‘Femme it Up or Dress it Down’: Appearance and Bisexual Women in Monogamous Relationships

Abstract

This article reports on findings from a qualitative study into the lived experience of bisexual women in monogamous relationships. Nineteen self-identified bisexual women from across the United Kingdom, who were either in a monogamous relationship or desired to be in one, were explored. Participants completed diaries and took part in telephone interviews. The data was analyzed using Template Analysis that identified themes from the data set. It appeared that women in different-gender relationships choose appearance markers that could be classed as lesbian orientated in a bid to illuminate their bisexuality. Women in same-gender relationships were more likely to opt for feminine appearance signifiers in a bid to avoid being identified as a lesbian based solely on their appearance. The study suggests that the gender of participants’ partners matters with regards to their appearance decisions. However, despite the apparent influence of their partner’s gender, bisexual women demonstrated a degree of flexibility and fluidity in their appearance choices.

Keywords:

• bisexual
• appearance
• women
• relationships

Acknowledgement

A full copy of the Template is available on request from the first author)

Notes

1 I utilise the term ‘other’ in this section to reflect the dominant Western societal conception that there were only two corresponding genders to choose from – man/woman.

2 For efficiency I use the acronym LGBT + to refer to lesbian (L), gay (G), bisexual (B), transsexual (T) and (+) others. My use of the plus sign to represent ‘others’ in this context is my attempt to incorporate the breadth of plurisexual identities that could be argued to warrant inclusion under the rainbow umbrella.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sarah Jane Daly

Dr. Sarah Jane Daly – Senior Lecturer in Social Psychology, University of Huddersfield, Edith Key Building, Queensgate, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH, England.

Nigel King

Professor Nigel King – Associate Dean Research, Department of Psychology, University of Huddersfield, Edith Key Building, Queensgate, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH, England.

Tracey Yeadon-Lee

Dr. Tray Yeadon-Lee – Senior Lecturer in Sociology, University of Huddersfield, Edith Key Building, Queensgate, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH, England.