In the present study, we aimed to understand bisexual women’s lived experiences and meaning-making with regard to same-sex performativity (SSP)– that is, heterosexual women’s engagement in public same-sex behavior such as kissing. Cisgender bisexual women (N = 187) provided qualitative descriptions of their perceptions of SSP. Two research questions guided this feminist phenomenological study: (a) How do bisexual women perceive and make sense of SSP, including women who engage in SSP? and (b) What factors influence bisexual women’s perceptions and meaning making of SSP? We found that bisexual women made sense of SSP by situating their perceptions and experiences of SSP in a heteropatriarchal context. Bisexual women perceived the link between SSP and the male gaze as challenging bisexual legitimacy and reinforcing negative stereotypes about bisexuality; nevertheless, many bisexual women were resistant to decrying SSP. Our findings reveal bisexual women’s complex interpretive work and negotiation with tensions that underpin their sense of SSP— they perceive heterosexual women’s engagement in male-oriented SSP behavior as potentially harmful, yet are reluctant to condemn this behavior and limit women’s opportunities for sexual expression. These findings highlight the need to recognize the impact of heteronormativity and gendered power dynamics on bisexual and heterosexual women’s experiences, embodiment, and expressions of sexuality.

在本研究中，我们旨在了解双性恋女性的生活经历和同性表演（SSP）的意义，即异性恋女性参与接吻等公共同性行为。顺性别双性恋女性 (N = 187) 提供了她们对 SSP 看法的定性描述。两个研究问题引导了这项女权主义现象学研究：(a) 双性恋女性如何看待和理解 SSP，包括参与 SSP 的女性？ (b) 哪些因素影响双性恋女性对 SSP 的看法和意义？我们发现，双性恋女性通过将她们对 SSP 的看法和经历置于异性父权背景下来理解 SSP。双性恋女性认为 SSP 和男性凝视之间的联系挑战了双性恋的合法性并强化了对双性恋的负面刻板印象；尽管如此，许多双性恋女性仍不愿谴责 SSP。我们的研究结果揭示了双性恋女性复杂的解释工作和与紧张关系的谈判，这些紧张关系支撑着她们的 SSP 意识——她们认为异性恋女性参与以男性为导向的 SSP 行为可能有害，但又不愿意谴责这种行为并限制女性表达性的机会。这些发现强调需要认识到异性恋规范和性别权力动态对双性恋和异性恋女性的性经历、体现和表达的影响。