From the era of queer coding(check our blog post on the same if you don't know) to today, a lot has changed in LGTBQIA representation. However, issues of queer baiting and stereotypes continue to abound. Read on to understand hidden and not so hidden representation and how it matters!
QUEERBAITING
Queerbaiting is a marketing technique for fiction and entertainment in which creators hint at, but then not actually depict, same-sex romance. They do so to attract ("bait") a queer audience with the suggestion of relationships that appeal to them, while at the same time attempting to avoid alienating other consumers.
Queerbaiting has been observed in popular fiction such as films and television series, as well as in celebrities who convey an ambiguous sexual identity through their works and statements. It arose in and has been popularized through discussions in Internet fandom since the early 2010s.
Queer Audience Concerns:
Queer fans have reacted with concern and anger to an identity they consider defining being used as a mere marketing ploy, a plaything for creatives, a mark of "edginess", or a commodity. Fans have derided, for instance, queer characters being used as plot devices rather than as characters for their own sake. For instance, Glee, a series with many queer series regulars, was criticized by fans for presenting "superficial stereotypes of queerness for dramatic effect".
Queer fans consider queerbaiting as "a way to throw us a bone when we normally wouldn't have anything, to acknowledge that we're there in the audience when the powers that be would prefer to ignore us". Rose Bridges summarized the practice's effect on queer fans as receiving "just enough [representation] to keep us interested, but not enough to satisfy us and make us truly represented." Emmet Scout wrote that "queerbaiting works on its audience because it offers the suggestion that queer people do have a vital place in these stories, that they might even be the defining figures, the heroes. The suggestion—but not the reality."
Societal Shifts
According to media scholars, the perceived increase in queerbaiting reflects a shift towards a more positive perception of queer relationships in modern societies – and therefore, in a sense, societal progress. But the same societal shift has also increased expectations by queer fans as to the quality and authenticity of queer representation – they demand not just any representation at all, but rather "respectful and meaningful depictions" of their relationships.
Some examples as felt by fans
· Rachel Berry and Quinn Fabray in Glee.
· Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge, and Archie Andrews and Joaquin DeSantos in Riverdale.
· Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles in Rizzoli & Isles.
· Sherlock Holmes and John Watson in Sherlock. Cast and crew of Sherlock have consistently denied that the relationship is intended to be seen as romantic, to the dismay of many fans.
Stereotypes And Progress In Outright Representations Today
Although lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals are generally indistinguishable from their straight or cisgender counterparts, media depictions of LGBT individuals often represent them as visibly and behaviorally different. For example, in many forms of popular entertainment, gay men are portrayed as promiscuous, flashy, and bold, while the reverse is often true of lesbian portrayals. Media representations of bisexual and transgender people tend to either be completely absent, or depicted as morally corrupt or mentally unstable. Similar to race-, religion-, and class-based caricatures, these stereotypical representations vilify or make light of marginalized and misunderstood groups.
Gay and lesbian families are commonly misrepresented in media because society frequently equates sexual orientation with the ability to reproduce. For example, gay and lesbian characters are rarely the main character in movies; they frequently play the role of stereotyped supporting characters or portrayed as a victim or villain.
There is currently a widespread view that reference to gay people should be omitted from child-related entertainment. When such references do occur they almost invariably generate controversy. In 1997, when American comedian Ellen DeGeneres came out of the closet on her popular show, many sponsors, such as the Wendy's fast food chain, pulled their advertising.
Media depictions have both benefited and disadvantaged the LGBT community. Milestones to the gay community such as the book Vice Versa and Ellen DeGeneres coming out has helped other LGBT come out and feel better about being themselves.
Despite the stereotypical depictions of gay people, the media has at times promoted acceptance of them with television shows such as Will and Grace and Queer Eye. This increased publicity reflects the coming-out movement of the LGBT community. As more celebrities come out, more gay-friendly shows develop, such as the 2004 show The L Word. With the popularity of gay television shows, music artists and gay fashion, Western culture has had to open its eyes to the gay community.
This new acceptance from the media can partially be explained by the contact hypothesis, aka intergroup contact theory. With more shows promoting the acceptance of gays, people are able to view a more correct depiction of the LGBT community.
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