Bisexual Women’s Meaning Making of Same-Sex Performativity: Orientation Towards a Heteropatriarchal Context

Flora Oswald, Jill M. Wood, Jes L. Matsick

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

In the present study, we aimed to understand bisexual women’s lived experiences and meaning-making with regard to same-sex performativity (SSP)– that is, heterosexual women’s engagement in public same-sex behavior such as kissing. Cisgender bisexual women (N = 187) provided qualitative descriptions of their perceptions of SSP. Two research questions guided this feminist phenomenological study: (a) How do bisexual women perceive and make sense of SSP, including women who engage in SSP? and (b) What factors influence bisexual women’s perceptions and meaning making of SSP? We found that bisexual women made sense of SSP by situating their perceptions and experiences of SSP in a heteropatriarchal context. Bisexual women perceived the link between SSP and the male gaze as challenging bisexual legitimacy and reinforcing negative stereotypes about bisexuality; nevertheless, many bisexual women were resistant to decrying SSP. Our findings reveal bisexual women’s complex interpretive work and negotiation with tensions that underpin their sense of SSP— they perceive heterosexual women’s engagement in male-oriented SSP behavior as potentially harmful, yet are reluctant to condemn this behavior and limit women’s opportunities for sexual expression. These findings highlight the need to recognize the impact of heteronormativity and gendered power dynamics on bisexual and heterosexual women’s experiences, embodiment, and expressions of sexuality.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)960-979
Number of pages20
JournalSex Roles
Volume90
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2024

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Gender Studies
  • Social Psychology
  • Developmental and Educational Psychology

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