The Queerbaiting Renaissance Has Arrived
What are YOU doing to combat queerbaiting in your local community?
This just in: the music video for “Wild Side,” Normani’s long-awaited follow-up single to 2019’s “Motivation,” is apparently a classic case of queerbaiting. Normani and Cardi B standing with their arms around each other for a couple seconds while appearing to be naked is very clearly an example of relying on toxic ass heteronormative hypermasculine behavior weaponized just to get views, duh.
“Queerbaiting” wielded as a weapon of cancellation is having a real moment. Just last month, Billie Eilish was accused of the same offense as Normani after posting pictures of herself and the female dancers goofing off on set for her “Lost Cause” music video with the caption “I love girls.”
If you’re like me, you would see this and think – oh, cute – and move on with your day. Unfortunately for Billie, the loudest voices in her fanbase had a markedly different reaction:
The “Lost Cause” music video that this post was promoting is equally as innocuous. I still don’t know where the alleged queerbaiting is supposed to be lurking – is it in the fact that everyone in the video is (gasp) a woman? Is it queerbaiting because they’re all wearing puke-colored loungewear? Someone help me understand!!
The recent trend of flinging claims of queerbaiting at pop girls who have done little to warrant them feels like a symptom of the broader Tumblr-fication of every online space. The laws are as follows: 1. Always assume people’s intentions are to personally harm you and 2. Never, ever apply nuance to a situation. That’s the only explanation I can think of for the kind of disproportionate response Normani and Billie have received for literally just … interacting with other women in a professional capacity.
“Queerbaiting” as a modern pop culture concept sprang up from the fertile ground of internet fandom, where discourse is free and hyperfixation can all too easily veer into unhealthy territory. It formed mainly in reaction to TV shows and movies that would tease the possibility of non-heterosexual attraction between characters without ever making good on it. The discourse around queerbaiting originates in part from Tumblr, so naturally the term functions as an accusation – a decree ringing with wounded, righteous indignation. You, Steven Moffat, have baited me with the implication that Sherlock and John might share an onscreen, BBC-sanctioned kiss. Ryan Murphy’s refusal to let Rachel and Quinn fulfill their enemies-to-lovers fate is homophobic. And why won’t the Teen Wolf writers let Stiles and Derek fuck already??
Quick sidebar here to pay our respects to Supernatural, an elder statesman of queerbaiting. For 15 seasons, Supernatural fans imagined Dean the demon hunter and Castiel the angel falling in love and lust over and over again, as if by sheer volume of fanfiction they could drown out the persistent heterosexuality of the show they’d latched onto. Then, in the show’s final season, Destiel did the one thing fans thought was impossible: it became canon (kind of). For five whole seconds after Castiel told Dean he was in love with him, the shippers were vindicated … and then Castiel died while Dean looked on in silence and mild disgust.
When fans accuse the creators of a TV show, movie, or book series of queerbaiting, there’s an implied call to action: stop baiting us and actually follow through on the homoerotic possibilities of this story you’re telling. What exactly the end goal should be when fans allege a real person is queerbaiting them is a lot more ambiguous. For every comment under Billie’s post suspecting her of queerbaiting, there’s another breathlessly asking if she’s coming out:
A queerbaiting claim, even if conjured out of thin air, constructs a moral universe in which the only options available to the perpetrator are to either be forever branded as someone who exploits queerness for profit or come out as part of the alphabet community. People can’t be mad at you if the bait turns out to be the real deal.
That’s what happened with Rita Ora and her 2018 release “Girls,” a direct-to-Forever-21 classic. Featuring Charli XCX, Bebe Rexha, and Cardi B (a queerbaiting magnet), the lyrics of “Girls” espouse the joys of getting red wine drunk and wanting to kiss girls. LGBTQ artists like Hayley Kiyoko and Kehlani spearheaded the backlash to the song, which many viewed as a spiritual successor to Katy Perry’s gay-for-attention bops. In response, Rita Ora apologized for the hurt her song caused and revealed that she’s had relationships with both men and women. The lyrics might peddle shallow stereotypes about queer women, but it’s not technically queerbaiting if Rita Ora’s just being corny and derivative about her own sexuality. Unlike Normani’s situation, the queerbaiting allegations against Rita picked up enough steam to warrant some kind of response from her, and unlike Billie, #1 Who Rita Ora has never possessed the accolades, reputation or fanbase that would allow her to dismiss the whole thing and emerge largely unscathed. So what option was left to her except to come out?
Sure, to some extent Rita was opening the subject of her sexuality up to scrutiny by releasing “Girls” in the first place. I still don’t think that anyone – even celebrities acting messy on purpose – should be forced to come out, especially if it’s a defensive measure just to appease the Chronically Online. The more trigger-happy people get with queerbaiting accusations, the more difficult it will be to sort the legitimate grievances from the instances of outrage for outrage’s sake. Crying queerbaiting in the context of a person’s actual life can easily turn into a bunch of strangers demanding answers that they aren’t entitled to from someone who probably doesn’t have it any more figured out than the rest of us. If Billie, Normani, or any future pop star does love girls in a way that goes beyond a throwaway Instagram caption or a sexy shot in a music video, I hope I only ever hear about it because she decided to share it with the public of her own volition. Until then, I recommend that everyone practice minding their own business for a change.
A List of Things I Just Decided Are Queerbaiting
Women who clip their thumb and pointer finger nails so they can wear contacts without scratching their eyes out.
Cheetah Girls 2. The love triangle between Galleria, Chanel, and Marisol? Queerbaiting!
That part in “A Pearl” when Mitski sings “It’s just that I fell in love with a waaaaaaaar” but drags out the beginning of “war” so I think she’s about to say “woman” no matter how many times I listen to it.
Vin Diesel and The Rock’s feud over who’s a better actor, which can be boiled down to “ooh you wanna kiss me so bad.”
The Glossier flagship store in New York.
Movies about soccer (She’s the Man, Bend It Like Beckham, etc.)
Bosom buddies Anne and Diana from Anne of Green Gables. I mean:
“I love you devotedly, Anne,” said Diana staunchly, “and I always will, you may be sure of that.”
“And I will always love thee, Diana,” said Anne, solemnly extending her hand. “In the years to come thy memory will shine like a star over my lonely life, as that last story we read together says. Diana, wilt thou give me a lock of thy jet-black tresses in parting to treasure forevermore?”
One more thing: I have a new icon and banner courtesy of my creative and talented colleague, Sara Hampt! Please hit her up at shampt@usnews.com if you have any graphic design commissions :)
Hi this is Thomas! I loved this article and your humorous voice and also your analysis of how people wield queerbating accusations in a way that might force celebs to come out or disclose personal info that other people aren't entitled to. I'm curious on your thoughts: do you ever think there's a situation where a queerbaiting accusation *is* warranted? For example, I'm thinking in the K-Pop industry about how skinship and other things between idols can be glorified though actual queerness from idols would often be swiftly condemned. I totally agree with you like in Normani's music videos and related scenes and things like that, was just curious because I feel like queerbaiting originated from a (potentially?) legitimate complaint of media where there were elements of queerness used to try to win over queer viewers without any more fully fleshed out queerness being delivered.