The Kylie Jenner Sexuality Rumours are Rooted in Misogyny

by Belinda Grewal

After a video of Kylie Jenner and Stassie Karanikolaou dancing went viral, it seems everyone is questioning if the billionaire makeup mogul is 'soft launching' her sexuality. 

This isn’t the first time the Kardashian family have had their sexual preferences discussed either, with Kendall having been questioned numerous times in the past. 

Following rumours of Kylie's split from her long-time partner and father of her children, Travis Scott, these accusations have become even more apparent. Numerous social media comments include statements such as, “I’m convinced Travis is their beard” - an attempt to belittle the relationship as just a cover for her sexuality. 

With Kylie and Stassie’s relationship being so public, fans have been seemingly longing for a sexuality secret to come out. But by having an affectionate female friendship provoke sexuality rumours, are we actually furthering the sexualisation of women as a whole?

How often are men at the forefront of rumours like this? It appears women inherently have platonic, close relationships gain attention due to the deep-rooted misogynistic ways of our society. While bromances are praised and looked up to, female friendships are seen as something erotic.

We have to look at the major flaw in our society. Patriarchy hates the idea of women forming real friendships, as it goes against the idea that women are enemies or competitors. By demonstrating sisterhood, we fight against the “bitch” trope so often attached to successful women - to simply brush those fundamental female relationships off as purely sexual is demeaning and arguably reduces our chances for equality.

Deciding that a woman must be gay because of a shared level of intimacy with a friend also demonstrates the definition of being queer is deeply misunderstood. By pushing this narrative, how can we simultaneously claim non-labelled actors to be ‘queer-baiting’? The hypocrisy is endless.

The impacts of these online discussions may seem innocent, but the effects are surprisingly vast.

To make assumptions about someone’s sexuality based on a level of intimacy you can only infer through your screen deeply restricts female friendship and, on a simpler level, fun. Why would we want to put a limit on the joy we can gain from true intimacy and who are we to decide what box it fits in? It’s all human connection.