Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Pittsburgh native Lauren Morelli has found herself at more than one crossroads over the past year. A writer and producer on the hit Netflix series, “Orange is the New Black,” which chronicles the lives of women in a minimum security prison, Ms. Morelli got divorced, came out as gay and fell in love with one of the stars on the show.
So it’s fitting that she’ll be the keynote speaker at the first Crossroads Conference for Women at the Wyndham Downtown on Tuesday, a one-day event focused on the moments that women face that could send their lives in a different direction — whether it’s a personal decision like whether to have children or a professional one like relocating for a job.
5 comments:
I am such a fan of feministic movements in the entertainment industry. It's a positive advertisement of what it's like to be a women, how women are treat, and how they should be treated. Just like Eve Ensler, Lauren Morelli is making a big impact on our society. I think the best way to get rid of gender stereotypes is to influence young women that they can do anything they want and they don't have to suffice to gender roles that fit there character. I definitely have confidence in myself and who I am and I'm open about my thoughts. However, here at Carnegie Mellon University, there are a lot of moments where men will put themselves above the female population or women will be too afraid to speak there mind. Movements that Morelli is creating will help out this serious issue that our world hasn't fixed yet about gender roles and seeing women with equal or higher prestige over men.
I wish I could attend this conference, you never realize the number of times you’re faced with possible life changing situations in the span of just one year for instance. Right now I have to choose between to internships: one that isn’t particularly feasible, but I feel in my heart it’s where I belong. The other is much more logical, but I can’t ensure my happiness there. And the whole time I’m reeling over the fact that I even have these too amazing opportunities to consider! It situations like theses where I begin to question myself and my ability to handle the different obstacles that I know will come my way. I begin to question my talents, which I know aren’t lacking, but I still wonder if I can succeed in such a high pressure world, high pressure career. Conferences like these I feel should be required for all college level professionals to attend, they have such good information I know I’ll try to make my way to one day.
This is a beautiful article, and it sort of makes me weirdly proud that Morelli is a Pittsburgh native, even though I personally am not from Pittsburgh myself. The fact that we are at a crossroads in navigating women's roles in a male-dominated world is fantastic -- and not that it being fantastic means that we can put down our tools and forget the fight. I've said many times to my group of friends that if I was given a time machine I would only go to the future, not the past, because I believe for a young woman my age this time is the absolute best time to be alive. I couldn't be luckier to have the right to attend college, to have the opportunity to go to a seminar hosted by women (about women!!). There's a lot of self-discovery to be had, whether it's morel like Morelli's or more akin to discovering that you are not alone in the struggles you face as a woman. Whatever the problem is, I think the main crux of the issue is that we, as women, need to start supporting each other instead of putting each other down. If we're going to move on from the crossroads, we need to stop misunderstanding what feminism means and take action as a collected front.
I consider Orange Is The New Black to be one of my favorite shows for many reasons: the cast, the true backstory, and now, the director, Lauren Morelli. The fact that Morelli has had the courage to make so many changes in her life, and to stand behind a show as bold and groundbreaking as OITNB is truly incredible. I loved what she said about women in the fact that they instinctually feel as though they have to handle their problems alone, and do not stand together because they feel as though they are the only ones who are able to relate to their situation. However, I think that this conference and the ever-growing awareness of the importance of Women's History Month will help to solve this issue. To have a safe place to express feelings of depression and sadness as well as being able to share experiences of happiness and celebration will create a union between women worldwide.
Abby Jackman 54-102 ::A
Orange is the New Black was a great TV show, at least in its early seasons. In my opinion, the last good season was the one Poussey (who, fun fact, is married to Lauren Morelli) died in. Her death was powerful and well-written and broke my heart beautifully, so I promise I'm not just saying this to be bitter about her dying. It got bad after that. Anyway, a big part of my growing interest in the mistreatment of prisoners was from watching OITNB and being shocked by the horrible positions they were put in. I know it's just a TV show, so I'm not sure about its factual validity, but being forced to take part in gang activity to protect yourself, being blackmailed by corrupt correctional officers into playing their messed up games, even just being a victim to well-meaning correctional officers who were not given proper training (cough justice for Poussey) all sound like problems in the system that need to be addressed immediately. I applaud Lauren Morelli for being a part of creating such a compelling story that teaches us to be even just a little sympathetic to even the most heinous of criminals. It's such a conflicting thing inside of you to feel that way, and that's what makes it so successful and impactful of a show.
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