The Unsuspecting (& Untrue) Pervert: An Analysis of Lesbians in the Media

Lesbians often struggle to see themselves on the big screen, or in any media at all. When they are featured, they are shown as a specific archetype, and primarily only that. They can never just be a character who is a lesbian—they must conform to specific stereotypes that threaten their true identities and place them into categories that exaggerate certain aspects of their lesbian identity. As mentioned by Susie Bright in The Celluloid Closet, “the word homosexuality or lesbiansim is never uttered,” yet lesbians and queer people are able to recognize certain aspects of homosexuality and lesbianism within characters who are forced to be heterosexual by societal expectations. When displayed in the media, queer people are often placed into specific boxes or categorized as a certain “type” by their heterosexual writers. A popular “type” of lesbians is the obsessive lesbian, often categorized as the pervert, whose representation acts as a warning to heterosexual women.

A classic example of this obsessed pervert stereotype is Mrs. Danvers from Rebecca, a 1940 film in which Rebecca has died but her former housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, continues to be obsessed with her even after death. When showing Mrs. de Winter Rebecca’s room, she shows Rebecca's clothes, even going as far as to show her lingerie. This specific scene paints lesbians, or at least women with homosexual tendencies as predatory, and acts as somewhat of a warning for heterosexual women at the time. This is especially true, as the film makes it out that Mrs. de Winter will be Mrs. Danvers next “victim,” as Mrs. de Winter appears to be scared and there is sinister background music. 

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A more modern example of this stereotype is the 2018 Netflix original series, Everything Sucks!, in which closeted lesbian Kate is forced to touch her classmate Emaline’s breasts, and is then mocked and called a “lesbo.” Instead of this show implying that all lesbians are perverts, it rather comments on the societal expectation that they are, ultimately challenging the stereotype. 

Finally, the 2006 episode of Criminal Minds titled “Somebody’s Watching” features a young actress, Lila Archer being stalked on set and in her home. The stalker is revealed to be her best friend, Maggie Lowe, whom she allegedly had an intimate relationship with in college, though Lila claims it was only a weekend. However, Maggie says “That was the happiest time of my life.” This episode incorporates the stereotype of the obsessive lesbian in love with her (seemingly) straight best friend. In this specific example, the obsession goes too far, resulting in physical and mental violence, and ultimately confirming the stereotype. It appears that as time continues, media focusing on lesbians attempts to start a discussion on how harmful they can be for lesbians as seen throughout years of movies and television featuring the “pervert” stereotype.

(This is unfortunately the only clip I can find of this scene)

With most media featuring lesbians, there is something attached to the character that is so over exaggerated that it places all focus on that one specific trait. According to Jay Presson Allen in The Celluloid Closet, movies that feature lesbians or have lesbian undertones “were a warning to ladies to just watch it and get back to the kitchen…where God meant them to be.” Persistent even today, lesbians have failed to be completely positively portrayed in the media, if portrayed at all. With the way lesbians are portrayed as obsessive and perverted, it demonstrates that society thinks of them as negatively bending the scripts of femininity. They fail to fit in with other women, yet are not men either. The article We Need To Talk About The ‘Crazy Lesbian’ Trope by Sadhbh O'Sullivan features an interview with journalist Daisy Jones, in which she says “Sometimes these characters [crazy, obsessive lesbians] seem like warnings: this is what you'll be like if you choose a life outside of heterosexuality.” This “warning” tells women homosexuality would compromise their place and acceptance in society. The need to fit in and be liked often trumps the need to express identity, and can cause some to lose sight of who they really are.