Prison: Estrella, Women's Jail, Maricopa County, Phoenix, AZ

This video showcases an interesting example not only of a women's sector in a jail in Arizona, and also allows us to see how people react to the environment that the women are being held in. There are a couple of key things about what I saw in this video that I would like to address, the first of which is the predominant PINK color that is seen everywhere in G block. This video actually inspired me to create this blog in the way that I did, with the vivid pink colors over the jail cell backdrop and the sarcastic title. The women are given pink long johns to wear under their "stripes," pink sandals, pink towels and even their beds are made up with pastel pink sheets. A women's jail is an interesting environment and throughout the video, we were constantly being reminded that while they were inmates, these were still women and certain social rules still apply. They are mothers, sisters, wives and girlfriends. The inmates have visiting volunteer hair stylists whom they present with magazine photos and requests for new styles that might update their appearance and improve their presentation. The women try out different makeup styles and keep mirrors to check their appearance. At one point, after an inmate is ridiculed by her mother for wearing glaring red eyeliner with green eyeshadow, she laughs to relieve the tension and says that it is only for fun, that nobody ever sees them and that she would never wear that type of makeup outside. Why is it that even in prison, women are compelled to wear makeup and try new hairstyles? Who are they looking to impress? Perhaps it has something to do with the relationships that bud inside of the prison walls. We are presented with two inmates who are considered to be leaders within the cell block. The first, Jessica "McNaughty" is a smart, manipulative women who is thought to be able to manipulate the other inmates by offering her protection, in a "sisterly way." The second is described by the prison guard as more macho and manly looking. The guard says that other women are drawn to the woman, nicknamed, "Daddy," because of her manly appearance and sexual persuasion which may remind them of men they used to interact with, before they were locked up. During an on-screen interview, "Daddy," says that her girlfriends keep getting hotter and younger. I was surprised by the sexist comments and attitudes within these secluded community. Even thought these women are cut off from the outside world, the environment they formed is filled with the same sexist ideas.
Viewers of this video on Youtube compared the women's jail to a "slumber party" or a "summer camp." One commenter simply writes, "female jails, what can I say...Luxury!" My personal favorite comment was from a chauvinist male who writes about the sexual favors he would make all of the women perform for him if he were working in that jail and how it would be "heaven for a guy." No matter what the setting, a women will always be seen as a stereotype; someone who behaves in a certain way and requires certain things.