by Lauren W
Today is a sad day. Not because Jessie J has claimed she is straight - we should all be allowed to simply be who we are - but because she says she has "outgrown" her bisexuality, and it was just a "phase".
The British starlet took to Twitter this week, tweeting “I fancy/date/love men and only men. Is that “straight to the point” enough?”
Fair enough, you're straight. Good for you, Jessie.
The point for discussion here is that Jessie implicated that her bisexuality was a "phase".
The Domino singer also tweeted:
Yes, we all went through phases. But here's the thing. Saying you're bisexual is not the same as a 14-year old going through a "grunge phase", or a "scene kid" phase.
The thing is, Jessie, you were never bisexual and you always knew this. We understand that you may have used this idea as a publicity stunt, and you may have also claimed you were bisexual because you had brief flings with women in the past. But we all know that sleeping with a woman once does not constitute bisexuality.
There are many of us who slept with men for years before realising we only wanted to sleep with women. Does that mean we classify ourselves as once straight? Of course not. I, for example, briefly dated men when I was younger, but would I say I was straight back then? No. But I presume you will attempt to claim you were bisexual at one point in your life.
It is dangerous when young girls (and boys!) hear words such as "phase" and phrases such as "I grew out of it". This can suggest to young queer people that they too will 'grow out of it' one day. Those posters of a half-naked Katy Perry on that young girl's wall? Nah, they'll grow out of it. The young boy who has a crush on his best friend? It's an anomaly, and he'll grow out of it. This is DANGEROUS. Not only could such young people have high hopes for their sexuality to 'change' and be disappointed when they still want to bang members of the same-sex by the time they reach 18, but buzzwords such as 'phase' can lead to dire consequences.
In the worst cases, devout young religious people will lose faith in their God, whom they have prayed to for hours on end to help them change, but to no avail. (I am not championing religion here, I am simply given different examples of how this could negatively affect our youth.) Others will slump into a deep depression; some may even contemplate suicide once they realise they cannot 'grow out of it' like you supposedly have. Is this something you intended when you explained your heterosexuality? Probably not. But you definitely did not think about what you were saying before you published your words to 6.5 million Twitter followers.
Again, it's not your announced heterosexuality that is sparking such a response from ATL, it is the way in which you phrased it. Comparing bisexuality to that phase you had when you would only listen to Status Quo is incomparable on so many levels.
Next time, stars like Jessie need to think about their choice of words (see: Laurel Hollman - click the link!) when making adjustments to the way they have previously labelled themselves.
Though they may not realise what the effects of their words may be, there are people who see celebrities today as role models. We need to ensure this does not happen again.
Today is a sad day. Not because Jessie J has claimed she is straight - we should all be allowed to simply be who we are - but because she says she has "outgrown" her bisexuality, and it was just a "phase".
(Image Source: Digital Spy)
The British starlet took to Twitter this week, tweeting “I fancy/date/love men and only men. Is that “straight to the point” enough?”
Fair enough, you're straight. Good for you, Jessie.
The point for discussion here is that Jessie implicated that her bisexuality was a "phase".
The Domino singer also tweeted:
Remember the thing that you tried/did back in the day. The phase you had? That is so not YOU anymore?! And you look back and think wow how I've changed. I would never do that now. Something that you don't even talk about or want to talk about anymore. Because you've moved on? That was just part of you growing up? Discovering yourself and working out what you liked and disliked.... Remember?
(Source: Jessie J via TMI)Here's the thing, Jessie. When parents of young people hear you comparing bisexuality to other 'phases' young people go through, it sparks the thought within them that their children are also just bisexual "for the time being".
Yes, we all went through phases. But here's the thing. Saying you're bisexual is not the same as a 14-year old going through a "grunge phase", or a "scene kid" phase.
The thing is, Jessie, you were never bisexual and you always knew this. We understand that you may have used this idea as a publicity stunt, and you may have also claimed you were bisexual because you had brief flings with women in the past. But we all know that sleeping with a woman once does not constitute bisexuality.
There are many of us who slept with men for years before realising we only wanted to sleep with women. Does that mean we classify ourselves as once straight? Of course not. I, for example, briefly dated men when I was younger, but would I say I was straight back then? No. But I presume you will attempt to claim you were bisexual at one point in your life.
It is dangerous when young girls (and boys!) hear words such as "phase" and phrases such as "I grew out of it". This can suggest to young queer people that they too will 'grow out of it' one day. Those posters of a half-naked Katy Perry on that young girl's wall? Nah, they'll grow out of it. The young boy who has a crush on his best friend? It's an anomaly, and he'll grow out of it. This is DANGEROUS. Not only could such young people have high hopes for their sexuality to 'change' and be disappointed when they still want to bang members of the same-sex by the time they reach 18, but buzzwords such as 'phase' can lead to dire consequences.
In the worst cases, devout young religious people will lose faith in their God, whom they have prayed to for hours on end to help them change, but to no avail. (I am not championing religion here, I am simply given different examples of how this could negatively affect our youth.) Others will slump into a deep depression; some may even contemplate suicide once they realise they cannot 'grow out of it' like you supposedly have. Is this something you intended when you explained your heterosexuality? Probably not. But you definitely did not think about what you were saying before you published your words to 6.5 million Twitter followers.
Again, it's not your announced heterosexuality that is sparking such a response from ATL, it is the way in which you phrased it. Comparing bisexuality to that phase you had when you would only listen to Status Quo is incomparable on so many levels.
Next time, stars like Jessie need to think about their choice of words (see: Laurel Hollman - click the link!) when making adjustments to the way they have previously labelled themselves.
Though they may not realise what the effects of their words may be, there are people who see celebrities today as role models. We need to ensure this does not happen again.
