“‘I’m not weird. I’m just like everybody else’: intersections of embodiment, incarceration, and mental illness on Wentworth and Orange Is the New Black”

ABSTRACT

Applying a critical feminist disability studies framework, I look closely at televisual women inmates with mental illness to demonstrate how the dynamics between one’s body and one’s environment contribute to their disabilities. With an examination of three characters from two prominent prison shows (Wentworth and Orange Is the New Black), I discuss how each character’s mental illness operates as commentary for embodiment and the ideology of femininity, the politics of appearance, and unaddressed trauma. I address the following research questions: First, how is the portrayal of mental illness commentary on broader feminist concerns? Second, why are some characters with mental illnesses portrayed in a more sympathetic light while others are not, and how do these choices challenge the dominant ideology of normalcy? And third, how does this commentary showcase the varying nature around societally constructed intersections of women, mental health, and criminality? Ultimately, I argue that while Wentworth showcases how prison can help stabilize characters with more well-known and/or common mental illnesses, OITNB instead depicts how the carceral system can exacerbate them. Despite this difference, both prison shows humanize characters with more well-known and common mental illnesses and vilify characters with lesser known (or lesser common) mental illnesses.

KEYWORDS:

• Wentworth
• Orange Is The New Black
• mental illness
• women inmates
• critical feminist disability studies

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. I define “disability” in accordance with Marja Evelyn Mogk’s (2013) definition of the term: “Think of disability … as a dynamic resulting from one or more features of an environment—social, cultural, political, historical, material, or physical—that acts as barriers or create exclusion, such as inaccessible stairs, poor lighting or prejudice. Thus, disability is not a characteristic of an individual, but of a social reality” (4).

2. As of July 2021, there have been seven seasons of OITNB and eight seasons of Wentworth. However, at the time of writing this essay, there were only five seasons of each.

3. These are not the only prominent women inmates with mental illness on both shows. A more fuller list would include (but would not be limited to): Joan Ferguson, Jess Warner, and Allie Novak on Wentworth; Poussey Washington, Brook Soso, Nicky Nichols, Lorna Morello Muccio, Tiffany Doggett, and Dayanara “Daya” Diaz on OITNB. Due to space restrictions, I opted to discuss one character from Wentworth and two from OITNB. In my selection, I made sure to select a variety of representations.

4. I am including why the women inmates went to prison as it relates to how each television program opted to handle their represented mental illness. Attention should be focused on how the system (of society) has failed these individuals, and that doing otherwise paints a picture of isolated, individualized cases rather than systemic injustices.

5. This statistic was calculated based on the number of episodes in five seasons that she appeared sober versus under the influence.

6. In Seasons Four and Five, there is a recurring storyline that pertains to Liz, who in exchange for a deal with police, is asked to gain the trust of a new inmate (Sonia) and get her to confess to a friend’s murder. Things escalate and, at one point in S5-E10, Sonia forces Liz to drink alcohol, fully knowing Liz’s history with AUD. Liz does so out of fear but immediately vomits once she is alone to avoid a relapse.

7. While incarcerated Liz hides being a mother from her best friend and other inmate Doreen (who finds out later anyway), as it brings her too much pain.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lauren J. DeCarvalho

Lauren J. DeCarvalho is an Associate Professor in the Department of Media, Film & Journalism Studies at the University of Denver, where she teaches film studies and researches representational issues on television. Her current research project bridges the gap between onscreen and offscreen narratives of incarcerated women. Additionally, her work has been published in Critical Studies in Media Communication, Women’s Studies in Communication, and Television & New Media, among other journals.