Only five years ago, being an openly bisexual woman in entertainment was unthinkable. Few women in Hollywood were willing to risk the career backlash that was likely to result from such an admission.
But we’ve seen a recent flood of bisexual disclosures and can’t seem to figure out if it’s a reflection of changing times or just another attention-getting trend that allows many of these women to score points with the younger, more open-minded generation that has increasing power at the box office.
This new openness about female bisexuality is not just reflected in celebrity disclosures, but everywhere in entertainment. Same-sex kisses between women have now regularly appeared on television and in movies ever since the Britney-Madonna encounter at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards. This surge of celebrities coming out is probably due at least in part to more liberal attitudes toward female bisexuality, although it might only be a marketing ploy.
MTV’s latest reality show stars Tila Tequila MySpace mistress in a bisexual dating show called “A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila.” Time Magazine has dubbed this Singapore-born, Internet-bred girl the “Madonna of MySpace” after she landed more than 2 million “friends.” Tequila welcomes 16 straight men and 16 lesbian women into a mansion, where they will all fight for her affection. These 10 episodes include scandalous scenes with back-stabbing and make-out sessions holding the bisexual angle.
Tequila claims this is the first time she’s announced she is a bisexual, and says it’s even harder because it’s broadcasted on national television. MTV has always pushed sexual boundaries, from airing Madonna’s first videos to casting “The Real World,” but this show seems to surpass it all.
A recent episode of “The Tyra Banks Show” featured Tequila on the subject of bisexuality. Dr. Yvonne Fulbright, sexologist and relationship expert, said that more women than we think are bisexual, but only half of them admit it while the rest hide in the closet. Teenage girls appeared on the show stating that they’ve known they were bisexual from a young age, and that it is not a trend, it’s just easier to be open about the topic today.
It seems that most bisexuals are female because male bisexuality and homosexuality are still not accepted by society. Being a young bisexual female is seen as sexy to many and is appealing to many males. The public therefore accepts and even welcomes female relations.
It’s easier for a female bisexual to continue to date men, whereas bisexual men dating women seems like a ploy. If a man has sex with a man, but dates women, he’s considered to be in the closet. Most don’t believe that you can be attracted to both males and females in the same lifetime.
Bisexuality might seem like a trend because more people are familiar with the term and society seems more accepting of the idea. But, just because the height of bisexual promiscuity has risen, doesn’t mean it’s a trend.
Conditioning the American public to be more comfortable with the idea of bisexuality is a necessary step that will allow it to be truly accepted in the future and will offset a few stereotypes.
Tara Hansen is a senior journalism major.
