The Bechdel Test

Alison Bechdel and the Bechdel Test

Alison Bechdel recognized when she was younger that there was a problem with women’s representation on television and in movies because they make up more than half of the population. As a result, she developed a Bechdel test with three predetermined standards. According to the test, a film or television program must have at least two women who converse at least once about something other than a guy. Any television series can be evaluated using the Bechdel test for its depiction of diversity. For instance, this paper explores the application of Bechdel test in evaluating how well the entire television series ’Orange is the New Black’ depicts diversity.

The Television Series ’Orange is the New Black’

The television series ’Orange is the New Black’ is about the sentencing of Piper Chapman to 15 months in a minimum-security women’s prison. The series is composed of 5 seasons with 13 episodes each that show the group of women living in prison and how Piper adapted to the new life. The television show indicates the impacts of drug smuggling, guard brutality, and corruption on the health of prisoners. It also demonstrates the ability of the federal correction institution in fulfilling its responsibilities and ethical obligations. Bechdel test provides various ways in which the television series ’Orange is the New Black’ depicts diversity.

Diverse Characters in the Series

The television series has more than two women characters who were incarcerated because of different offences. For instance, Piper Chapman is sentenced to 15 months prison because of drug smuggling. The various episodes of season 2 of the television series feature flashbacks of the women’s past and how they came to the jail. It implies that multiple women in prison had different behaviours and mistakes. Since the women met in prison, there is a possibility that they came from the various ethnic backgrounds. The episodes in season 1 indicated that Piper faced unexpected indictment because her former girlfriend, Alex had mentioned her name in the court for drug smuggling. It means that the two inmates had ones met in life, but the other women were strangers.

Conversations Among Women Characters

The women characters in the television series have more one conversation throughout the five seasons of the series. The major characters, Piper and Alex, are talking about the issues of drug smuggling and corruption. They are also discussing how the correctional officers are treating the inmates. The characters are also concerned with the health of the prisoners and trying to figure out whether the law is enacted appropriately. For example, after Piper and Alex had reunited in Season 2 of the series, they discussed whether the judgement was passed reasonably to them. They also discussed their issue of drug smuggling in episode 11 of season2.

Concerns of the Women Characters

The television series indicates that the concerns of the women characters in captives were not about men. The women were concerned about their life as prisoners and the factors that were affecting them. Piper and Alex were also interested in renewing their lost relationship after Alex had mentioned Piper’s name during her trial. The incarcerated women did not talk about men when they were discussing the corrections officers. Their concern was about how the prison wardens mistreated the inmates. Season 3 features flashbacks of the past of both male and female corrections officers in the series. Therefore, the prison wardens comprised both men and women.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Bechdel test depicts the representation of diversity in the television series ’Orange is the New Black’ in prison setting. The entire tv show has diverse characters of women who have different topics of discussion that are not related to men.