Reflection 6-A: I Kissed a Girl—Lesbianism in Pop Culture

In recent years, lesbianism has become increasingly visible in American popular culture. In television, music, and film, it has seemingly reached a higher level of mainstream acceptance. Of course, lesbianism in the media has not always encountered total acceptance as its portrayals still carry with them an element of taboo. Add to this complaints from the lesbian community that their portrayal in popular culture is often "faux-lesbianism," defined by heterosexuals and crafted for the pleasure of men. Nonetheless, the past two decades has seen an exponential increase in lesbian imagery from Ellen DeGeneres to Orange is the New Black. Why have lesbians, or at least acts of lesbianism, become so much more prominent? And why hasn't society embraced male/male displays of sexuality in the same way? Finally, are we in an era in which its okay for heterosexual women to be open about their sexual appreciation for other women?

Include at least two of the following pieces in your discussion:

• "I Kissed a Girl": The Myth of Performative Lesbianism" (Biscuit)
• "Straight Girl on Girl: How Fetishizing Woman on Woman for Men Objectifies Women and Trivializes Lesbians" (Opinioness of the World"
• "Katy Perry Plays Make Believe" (Femniste) 
• "Real Lesbians React to "Lesbian" Porn" (Imgur)
• "Shakira and Rihanna Need to Stop With the Faux-Lesbian Posturing" (Jezebel)
• "Why All These Public Displays of Faux-Lesbianism Need to Stop" (The Debrief)

Requirements:

• Must be in MLA Style
• Must be one full page in length
• Must include a works cited page

Due: We 4.22