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Sexuality and Teen Television: Emerging Adults Respond to Representations of Queer Identity on Glee

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Abstract

Academic scholarship on teen television programs indicates that images of queer sexualities can strongly impact the identities of emerging adults. Yet what is missing from this body of scholarship is an in-depth examination of how these representations are incorporated into the identity projects of the emerging adults who watch these shows. This study fills this gap by examining qualitative interviews with emerging adults who watch Glee. The participants consistently and overwhelmingly identified Glee as representing “progressive” emerging adult sexuality. Within that, three key themes emerged. First, identifying with Glee is a gendered practice. Second, Glee fandom aligns with an affinity for musical theater, which is traditionally considered a mirror for gay culture. Finally, while viewers recognized queer narrative content, it did not produce a broader acceptance of non-heterosexual identities. Viewers normalized their own (real, straight) identities in relation to the (fake, queer) identities shown in the narrative.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the students of CNU Interviewing 316 (2010 and 2012) for their assistance in collecting and transcribing data for this project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Communication, Christopher Newport University, 252 Joseph W. Luter III Hall, Newport News, VA, 23606, USA

    Michaela D. E. Meyer

  2. Department of Communication, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA

    Megan M. Wood

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  1. Michaela D. E. Meyer
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  2. Megan M. Wood
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Correspondence to Michaela D. E. Meyer.

Additional information

A previous version of this manuscript was presented at SSEA’s 6th Conference on Emerging Adulthood in Chicago, IL.

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Meyer, M.D.E., Wood, M.M. Sexuality and Teen Television: Emerging Adults Respond to Representations of Queer Identity on Glee . Sexuality & Culture 17, 434–448 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-013-9185-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-013-9185-2

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