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"An extra set of bits for your fantasy" : A qualitative exploration of bi + women’s fetishization experiences
Mccole, Amy R. Thai, Michael Anderson, Joel R.
Mccole, Amy R.
Thai, Michael
Anderson, Joel R.
Abstract
Bi + Australians experience disproportionate rates of poor mental health compared to both heterosexual and lesbian and gay people. In the case of bi + women, negative psychological outcomes may arise from the eroticization of their sexual identities. There is a scarcity of literature examining this phenomenon. The current study aimed to address this gap by qualitatively exploring bi + women’s experiences of fetishization. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants aged 19 to 51 years (M = 30.3 years, SD = 9.3). Data was analyzed with inductive thematic analysis, and eight themes were developed: (1) Bi + sexuality is desirable to heterosexual men; (2) fetishization differentiates bi + sexuality from monosexual same-sex attraction; (3) bi + sexuality creates exceptions to monogamy; (4) fetishization manifests as dehumanization and hypersexualisation; (5) experiencing internalized fetishization, (6) emotional impact of fetishization; (7) cognizance of fetishization leads to alertness and vigilance, and; (8) navigating intersecting identities. Future directions concern the need for generation of theory around fetishization processes.
Keywords
bisexuality, plurisexual, fetish, fetishization
Date
2025
Type
Journal article
Journal
Book
Volume
Issue
Page Range
1-23
Article Number
ACU Department
School of Behavioural and Health Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
Files
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
Published as ‘gold’ (paid) open access
License
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
File Access
Open
Notes
© 2025 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.