10 Striking Similarities Between GLOW And Orange Is The New Black

Criminologists are taught to look for stereotypical features in their suspects. This is obviously not fair - however, on the flipside, stereotypes don't exist without merit. Wrestling fans are also 'taught' to embrace stereotypes, as they serve as the basis for their favorite characters.

People like Piscatella treat all women inmates the same: as criminals. He fails to see them for what they truly are - human beings with different, often complicated backstories. The viewer is able to change the way he/she views the characters through flashbacks, which, apart from presenting their complexity, shows that not every criminal is the same and his/her reasons and motivations for breaking the law may be very different.

When it comes to GLOW, the show comments mostly on racism. No other character questions stereotypes more than Tamme, whose gimmick is being The Welfare Queen. The woman works hard, her son goes to Stanford, but since she is African American and obese, she's supposed to play a character who relies solely on government aid to survive.

Another African American wrestler, Cherry, is supposed to represent hip-hop culture only because of her skin color. Furthermore, Beirut isn't Lebanese, while Fortune Cookie is Cambodian, but that doesn't make any difference to the crowd. The show gets points for openly commenting on and mocking these assumptions.