Love is defined as an intense feeling of deep affection. It confuses us, consumes us, frustrates us, and yet is such a beautiful emotion. The representation of love within the world of Film and TV is diverse, but where in this creative realm are the WLW (women loving women) relationships? Although the lesbian community flourishes by the day, they still crave a comfort within Film and TV, which heterosexuality dominates. While gay men are portrayed through acceptance and unbreakable relationships, the average lesbian Film or TV show is either a period piece, ends in death and destruction, or gets cancelled before the relationship is concluded. WLW relationships deserve much more appreciation, but why exactly are they so underrepresented? 

A large void sits in the middle of queer media where lesbians should be thriving, but instead, they are left in the dark searching for comfort. Queer representations within Film and TV seem to be dominated by gay men rather than providing a voice for all silenced identities. Brokeback Mountain is one of the first representations of queer media that was popularised and awarded, however six years before its release was a very realistic portrayal of self-acceptance. But I’m A Cheerleader was very successful, however it did not gain the same amount of recognition as the equally brilliant representation of a MLM (men loving men) relationship. Both portrayals are executed beautifully, allowing anyone of any sexuality to resonate and sympathise with these characters. Considering how one of these films is significantly more popular than the other, this draws attention to not only how underrepresented WLW relationships are, but also how they are hidden in the shadows of MLM relationships. 

While the increasing representation of MLM relationships is reassuring, it is unfortunately causing a severe lack of comfort characters and stories for lesbians. Shows such as Heartstopper center around homosexual men, thriving in popularity while also portraying a meaningful love story. WLW representations do not follow the same emotionally driven stories; why do lesbian shows and films include so much violence? Yellowjackets includes a realistic and emotional love story between Taissa (Jasmine Savoy Brown) and Van (Liv Hewson), however the main premise of the show includes cannibalism and murder, where Van also gets killed off. Perhaps there is not a lack of lesbian representation, but instead a less appealing portrayal due to the consistent association with violence. Arcane is yet another example which includes destruction as well as a phenomenal portrayal of a lesbian relationship, but ‘Caitvi’ is underappreciated due to the non-canon ship ‘Jayvic’ completely stealing their spotlight. Even canon WLW relationships are immediately drowned out by gay men, creating a hierarchy within queer media by which lesbians remain powerless. 

Although the plot and writing of these shows is enticing, they take away from the WLW relationships and are unable to explore acceptance in the same way shows like Stranger Things did with Will Byers (Noah Schnapp). Will’s journey of acceptance was intelligently portrayed, however their only lesbian character, Robin (Maya Hawke), received no source of self-acceptance. Although she got a relationship, it ended with no conclusion, just as many other WLW shows do. I am not okay with this, Everything Sucks and The Wilds got cancelled before they could satisfy the needs of providing the lesbian community with a proper representation. Ironically, it is only lesbian centered shows that manage to get cancelled, despite the popularity that they may gain. 

Thankfully, it is not all shows with lesbian representation that get cancelled, but these are usually only period pieces. Shows such as Bridgerton and Dickinson are set in the 19th century, a time when lesbian relationships were considered a crime against humanity. Homosexuality was obviously not accepted during the 19th century, possibly reflecting how WLW relationships are still not entirely accepted in modern society. It is these popularised shows that take away the acceptance that should be associated with lesbian relationships. Not only is it the shows themselves, but also the fanbases. The majority of the Bridgeton fans have expressed their disinterest in Francesca’s (Hannah Dodd) journey towards queer acceptance and continuously exclaim how it should not be normalised, supporting the idea that society is not ready to accept lesbian relationships in the same way as gay relationships have already been accepted. 

There’s an unfortunate element of misogyny within queer media where gay men are popularised while lesbians are only supported by lesbians. There is no reason why a well-written WLW representation should be criticised while gay representation continues to thrive. The Challengers summer was a very enjoyable time, as is Heated Rivalry winter, since the edits are phenomenal, however the release of Yellowjackets season four will unfortunately never have the same popularity. WLW relationships deserve acceptance, yet they are only met with suppression. 

Frustration within the lesbian community remains as consistent as the lack of representation that they have. Complete ignorance towards understanding and accepting a queer identity strangely only applies to lesbians, causing gay men to live while lesbians simply survive. Gay relationships in Film and TV getting so much appreciation is very progressive and reassuring for the LGBTQ+ community, however this is the only part of the community that is given love. It is so unfortunate how WLW representation is ignored or just viewed in such a negative way by fans. Misogyny is a main reason for this, but also the context in which lesbian representation is portrayed remains displeasing. WLW relationships simply just exist; winners love winning, yet they never win against MLM.

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