Bisexual history

I feel so bad for young bi girls because the state of most "wlwtok" is so egregiously biphobic. you genuinely have to get used to most of your favorite lesbian tiktokers reposting some disgusting bs about bi women being hypersexual and male centered and when you think you have struck gold by finding a bi woman to follow she just panders to that type of audience and says bi girls need to just recognize their privilege and shut up.

Extremely relevant as the term “17/15” is trending on wlw tiktok… which basically just refers to bi women who have more bodies with men (17) than women (15).

Everything about these videos is weird. The 17:15, which is a high body count, which while there's nothing wrong with having slept with that many people it definitely feeds into "bi women are promiscuous" stereotypes. There's a reason why it's that number and not 3:1.

I do find it absolutely disgusting how normalized biphobia has become to the point where a bisexual woman can't make a single video about liking women without at least one chronically online gay person going rabid and shaking in their boots because she mentioned the fact she does, in fact, kiss women, and isn't this evil bisexual whose only goal is to break lesbian hearts that they made up in their head.

REMINDS ME OF THIS BS

“My ex used to justify what he did to me by citing the emotional strain it caused him to be dating a bi girl, because I was obviously going to cheat on him and he had to hurt me to stop me doing that.”

“Bisexuals are people, not raw sexual energy implanted in human bodies.”

“I have many straight female friends whom I would venture to say are attracted to a higher percentage of the general population than I am, despite them only being interested in one gender.”

“One common stereotype is that bisexuals are promiscuous because of any inability to commit themselves to long-term monogamous relationships. This stereotype arises out of the Western dualistic conception of sexuality, in which heterosexuality and homosexuality are constructed as the two basic forms of sexuality. Within this view, bisexuality can be conceptualized only as a hybrid form of sexuality, in which heterosexuality is mixed with homosexuality. The bisexual person is, therefore, not holistically bisexual but dualistically half heterosexual and half homosexual. Because heterosexuality and homosexuality are often conceptualized as conflicting or opposing forms of sexuality, bisexuals are believed to experience conflict between their “heterosexual desires” and their “homosexual desires.” This conflict allegedly surfaces in bisexuals’ attempts to form stable relationships with others; for example, when a bisexual is with someone of the same sex, she is thought to experience an unsatisfied desire for someone of the other sex that will threaten the stability and longevity of her same-sex relationship, and conversely when she is with someone of the other sex. Her relationship with a single person of a particular gender is perceived as an expression and fulfilment of her “heterosexual side” or her “homosexual side” rather than her bisexuality. Thus, the bisexual’s ability to form relationships with members of both sexes is interpreted as a need for relationships with members of both sexes, a need that cannot be fulfilled by any one relationship and that therefore dooms the bisexual to a life of promiscuity or, at best, serial monogamy in an effort to satisfy both sides of her conflicted self. To recognize the absurdity of such a leap in logic, imagine concluding that a person who finds both blue and brown eyes attractive would require two lovers, one with each eye color, instead of concluding that this person would be happy with either a blue-eyed or a brown-eyed lover.”

“The stereotype of the bisexual who has concurrent female and male lovers or who alternates female and male lovers in an effort to satisfy both sides of her desire is supported by another common stereotype- that is, that bisexuality is a phase or a temporary form of sexuality adopted by people who are either coming out as lesbian or gay or returning to heterosexuality. Because bisexuality is perceived as temporary or transitional, others are rarely willing to accept the bisexual’s claim to bisexuality as face value. Instead, they watch for clues that will reveal the bisexual’s “real” orientation. Often, the clue is found when the bisexual chooses a single partner. Because that one partner usually has a particular gender, the gender of that partner is used as evidence that the bisexual has “come out as gay” if the partner is same-sex or that she has “returned to heterosexuality” is the partner is other-sex. Thus, as soon as a bisexual chooses a single partner, she is no longer perceived as bisexual, thereby tautologically proving the point that bisexuals cannot be monogamous. In this way, the stereotype that bisexuality is a phase serves to bolster the stereotypes that bisexuals are promiscuous and nonmonogamous.”

“Until a bisexual woman questions, confronts and accepts herself positively as a bisexual woman, she is likely to feel like two separate people walking around in the same body. She is likely to feel always slightly cut off from the people around her, slightly out of place everywhere… she often feels more defined by what she is not than by what she is.”

“Stereotypes tend to be self-fulfilling for bisexuals who lack role models for other ways of being bisexual. The individual who feels attracted to both women and men and is beginning to wonder if she is bisexual might fear that coming out as bisexual will doom her to a life of promiscuity and shallow, short-lived relationships. She receives no assurance that she can maintain a bisexual identity in the context of a committed long-term relationship, much less any role models for doing so or any alternative models for healthy relationships. If she chooses to identify herself as bisexual, thinking that romantic stability will therefore be impossible for her, then she might abandon a relationship at the first sign of discord, taking that discord as a sign that the inevitable breakup is imminent, thus fulfilling the prophecy. Or she might feel that to be bisexual she must have sexual experiences with both women and men and therefore set out to acquire these experiences to validate her bisexual identity. Alternatively, and perhaps most frequently, she might choose not to identify as bisexual in the hope of being able to maintain the type of committed relationship that she has learned to associate with relational maturity.”