'OITNB' Stars Are SHUTTING DOWN Stereotypes

Apparently, the lucky people interviewing the Orange Is the New Black stars haven't yet learned to brush up on their feminism beforehand. A Brazilian comedian named Rafael Cortez interviewed Uzo Aduba, Natasha Lyonne, and Samira Wiley about the new season of OITNB. Discussing a show that deals with such topics as diversity, mental illness, and the prison industrial complex, Cortez chose to ask the stars why women are so weak and how many behind-the-scenes catfights they have. It could have been a joke, but as you might imagine, this did not go over well.

When Cortez asked Aduba if she'd like to see his muscles, she simply said "no." In the second interview, he seemed to be asking Lyonne and Wiley if acting while on their periods was hard and resulting in on-set cattiness. While Wiley responded politely at first, saying that that's an incorrect stereotype, it seems, from Lyonne's expression during the interview, that she was having none of it. Lyonne then accused him of misogyny and spent the rest of the interview asking him why he commented on their beauty so much.

While Cortez said at the beginning of the interview that this was his first press junket, he should have known better since the cast of Orange Is the New Black have been outspoken feminists from the start. Here's the painfully awkward interview, as well as some other times that the cast have expressed their feminism.

Adrienne C. Moore

The actress, who plays Black Cindy on the show, spoke to Bustle's Rachel Simon about expectations of women. “I think a lot of times when women start speaking, people get threatened by it, like an ‘ugh, know your place’ kind of thing,” she said. “I know we’re far from those days, but still, there are little remnants of that, and we see them. We know them.”

Matt McGorry

The actor who plays Bennett came out as a feminist on his Facebook page, writing "I believe in gender equality. Being a feminist is for both women AND men. I AM A FEMINIST." Badass.

Laverne Cox

Cox, who plays Sophia, is an incredibly outspoken transgender and feminist activist. She told Dame Magazine that "transwomen, and transpeople in general, show everyone that you can define what it means to be a man or woman on your own terms. A lot of what feminism is about is moving outside of roles and moving outside of expectations of who and what you're supposed to be to live a more authentic life."

Ruby Rose

The new cast member recently spoke to Elle about gender fluidity, defining it as "not having to succumb to whatever society — whether it's work or family or friends or whoever — makes you feel like you're supposed to be because of how you were born."

Danielle Brooks

Brooks, aka Taystee, wrote an amazing essay for Glamour about representation, writing "ideally, I want to see all beauties, all shapes, all sizes, all skin tones, all backgrounds represented in my profession. Now that I am blessed to be that reflection I was once looking for, I’m making a promise to speak out for that little girl that I used to be."

Dascha Polanco

The actress who plays Daya has discussed her body image struggles and the contradictions she experiences as a Latina woman. She told Bustle, "There’s a contradiction to it, because you’ll be told 'tu eres gorda’ [which means you are fat] and that you have to lose weight — but then [you’re] fed a plate of rice and beans. You’re never good enough. But everything is evolving and changing. This is where the 'Nueva Latina’ comes in. It’s a cycle we’re breaking now.”

Kate Mulgrew

The actress who plays Red on the show discussed the feminist intents of her memoir, saying "we are not yet in a time when a woman can do everything she wants to do and be understood by her culture, let alone her own children."

So yeah, maybe don't lob stereotypes at these women. Even as a joke. They are more than prepared to take you to church on the subject.

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