...
I can only speak as one "B" in LGBT, but I would say homosexual relationships as a whole are under represented in film and TV. When I see shows like Orange, despite its sometimes vulgar nature, I'm happy LGBT characters are getting some air time (especially the trans character—totally unheard of!) Even though the media portrays those in the LGBT community as being party-going and sex-obsessed, it is no more so than within the straight community. People just fixate on the sexual aspects because it's not the norm to them. I don't think the homosexual sex represented is false; I just think it's a small piece of the picture. But homo or hetero, sex sells, and I think that is the drive behind some film and TV show makers.
I'm very fond of Orange because Piper is bi, a subgroup of LGBT that's often blown off as just being "confused" or "questioning" or "going through a phase." I am like you, Claire, I don't like to watch violence in any sexual situation—gay or straight. But the first step to a more accepting society is to actually make the movies and TV shows with LGBT characters, then get deeper with their personalities and relationships to show they are human and normal. (The L Word did a good job of this.) I think LGBTs inclusion in film is a move in the right direction, although LGBT members *positively* portrayed in the media will serve to advance civil rights sooner.
Post a Comment