Fall Research Expo 2020

"Gettin' Bi": Crazy Ex-Girlfriend's Darryl Whitefeather and Male Bisexuality in the Media

The mainstream entertainment industry has a history of queer erasure and vilification, originating as early as 1895. Since then, there has been a push for more queer representation in the media, and, for the most part, it has been successful. However, it seems like bisexual+ individuals are still disproportionally excluded from mediated representations, and, within that, male bisexual representation is even less frequent. When it is present, it is often rooted in harmful stereotypes and rarely developed past a short subplot by a guest appearance, rarely making its way through more than one episode. One notable exception, however, is the character of Darryl Whitefeather on The CW's Crazy Ex-Girlfriend who is not only a regular character but also has a coming-out narrative without ever being reduced to it. In this research, I analyze the representation of male bisexuality in Darryl's story arc and contrast it against traditional male bisexual representation in the media, ultimately finding that the character of Darryl Whitefeather in The CW's Crazy Ex-Girlfriend defies all traditional bisexual stereotypes. Through his well-developed coming-out narrative and thorough character development that does not reduce him to his sexuality, Darryl is one of the first and rare non-problematic portrayals of male bisexuals on television.

Click here to read the full paper.

PRESENTED BY
Other
Annenberg 2021
Advised By
Murali Balaji, Ph.D.
Graduate Diversity Advisor and Professional Development Supervisor; Lecturer, Annenberg School for Communication
Join Luca for a virtual discussion
PRESENTED BY
Other
Annenberg 2021
Advised By
Murali Balaji, Ph.D.
Graduate Diversity Advisor and Professional Development Supervisor; Lecturer, Annenberg School for Communication

Comments

Bisexual representation in media is generally ~wanting~ to say the least: so many characters are based on untrue stereotypes (particularly unfaithful, "really" monosexual, etc.). I'm so glad you brought up how over half of the LGBTQ+ community is bi+, and how bi+ folks are often underrepresented/misrepresented. This poster was succinct and interesting. I also worked on a PURM project focusing on LGBTQ+ folks, so I enjoyed looking through another project that focused on LGBTQ+ topics from a different discipline than my own (psychology).