Hypersexualization of Bisexuals Can Only Do Harm
The importance of representation aligns with all minorities and communities to not only make them visible but also to break harmful stereotypes against them. But, we still see depictions of bisexuals that are negative to the community in the media. The hypersexualization of bisexuals can normalize cheating, violence and abuse, and invalidation of sexuality.
In the movie Dodgeball, we see that Kate who is the girlfriend of the main character, Peter, kisses another girl named Joyce. There is a clip of them kissing and she later goes on and says, “Hey, I’m not a lesbian. I’m bisexual” and goes and kisses Peter. While I understand that people have different definitions of what “cheating” is but this can be seen as one. They are seen as people who cheat because they are more open to dating partners, portrayed as less trustworthy, and overly sexualized in media.
The violence and abuse that the bi+ community faces is not only a media/portrayal but a social problem. According to National LGBTQ Task Force, “The lifetime prevalence of rape, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner is extremely high in the lesbian, gay and bisexual community with lesbian women (43.8%), gay men (26%), bisexual women (61.1%) and bisexual men (37.3%) reporting experiencing this violence, compared to heterosexual women (35%) and heterosexual men (29%)”, emphasizing that many members of the LGBTQ community face some kind of violence/assault and it is very high in bisexual women. I think the hypersexualization of bisexual women in media plays a huge part in this problem as well as seeing bisexual women as they are open to anything because they are attracted to more than one gender. I also do think because the word “bisexuals” has the term “sexual” in it, compared to “gay” or “lesbian” that can make them seem more sexual than other sexual minorities.
Lastly, society is still not fully accepting of bisexuals because we have the mindset that you have to choose one or the other. This is where bi-erasure happens: they see being bisexual as a phrase, pretending, or confused people. The bi-erasure is a stigma and negatively affects the community. In Flaunt Magazine, Lili Reinhart explains, “I knew full well that I was attracted to women from a young age. I felt that since I’ve exclusively been in hetero-normative relationships, it would be too easy for any outsider, especially the media, to vilify me and accuse me of faking it to get attention. That’s not something I wanted to deal with. But to my close friends, and those in my life, my bisexuality has been no secret”, the struggles of having to prove your sexual orientation due to the fear of others labeling you. Wendy Curry, Michael Page, Gigi Raven Wilbur, and the International Lesbian and Gay Association Conference came together to create a day recognizing bisexuals and celebrating their community in 1999. Bi Visibility Day and Awareness Week can help bisexuality be less stigmatized in our society and media.
Our social norms stem from structural stigmas that are emphasized in media. We must recognize the flaws and negative depictions of bisexuality, highlight positive media representation, and continue to fight for and normalize bisexual characters.
3 comments:
The statistic that 61% of bi women especially have been assaulted, stalked, or experienced intimate parter violence is striking. I feel like the hyper-sexualization of bi people isn't talked about enough, and this essay provides a compelling introduction to the topic. I had never thought about the fact that bisexual is the only label in the commonly known LGBT umbrella to have "sexual" in the name. To those outside the community who don't know what it means, I can see how it would be easily misconstrued.
^^This comment was from Rosemary Peters
I appreciated how you added statistics in here, as it made your argument stronger and was just generally fascinating to see. Additionally, I thought it was really interesting how you argued that because the term bisexual has "sexual" in it, it contributes to the hypersexualization and fetishization of bisexuals.
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