A “Saltburn” poster The Xavierite
The first time I heard of the term “queerbaiting” was on TikTok a few years ago, after Jacob Elordi appeared on the cover of Man About Town magazine, sporting a white crop top and earrings.
It could be inferred that the cover was an attempt to combat toxic masculinity, displaying a heterosexual man wearing clothing that is traditionally feminine.
Many people online accused Elordi of queerbaiting, which is defined as “a marketing technique involving intentional homoeroticism or suggestions of LGBTQ+ themes intended to draw in an LGBTQ+ audience, without explicit inclusion of openly LGBTQ+ relationships, characters, or people.”
The argument was that Elordi presented himself in a fashion similar to gay men, wearing traditionally feminine clothes and jewelry.
Many asserted that Elordi was imitating gay culture to his benefit, as he was praised for dressing in a more feminine manner, whereas gay men are heavily criticized for it.
I see the point people are trying to make here, as men being effeminate is typically associated with male queerness. However, it’s fair to state that this is due to the narrative that only queer men dress or act in a traditionally feminine way.
I find it very hypocritical that the very people who claim to be the biggest upstanders for queer rights reduce male queerness to wearing traditionally feminine clothes.
Elordi is not the only prominent Hollywood star that has fallen victim to “queerbaiting” allegations. In June, 2021, singer Billie Eilish posted photos to Instagram of herself and a group of female dancers with the caption “i love girls.”
This sparked controversy online regarding Eilish’s sexuality, with fans debating if she used the caption in an attempt to come out of the closet or if the statement she did this simply as a publicity stunt to generate speculation around her sexuality, which would result in more press for Eilish.
In a Nov. 2023 profile of Eilish by Variety, Eilish publicly revealed for the first time that she was, in fact, attracted to women, putting years of public speculation to rest and proving the queerbaiting allegations wrong.
My problem with accusing celebrities of queerbaiting is the fact that we cannot ever truly know other’s sexual preferences. Who is anyone to determine someone’s sexuality other than oneself?
I feel it is no one’s business whether or not an individual is queer, no matter how prominent they are in the public eye. Everyone is entitled to dress and express themselves as they feel is right for them, regardless of their sexual preferences.
Fan culture in our society, particularly since the rise of the Internet, has completely changed our perception of celebrities.
With the rise of social media, it would seem that we are all actively involved in other’s lives through these platforms. This causes many of us to believe we truly know people that we see regularly on the Internet, when in reality, we don’t.
It seems to me that those who accuse celebrities of queerbaiting feel that they know the individuals they regularly encounter on the internet, even though they have never met these individuals in real life.
All in all, we as a society don’t need to concern ourselves so deeply with the sexual preferences of others.