7 Times Orange Is The New Black Taught Us How To Live
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The Netflix comedy series Orange Is The New Black has gained an intense cult following since it first aired back in 2013. The characters are all loveable in their own crazy ways and you can’t help but become addicted. The series is centered around Piper Chapman, a PR executive who finds herself in an all women’s prison (Litchfield Penitentiary) from her connection to a drug runner, and former girlfriend Alex Vause, 10 years earlier. The storyline of the goody-two-shoes New Yorker navigating life behind bars and the all-female prison politics is complex, educational, emotional, hilarious, sometimes scary and the best kind of inappropriate, all at the same time. Here’s how the show has taught us how to live.
1. You Gotta Work With What You’ve Got
The whole series is about being resourceful. You don’t have much to your name once you’re behind those prison walls, so you have to make the most of what’s in front of you. Case and point, the shiv made of Jolly Ranchers and Piper’s used-panty business. If Laverne Cox’s character could run a hair salon in prison, you can wake up for your 7:30 alarm.
2. At The End Of The Day, You Just Gotta Love Yourself
Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren may be a lot of things, but when it comes to self-love, she has some wise words of wisdom. Crazy Eyes really showed us about self-worth when she said, “No, this year, I’m loving someone who deserves me. Me.” She also wants us to know that it’s ok if not everyone likes you. “Sometimes people just don’t want to play with you, and it’s okay.” This is a woman who always wears her heart on her sleeve and that’s why she’s THE BEST.
3. Insulting The Chef Never Ends Well
Galina “Red” Reznikov is one of the most powerful characters on the show. For the majority of the series, she holds the position of head chef and people respect the hell out of her. Piper unknowingly insults her cooking and in response, Red punishes her by starvation in order to force her to appreciate her cooking. Needless to say, chefs have tremendous pride when it comes to their food and you should probably think twice before saying anything to their face.
4. Always Have Your Game Face On
It’s ok to smile sometimes, but in prison appearance is everything. People can smell even the slightest sign of weakness and take that as an invitation for harassment. Red has her fierce “don’t you dare f*ing mess with me” face on most of the time and it usually works in her favor. This works in the real world too in professional settings. Chances are if you keep your game face on, people will take you more seriously.
5. Authority Can Be Unbearably Flawed
It’s no secret that the system is flawed and OITNB gives us a peek into all of the ways that the justice system is messed up. Between Mr. Healy and the guards, there’s enough racism, misogyny and blatant disregard for human life to make you go insane. While most of the show is filled with hilarious moments, the series shines a necessary spotlight on the treatment of inmates.
6. It’s Ok To Be A Bitch
These women have to continuously stick up for themselves because, at the end of the day, it’s every woman for herself. Sometimes being civil just doesn’t cut it and being an ass hole is the only solution to getting what you want.
7. Friendships Are The Best Relationships
Romance aside, friendships are what get us through the day. A bond that OITNB fans will always cherish was the Taystee and Poussey dynamic. No matter what was going on, it seemed like everything else was just background noise when these two were joking around with each other (despite one-way romantic feelings from Poussey). There’s nothing better than that feeling when you’re laughing so hard your stomach hurts. Keep those kinds of people in your life.
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