Victory Stands On the Back of Sacrifice : The representation of queer women in Netflix original series in relation to mainstream television

E. Lavalette

The representation of queer women in the media has been quite negative throughout the years. However, the platform Netflix has opened new doors with their original series, and in the past few years many queer characters have emerged on these shows. This research attempts to determine how Netflix original series Orange is the New Black and Sense8 portray queer women in relation to mainstream television. By studying the way stereotypes and tropes are used to display these women, as well as the way their bodies are depicted, this thesis seeks to analyze through a close reading of the mise-en-scène and cinematography if queer women in Netflix original series are portrayed more positively than other queer female characters. By interrogating Lexa in The 100, multiple queer characters in Orange is the New Black, and Nomi and Amanita in Sense8, this thesis shows that there are indeed differences between mainstream television and Netflix when it comes to representing queer women. Generally, mainstream television depicts queer women in a more negative way. Nevertheless, even though Netflix is certainly portraying queer women more positively, this platform also requires improvement.