Qualms of Queerbating
Recently, there has been much discourse in the media regarding how LGBTQ+, or “queer”, people are portrayed. One of the main criticisms for the representation of the LGBTQ+ community is queerbaiting, a term coined for when someone implies a queer relationship or attraction to attract a queer audience without actually depicting it. Singer Billie Eilish’s music video for her new song, “Lost Cause,” is an example of this. The video, which premiered on YouTube on June 2, features Eilish in a room with many other women, and there are sexual implications evident throughout. Additionally, she captioned one of her Instagram posts “I love women” on her account @billieeilish while promoting the video. Both the music video and the Instagram post were released during Pride month, which led some viewers to believe Eilish was coming out as queer. Other fans did not hold this same belief, as Eilish has repeatedly stated in interviews and on social media that she is straight.
Due to many LGBTQ+ fans feeling that Eilish was queerbaiting in her music video, she has been receiving many negative comments on social media, and some fans have said they are going to stop listening to her music completely. In doing this, they hope Eilish will notice the backlash she is receiving and address the situation by possibly issuing an apology. Freshman Patroclus Hodjat believes that Eilish’s fans have reacted fairly amid this queerbaiting scandal.
“If she gets backlash from [the video], it will expose more people to queerbaiting since [she is a] big musician,” Hodjat said.
Videos like Eilish’s contribute to inaccurate portrayals of the LGBTQ+ community. With the legalization of gay marriage in 2012, LGBTQ+ people have been more accepted than ever before, but it is still difficult to find accurate representation in media. Queer people will often look for any representation and media creators are aware of this, thus making it look like there might be a queer relationship in television, music and movies in order to attract LGBTQ+ fans. They never confirm it to be queer though, because that would risk losing their homophobic fanbase.
However, some people think that these reactions are too harsh and Eilish does not deserve the hate she is receiving. Some fans on social media platforms do not believe the video was queerbaiting, nor do they believe it should be taken down. Other fans feel that Eilish did not realize the video could be considered queerbaiting, so she should be made aware of it but given a second chance. President of the Gender-Sexuality Alliance (GSA), senior Kathleen Menninger, feels Eilish may not have been aware that she was queerbaiting in her music video.
“I think she definitely deserves to be reprimanded for this so it does not happen again,” Menninger said. “Given how young she is, and the fact that she may or may not have been informed about [queerbaiting], this [makes me] think it was [just a] mistake, and I [do not] think it is worth cancelling someone over a mistake. As long as she learns from it, [she] deserves a second chance.”
“Cancelling” someone, as mentioned by Menninger, is when a celebrity loses support from fans because they feel that the celebrity did something morally offensive. In Eilish’s case, people are trying to encourage others to stop listening to and buying her music, merchandise and concert tickets, on multiple social media platforms. Not everyone agrees with this tactic; however, people from both sides of the argument agree that Eilish needs to apologize for the music video. It is important for Eilish to acknowledge this issue, otherwise it could harm the queer community through continued exploitation for profit by creators.
“[Queerbaiting] affects the [LGBTQ+] community because it is discriminating in a way,” freshman Bella Assencoa said. “[It feels like] someone [who is straight] is just pretending to be queer.”
It can be damaging for the LGBTQ+ community to see straight people’s portrayal of someone who is queer as a marketing tactic for publicity. The LGBTQ+ community should not have to endure discrimination every day while celebrities exploit it for attention in the media. As people start to hold celebrities more accountable for their actions, queerbaiting will slowly decline in the future. Since people are learning how to identify queerbaiting and why it is harmful, it has become less likely for people to get away with it. Although Eilish has not apologized for queerbaiting in her music video, her influence could set a good example for other celebrities if she does. Furthermore, if there are more celebrities shown apologizing for queerbaiting and not repeating their actions in the future, it can set a precedent for others to do the same.
