unhinged lesbian tier ranks every sapphic movie trope

another chaos video - this time ranking lesbian movie tropes/cliches/plots!
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[@andeverytimewekiss]

The fact that so many wlw movies are period dramas that some of these tropes are specific to period dramas- I love history but what if I want some modern day lesbians??

[@anonymousfellow8879]

Ohhhh I FEEL that. I cannot watch Period Dramas (ie Regency Tropes with Lots Of Traditional Gender Even If Who’s Playing What changes) without feeling incredibly…trapped. Alsoalso does not help that “if you’re a women and hate this setting/genre then you’re misogynic!” When…no?? MY comfort drama is gonna be fantasy or space opera or scifi. Action adventure. Whimsical or fantastical settings-since when does that get to Only belong to heterosexual men with their Power Fantasies of Hot Token Waifu? …anyway. Modern pls. More sapphics starring in many, many more genres and settings in general.

[@TheSongwritingCat]

I mean, I do love period pieces but it also feels like those movies are mainly prestige Oscar bait (usually starring straight actresses). On the other hand, I'm too old to really want to watch stuff for the youths. Why not "historical" 90s lesbians? Or contemporary 30 or 40 somethings?

[@donagorali5950]

@@TheSongwritingCat Evelyn Hugo ???

[@TheSongwritingCat]

@@donagorali5950 Also a period piece???

[@donagorali5950]

@@TheSongwritingCat it's a famous booktok book. It's about Evelyn Hugo's life as an aspiring and successful actress throughout the 60s-90s time all the while keeping in secret her bisexuality. You should read the description of it before reading the book obviously but it's supposed to be a big plot twist that she is bi.

[@asterismos5451]

I find the "bi person in a love triangle" often plays out as "will the straight part of the gay part win?" which sucks.

[@whatcanidooo]

See I want the bi love triangle trope to be two women fighting over a man but then they realize they are more into each other lol

[@zeroflowne]

@@whatcanidooo Korra

[@SirArthurTheGreat]

@@whatcanidooo I’d love that and then the guy turns out to he bi and falls for some dude

[@asterismos5451]

@@whatcanidooo my two lesbian friends except they were fighting over a girl

[@basti5231]

So... recommendation for Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao :D Not sapphic, unfortunately, but bascially along with Sense8 some of the best resolution of a love triangle.

[@e7267]

As a bisexual I can confirm that I am secretly evil

[@minikipp8549]

we actually all are but it harms our egos if the straights point it out

[@jitterrypokery1526]

Why do you have the flag as your pfp lmao

[@followerofchrist3125]

@@jitterrypokery1526 Because they think it makes them special.

[@thecakeisalie652]

@@jitterrypokery1526 Why not?

[@thecakeisalie652]

@@followerofchrist3125 Bruhh...

[@themagpiem]

a sequence of events: - Rowan says "if you haven't seen The Handmaiden what are you doing watching this video go and watch The Handmaiden" - I remember that I haven't watched The Handmaiden despite it being on my list basically since it came out - I pause this video and watch The Handmaiden - I return to this video two and a half hours later irrevocably changed Thanks Rowan

[@thewizard1]

My favorite part of The Handmaiden is when Handmaiden said "it's Handmaidening time" and Handmaidend all over the bad guys.

[@hlnolvrgo_c]

@@thewizard1 actually happened in the movie

[@nfearnley]

I love the gender-revealing motorcycle-helmet removal that reveals the hidden long flowing hair. I don't know if it counts as "sapphic trope" but it definitely fucks with gender expectation and I think it relates to the "letting your hair down" trope.

[@maddiedoesntkno]

Any helmet, really - fencing, armour (Eowyn in LotR, Sorsha in Willow, etc.) anything!

[@GaasubaMeskhenet]

it's so great seeing your ADHD out in full force. I did not realize how scripted your uploads were before this

[@HeyRowanEllis]

i have two modes and they are exemplified by my extremely researched and scripted essays - and this shit haha

[@dr.suezettealoysiaandcarla1664]

Y 🤗 S👍🏾

[@dannygarden2292]

You might want to see the Luca video, it was pretty great.

[@bbyghostie1044]

I sent the timestamp of your rant about montages and how you listen to whatsapp notes on 2× speed to my partner. I also have ADHD and watch youtube videos on 2× speed constantly. This one I only put on 1.25× speed bc your energy is closer to my brain's attention span haha

[@GaasubaMeskhenet]

@@bbyghostie1044 '''oh you listen to things 3x speed? So you're hyperabled??? 😂''' Ah hah aha I think you'll find most of reality is x1 speed and I'm in hell please give me meds

[@mikeharrison6039]

I’m the only straight person and the only male in my gaming/Dungeons & Dragons group of 7 sapphic women I’ve gotten very good at writing saphic storylines over the past 16 or so years because I know how to play my audience and because. My favorite trope is the anti tragic love story that seems like it’s going to be sad but rather have it have a well earned happy ending I watch your content so I can write better

[@niameyers6686]

That's actually really cool

[@anonymousfellow8879]

Behold, a true man. Thank you for your service, good sir

[@mikeharrison6039]

@@niameyers6686 thank you my favorite storyline was about a pair of lovers who’s souls travel between dimensions Edit : the two players were dating at the time and are married with a son now

[@gregoryvn3]

Nice! Good DM spotted in the wild! Thumbs up for doing a great job!

[@beedoesthings8037]

My group is made of four lesbians, a gay man and an unlabeled person. I think I’m the only person who’s played an even vaguely straight character (my current PC is a bi man). It’s very fun to write for my friends.

[@whatalsaid]

I had no idea that the Bee Movie was based on a novel by a Lesbian author

[@saffodils]

can't believe this video didn't include "bizarre sex scene" as a trope-i just finished watching "elisa & marcela" and was the octopus corpse really necessary in the bedroom? or like i liked "disobedience" but the long-distance spitting really took me out of the moment, i was like "does the director think this is what lesbian sex is like??" like it's not every movie, but the number of times i've sat down to watch a nice sapphic movie only to see some oddly specific kink is far higher than would happen with a straight (or even gay male!) movie.

[@quirkyblackenby]

Lol really? That’s so weird omg

[@allyas]

Not to forget the 11-minute choreographed scene in 'Blue is the warmest colour' which was supposed to be the first time with a women for one of the characters. So male-gaze-y and its obvious that the actresses didn't feel comfortable on set

[@TheGalacticGrizzly]

@@allyas God I hated that movie. That scene was so uncomfortable

[@grutarg2938]

Yes, and why are there always feet?

[@booksvsmovies]

If anyone is looking for the resurrect your gays trope The Old Guard is top tier for this.

[@popcorn1304]

They never say the main character is a lesbian in this though. The WLW characters were stuck with the longing glances and made the audience use their inference skills to get the gay vibes even though they had two very fruity and in love male characters! Idk why they made the gay male characters outwardly gay but not the WLW ones?

[@thelittlewateringhole5576]

@@popcorn1304 Paitience. Paitience. If the sequal movie to 'The Old Guard' wants to survive and have any chance at victory, they will _need_ those gay people.

[@politemenace5781]

@@popcorn1304 1: The main character, Andy, is not a lesbian. She's bisexual. 2: It's nearly impossible to explore a romantic relationship between two characters when one of them is off screen the whole time and presumed dead, and make it tasteful. Think of all the times they talked about Quynh, was there ever a right moment for Andy to express her feelings for her? Would it make sense for the plot or her character to just blurt out something so personal and painful? Or would it feel unnecessary and kinda shoehorned, like when they confirm characters to be queer outside of the story while we never actually see it happen on screen? 3: I highly recommend you wait until after the sequel comes out :)

[@HeyLookWatchMe]

Okay but hear me out: Intense eye contact while letting down someone else’s hair and running hand through it followed by asking for consent to kiss.

[@GaasubaMeskhenet]

Theory. Sex scenes are seen as awkward by the majority of the population only because it's only ever shot like porn. can any of yall think of a sex scene with a laugh in it? I'm genuinely curious and I want to watch whatever show that was

[@OllamhDrab]

It may be a factor, I suppose. I have trouble relating to a large proportion of sex or even kissing scenes cause it's just not a visual experience to me, so it's hard for me to critique in general, but I expect it's easy to get dialogue-in-a-sex scene wrong, so they may not even try it so much. Just sort of trying to access a general sense of memory about it, it seems the jokes are almost always immediately about or following some inopportune interruption, so it's often treated as like a scene-break.

[@GaasubaMeskhenet]

@@OllamhDrab just the fact that laughing means jokes is part of the problem I'm talking about And I definitely made sure to say "the majority of the population" to acknowledge that some asexuals will just never be down for a sec scene

[@moonlites2028]

shameless and sex education are a couple of shows that come to mind

[@ruled_by_pluto]

this is just not true. yeah, i can think of many. but do you actually watch porn? because most sex scenes in movies are not shot like porn at all. certainly they tend to be less realistic and more cinematic/dramatized. but there are plenty of movies out there with very human sex scenes.

[@GaasubaMeskhenet]

@@ruled_by_pluto porn is a really broad word. Maybe "Sensual" would have gotten my meaning across better

[@aegrajag]

3:10 - age gap romance 4:37 - hands 6:47 - cheating on boyfriend/husband 8:17 - silent "passionate" sex 10:27 - natasha lyonne is in the movie/show 11:43 - lesbian character(s) dying 14:01 - butch women included as a joke only 15:42 - sharing a bath 17:17 - historical lack of body hair 19:30 - sponsor [fiverr] 21:46 - straight actors: "it's not a gay love story, it's just a love story" 23:38 - over a minute of no talking, just a swelling orchestra score 26:20 - LGBT character is evil/the villain 28:38 - longing glances 30:42 - hair being let down sensually 32:34 - letter/diary 34:45 - bisexual love triangle 38:41 - conclusion

[@ukeleleguitar2087]

doing god’s work right here

[@All-ze9cl]

i love you

[@MewWolf5]

I totally agree about the ones about butch women and body hair. I want to see more women with body hair in movies (both period dramas and present-day) and more butch characters! Of the four movies with butch characters you mentioned, I'd only seen The Watermelon Woman, so I will definitely look into the others.

[@rintickles]

professor marston and the wonder women had the best love scenes for me bc they would laugh and flirt in btwn passionate moments and rly showed their fondness of each other

[@PYC334]

i absolutely agree. ik the movie is not perfect or a masterpiece. however, the characters in it look like they have genuine fun and they are playful as much as they are serious. maybe that's why that movie stuck with me. i just liked it.

[@Ladyknightthebrave]

This was super fun, although I will say regarding for Thor 4 I would bet so much money that the movie was quite gay before Disney got their hands on it and cut a lot of stuff out. (Although I haven't paid much attention to what they've said on press tour so I have no idea there)

[@Amy-zw8xb]

KILLING EVE SPOILERS!! it is so interesting to see how with killing eve, phoebe waller bridge (s1 head writer and creator) used a lot of these tropes in a really fun, refreshing and interesting way: the hair down trope; the age gap; hands; lgbt characters being 'villainous'; etc. but then laura neal (s4 head writer) came along with the fourth season and decided to use them as traditionally and horribly as possible including, arguably, the worst one of them all: the bury your gays/dead lesbian trope... it instills a deep and violent lesbian rage in me :)

[@eloise305]

Eh I dont think it was a bury your gays trope when it's literally implied in the title of the show that a MC will die/ be assassinated but yes the writers of season 4 left the ending of the show a train wreck

[@eloise305]

Please could you explain what the hair down trope is and what you meant by hands in your comment?

[@victoria4671]

@@eloise305 for the hair down scene, i think in the first episode there was a bathroom scene where eve was doing her hair and villianelle said she liked eve's hair better down

[@goofyboy2627]

@@eloise305 it's worth noting that they both live in the book series and end up together. I feel like bury your gays is appropriate here because there's a more general trend of wlw characters dying (Helene, Nadia, Anna as well as Villanelle) with the straight women (like Pam and Carolyn) being alive at the end. Honestly though it was the general bad writing of s4 that left me the most annoyed!

[@belerinah]

So so true, I'm still mad.

[@friendlyninja5048]

I agree. I'd like at least some movies where the queer characters live and have normal, happy, functioning relationships. At least give them equal standing with the straight relationships. That's not too much to ask, right?

[@margotpreston]

Unfortunately, yes. Yes it is.

[@asf8648]

Normal relationships are a bit boring for fiction. There’s gotta be some kind of drama

[@allyas]

@@asf8648 the drama doesn't have to involve the relationship. There's many straight movies where people just happen to be married.

[@asf8648]

@@allyas I genuinely can’t think of any movie or book where a main characters marriage isn’t a big deal, doesn’t effect the plot, or don’t have some relationship to the arc and growth of the characters. And honestly a movie where the relationship is so meaningless to the story sounds kinda boring. That’s my personal taste, but I like exploring relationships so a story with all the relationships being just fine is boring to me.

[@friendlyninja5048]

@@asf8648 I have no idea where my original comment went, what I meant to say was I'd like to see more queer romances which play out similarly to straight ones. This includes having happy endings as well as drama. Most media I've consumed featuring queer romances typically only write them a certain way. I'd just like to see the same depth and complexity afforded to straight ones. Just my personal preference. I tend to prefer any kind of romance as a side-piece rather than the main focal point of the narrative. I don't know your preference though, so take this with a grain of salt.

[@Killixn_]

Ok - so I'm back after watching 'The Handmaiden' for the first time and to summarize my experience in a sentence: "*gasp* NO...wait a damn minute 🧐" In other words - it was a masterpiece and I loved it 😭❤️

[@queer-ios3155]

Pleasee where can I find it 😟

[@the.saunter.experiment]

ahhhh my favorite film ever!!

[@ellenripley4837]

@@queer-ios3155 I think is on Amazon for rent . Not w it's easier to find. When it came out it was a pain to find it. And to think about the scandal the film caused in SK not because of the lesbian relationship but because the director was cheating on his wife with the older lead actress. 😆

[@whatcanidooo]

I just watched it and hated it it just creeped me out 😭

[@sasraffie]

30:15 the 6th season of a German webseries called DRUCK actually did this exact scene w a sapphic couple!! plus theres a LOT of great Hands material in that season as well, would really recommend (some context from s5 is needed to watch it but honestly if youre only here for the gays then it works as a standalone season just as well)

[@hannahnymphadora8335]

Ein fellow DRUCK-Fan auf Rowans Kanal? yayyyy💜

[@kimreni]

We love Fatou and Kieu My

[@allyas]

My girlfriend said that while watching the video and she's very happy that someone else mentioned it

[@elisabethn3913]

I think the first one with the age gaps might have something to do with the predatory lesbian trope. The amount of old, trashy lesbian books from back in the day featuring an evil school mistress seducing one of her innocent, young female pupils is ridiculous, and it’s a trope that has very much been carried into modern day lesbian media and stereotypes. The “protect the children” + the likening of homosexuality to pedophilia probably also plays into this particular trope. And Carol is also based on a 50’s lesbian novel in which it seems to be quite common to have the sapphic relationship consisting of a more experienced, older lesbian and a younger, innocent girl only just figuring out her sexuality/being “corrupted”. It’s my impression that the book which Carol is based on was more sympathetic in its portrayal of lesbians (although I have yet to read it so I’m not sure), but it still relies on some of the framework popularly used at the time. I think that even when people make media portraying queerness more positively, it can be hard to let go of some of the framework that we’re used to seeing in previous media when portraying queerness, even if it stems from problematic/vilifying tropes.

[@KiraNightshade]

The author of Carol was a lesbian and trying to write a story where they actually both live and are together and happy and had a hard time publishing. I think it might have been based on her life or something? Feel free to look into that more. I haven't read it, but my sister told me about this.

[@deathsheadhawkmoths]

as a bi sapphic who is also a huge pride and prejudice fan, absolute yes to your hands point

[@minikipp8549]

i literally went away and rewatched the scene when she mentioned it lmfao

[@thewizard1]

bi sapphic ????

[@deathsheadhawkmoths]

@@thewizard1 yeah, it just means i identify as bisexual and sapphic. bisexual meaning i’m attracted to multiple genders and sapphic meaning i’m a woman who’s attracted to women 👍

[@Luanna801]

I would have put age gap relationships under "some nuance July", personally. I believe there's been a fair amount of research done about how historically age gaps were more common in LGBT relationships (and possibly still are today?), and it makes sense to reflect that reality. I also think age gaps between consenting adults are not inherently bad and we need to draw a difference between something inherently predatory or pedophilic vs. a relationship between adults that might seem weird to others but be completely normal and healthy for the people in it. And I also think a lot depends on the execution and how the relationship is written, is there an unbalanced power dynamic or do they relate as equals despite the age difference, is there an interesting story being told with it, do the characters make sense together, etc. etc. Pretty much the definition of "some nuance July" for me, because it's pretty much all about the nuances.

[@katfoster845]

It also depends on life stage. A 15 year age gap when you're 55 and 70 isn't a big deal. You've both got a fairly equal amount of life experience and decades of being an adult. Compared to an 18 year old and a 33 year old, where it does feel much more predatory.

[@gregothy9190]

There's some evidence to higher levels of relationship satisfaction, but also some evidence that it makes you die earlier. Anna Akana just did an interesting video about it. And yeah it's more likely for queer couples

[@thelittlewateringhole5576]

Is that so? Very interesting to learn and analyze more about it I suppose.

[@anonymousfellow8879]

Personally it just feels like a reskinning of “see? Queer people are predatory!” Of course there can be nuance-I’ll be lying if I didn’t have an angsty soft spot for Immortal/God and ADULT!!Mortal stories. OR, “finding love later in life/older women getting love.” But…age gap stories are pretty bloated by “power/life experience imbalances” if not overtly preying on teens and prepubescents. So…yeah. Largely a trope I’m just gonna say NOPE! to

[@ThanhTran-gb4pw]

Someone under 25 with someone over 30 is a bit suspect to me. Not predatory 100% of the time, but it's very common for the older person to have much more money and power over the relationship. Saying it's consenting adults doesn't stop something from being predatory if the younger person is in it for food/shelter and can die if that is withheld.

[@ninreck5121]

my girlfriend is three weeks older than me, I'm a non-binary sapphic who used to identify as soft butch, she often plays with my short, curly hair and I've written her post-cards despite her living 15min away by tram and we realized we were falling for each other because of soft touches (she took my hand once, I leaned on her shoulder on the train, I put my hand on her thigh during a museum date) do you absolutely love us?

[@NightmareRex6]

scintificaly you can be "Firends" with ~200 peaople after that you start foegettign peaople, there a reason celberties with milliosn fuckign fans arent friends with all of them.

[@erika2_2]

So cute :')

[@kasia8306]

Straight people also have hands???! Outrageous

[@isabellecw1]

I am here for the chaos, annoyance at the lack of fun sex scenes, reanimated zombie gays, and the sheer number of ace relatable moments. Honestly, this video and its energy has just made my week so much better and I needed that. (Also, lack of bangs is just as awesome as bangs! How??)

[@isabellecw1]

And also, because I sent this in the final minute, LOVE the reference to Colin in The Secret Garden, you are my hero.

[@treesbiologist8562]

My absolute favorite queer trope is the "sarcastic gay stare" The first example that comes to mind is the coming out scene in stranger things: Steve: "But, Tammy Thompson's a girl" Robin: "Steve..." Steve: "Yeah?" Robin: stares sarcastically until Steve realizes she is gay Timestamped: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fnbPeYmpp6inoqM

[@nonmigratory8738]

The whole rant about letter writing suddenly put my obsession with letter writing and playing post office with my best friend in primary school in a whole new light… dear god I’m so bi it hurts. Also: every time I watch the BBC Pride and Prejudice I just want a sapphic friend to wear huge voluminous night gowns with while we brush each other’s hair. Is that too much to ask in this life?

[@CorwinFound]

Wow. The utter chaos. Loving it! So used to your cool, rationality rules, scripted pieces. This was a ton of fun.

[@embreis2257]

5:14 *hands* , surprisingly holding hands (as a same-sex couple) seems to be much easier in Asian and African countries, at least among young people. it may be different once you are well into your twenties

[@Leena79]

I went to see Handmaiden not knowing it was a sapphic film, and leaving the theatre thinking, they actually make films like this. Listening to you rate these tropes, I started thinking, some of the best period films should be rewritten and filmed with a sapphic twist. One of my favourite films as a kid was Piano, and I think it might be even better with wlw. But,dince you seem to rate bathing together so higg, have you not seen Below her mouth? I actually think it might have all the tropes, apart from a lesbian dying.

[@Blirre]

I also went to see Handmaden not knowing it had anything gay going on. And I took my friends too. I had heard that the movie was good and I like Japanese settings so I thought great, let's go. But after the movie, as a known queer, it was impossible to convince my friends that I hadn't known it would be 🏳️‍🌈.

[@Frey12]

Lol I also went to handmaiden and not knowing that

[@elisabethn3913]

I LOVE that you had Natasha Lyonne as a whole ass trope😂 Icon💅

[@hakasims]

Me: You can’t do an unhinged tier ranking. That’s impossible. Rowan: Hold my foot bucket

[@merlinjenkins3814]

When it comes to period dramas/fantasy (though I've only found written examples in fantasy) the lacing of bodices/stays/corsets is absolutely Gold-Star tier! A perfect intersection of hands, lingering glances and the trust and intimacy of a level of undress. Extra bonus points for a whole scene where each helps the other dress and do their hair

[@meamela9820]

When you started to talk about letter writing all I could think of was just the last season of The legend of Korra where Korra is in a bad place and the only one of her friends that she wants to write letters to is Asami and now that I know this is a sappic trope it just feels like so much foreshadowing for the relationship that they develop later.

[@pagodrink]

Hearing you talking about Thor Love and Thunder (I haven't actually seen it, just word of mouth) makes me think of all the times characters in like Disney films just mention once being gay and it just makes me think back to the 90s version of Sailor Moon with Haruka and Michiru, which the two are flirting all the time and are being iconic. They even hint at the two being intimate with lines like when Michiru is holding Haruka from failling off an building Michiru:"I think you eat too many sweets these days . . ." Haruka:"I never listen to that kind of talk outside of a bed." Like, there needs to be like a new Bechdel test, but for gayness with characters. If your film is somehow less gay then the 90s Sailor Moon anime, then it's not really gay imo.

[@mafaldacosta13]

As someone who has seen Thor Love and Thunder and has only now read those lines of dialogue, I will say that Thor was not gay enough Edit: fixing spelling mistakes

[@ZACHANDJACKSZACHSMAFIA]

But I'm a cheerleader!?!? -NATASHA LYONNE / JACK MADE THIS COMMENT TO REFERENCE THAT MOVIE

[@moonperson8]

it's nice to know i'm not the only one who thinks that fight sequences and sex scenes are boring (well, in most cases). they feel like a weird pause between actually interesting stuff and it's hard to sit through esp when i hyperfocus. sometimes even x2 speed doesn't help. like come on hollywood add something interesting to those

[@minikipp8549]

but sexy fight scenes hmmmm

[@darkwriter_xx94]

My favorite longing glance is from Portrait of a lady on Fire when they’re sitting at the harpsichord and Heloise is staring at an unknowing Marianne. My absolute favorite scene. Also, to answer your question, Killing Eve (despite the dumpster fire that was the final season) has a fish tank staring scene at the start of season 4.

[@bekah5935]

The thing about fems is so true!! Like you can’t look at peachpcr and think she’s straight even tho she’s fem because there is so much more to it

[@absolutelycukoo]

I am now forever going to be heard saying “Haven’t I/we suffered enough?!” and it can be blamed on/attributed to Rowan Ellis!

[@PedroHenrique-yx2zj]

Your chair reminds me of squidward

[@TalysAlankil]

i feel like the silent sex scene thing happens outside of wlw to be honest, which is a shame. people should be comfortable talking during sex lmao

[@luciawdfg]

there’s one scene in fingersmith, which is my comfort shitty gay period drama, where three characters just silently eat a pear for a whole minute and it keeps cutting between these people chewing and looking at each other and it’s so fucking funny.

[@spiderwickian]

tbh i was also a little dissapointed with thor love and thunder. like dont get me wrong i LOVED that movie! i think it was awesome (esp jane foster's storyline) but id beeeeeeeen hoooping for more valkyrie. and more queerness in general. it was great but i KNOW we can get a gayer thor movie mr waititi

[@whatcanidooo]

To be fair it’s probably the studio, not Taika who’s making those calls

[@iankellymorris]

It's kinda wild that the reactionaries still came out in full force over the mere existence of gay characters. Including, bafflingly, Korg's mentioned-in-passing relationship with Dwayne, another male in his _all male_ species. Fellas, it's not gay if there are no women available in the entire gene pool.

[@anawsomehuman3064]

The chaotic energy in this video is immaculate

[@janejanejane4628]

I feel so seen by the energy in this video as a bi poly ace gril with adhd, pop OFF

[@ella1856]

i just got a classically abby video recommend under this 😭

[@Cheesecake_666]

You must be traumatised.

[@kimlip_tree2009]

Same!! I reported it for misleading 😆

[@sorel7342]

Haha omg. I like to imagine it’s happening the other way and classically abbys followers get trolled with a stream of Rowan vids now

[@ella1856]

@@kimlip_tree2009 i just said not interested asap lol

[@asterismos5451]

hands are for sure a thing in mlm media too! young royals, heartstopper, maurice, etc..

[@mandipandi303]

So many great movies in this ranking. I still need to see the Handmaiden, but I refuse to give Amazon any of my money.

[@juicybutterriblydrab]

The Handmaiden is on Netflix in the UK at least (and you could always pirate it if not...)

[@mandipandi303]

@@juicybutterriblydrab Yay! Thank you! I'll switch my VPN to the UK and look for it on Netflix. Thanks for the tip!

[@Alex-ki1yr]

sad fact: netflix rents server space from Amazon (or at least, they have rented, I hope they have changed that; apparently rebting server space is Amazon's main source or revenue?)

[@mandipandi303]

@@Alex-ki1yr That makes me sad. What a horrible company.

[@quirkyblackenby]

Maybe check the library? Idk

[@arklestudios]

As a straight person I don't know if this has any weight behind it, but... Thor Love & Thunder absolutely needed to be gayer. A lot gayer.

[@Frey12]

Taika is clearly being held back as his pirate show and what we do in the shadows are doing a bit more

[@anonymousfellow8879]

@@Frey12 Came here to say just that tbh.

[@beauregarden]

I personally would add a 'Keira Knightley makes an appearance' category :p

[@pikameer8325]

I love your unhinged videos so much. This was a GREAT watch, absolutely hilarious.

[@emilycreamer1307]

As a bi woman, there's something sort of wishfullment in a bi love triangle. I know it's a little basic and contrived, but it sort of like a guilty pleasure for me.

[@eoincampbell1584]

I appreciate it purely because as a kid I never understood how it could be a full love triangle if there wasn't love going all 3 directions (and I didn't know gay people existed yet) so when it's a bi love triangle where everyone is potentially attracted to everyone else it's just like "oh finally this makes sense, this is the queerness I was secretly looking for".

[@kels3518]

You have single-handedly convinced me to watch so many things and I think black sails will be next.

[@megancoffren3382]

For the letter and stationery trope, you should read "I Kissed Shara Wheeler" by Casey McQuiston.

[@almagomez6689]

Omg and the internet culture references is just *chef's kiss*

[@ukeleleguitar2087]

Oh my god it’s so good

[@fuliajulia]

Just finished this video and it was a delight. But there was a break between starting and ending it where I subscribed to your podcast and listened to three episodes lol

[@randomripoff123]

commenting to mention (just in case you haven't seen/heard of it, though i doubt it bc of your prolific film watching) angels of sex is a spanish film that ALSO solves the queer angst and love triangle with polyamory. it's utterly delightful. they're foolish and messy along the way, but they figure it out, and it's really sweet. i haven't been able to find it to rewatch it in a few years but GOD it was really one of my favorite movies. so goofy and cheesy but also dramatic and sweet.

[@babybeastchaeyoung7053]

the absolute bashing of the "over a minute of no talking" :'D I agree 101%, might be a neurodivergent thing, but I'm not gonna watch a movie where nothing happens.. 'artistic pieces' or not also, like someone mentioned in the live comments, Twice's 'What is love' music video recreates a bunch of famous movie scenes (but they're all girls ;) ), and one of them happens to be the Romeo&Juliet aquarium scene!

[@bijova]

i hope a mlm or general queer movie bingo card will be made omg 💕

[@samanthaburns6956]

I love the trope of kids who are too young to realize they are in romantic love with their friends. An example I loved recently is "Scout is not a band kid" technicaly it is just a slice of life middle grade comic but I sweart to all the gods that were and will ever be the two main characters are girlfriends

[@outsideaglass]

OMG Rowan stop seeing me so clearly it feels like you just cupid arrowed right in my heart! Letters/Diaries ABSOLUTELY the most sapphic ever. My best friend friend and I in middle school (100 million % exactly what you referenced about obsession with your best friend before you know/realize anything) used to pass a "doodle" as we called them back and forth between class periods. In our middle school we had about 6 periods a day plus lunch, which in Texas meant we the students moved classrooms. My bestie and I didn't have any classes together past 6th grade when me met (11 years old) which is why we invented the doodling together idea for 7th and 8th grades (12-13 years old). We would each start the day with our own sheet of paper and doodle during class whatever we felt like. Sometimes it was writing, sometimes it was pictures. Then between each class we'd trade and draw on the other's original piece of paper, and at the end of the day we'd both have an amazingly doodled and written on piece of paper. Now that you just randomly pulled that out of my deep memories I really wish I still had some of those doodles. So cute and amazing!

[@kalika424]

Thank you for saying love triangles can be solved with poly! I have been saying this for years!

[@sourpatchkiiddoo1582]

I think the Fear Street trilogy is pretty good at teasing the “bury your gays” trope by having a wlw protagonist and the girl she loves being on the brink of death but 🚨SPOILER ALERT🚨 not dying by the end.

[@sittinginbushes]

tho I only watched the first part I loved it. the creators rlly said "everyone dies but not the fucking gays holy shit" lol

[@faithquist6635]

I wonder with the body hair in historical dramas thing if there's any level of objection from the performers to have to grow hair out that they prefer to keep shaved for modern styling standards. Not that actors don't frequently style their head hair for a role so not an excuse per se. Just another possible factor.

[@gabrielmaroto18]

Beauty standards from our age which are nonsense anyway! Thank you for saying so I have four sisters and they refuse to listen to me when I say just a little bit less you are a working woman you’re beautiful without all of that! 😊 😻

[@Ecto_42]

As someone who has ADHD as well, I hate long drawn out sex scenes where there's nothing going on. I would much rather have a fade to black than a full 3 minutes of people very quietly doing things in the dead of night. If the scene reads like stale toast I don't want to watch it, and I don't understand especial when it's someone's first time hoking up with a new partner how they can make it feel so bland.

[@pmmolnar]

I have enjoyed all of Rowan's videos that I've seen, and her more 'scholarly' videos are interesting and engaging, but the occasional Chaos Rowan™ vid is a thing of joy.

[@islandtimekeeper858]

Many of us are *still* waiting for proper representation of time-travelling Devonshire lesbians cheating on the alien lizard creatures who, like the British royal family, cosplay as humans when not living aboard the cloaked mothership hovering over Whitehall. Where's our filmography?

[@kimlip_tree2009]

Love your videos! :) could you do one on queerbaiting in the music industry?

[@kimlip_tree2009]

Also congrats to the English women's football team for winning the euros :)

[@victai163]

@@kimlip_tree2009 i am extremely sleep deprived and i thought this meant they won a couple euros as a prize LMFAO

[@kimlip_tree2009]

@@victai163 omg!! 🤣🤣

[@avisicarus42]

re: sapphic music videos. the music video for girl group "twice"s song "what is love?" parodies several iconic romance music scenes where the female members play both the male and female roles, and one of the scenes parodied is the fish tank scene from romeo + juliette

[@MoonGalleon22]

The one trope I keep seeing that really boils my piss is one member of the partnership being "accused" of being bisexual and of not being invested in the relationship, or of "clearly" wanting to leave the accuser to pursue a straight relationship? It's not exclusive to sapphic movies - The Bird Cage does this - but Bound also has this as a plot point, where we're meant to distrust Violet and question whether she's gay or not, and it's so nakedly biphobic. Maybe I'm just unlucky and the gay movies I've seen all just happened to have this trope but??? I hate it??

[@GaasubaMeskhenet]

The Handmaiden is only available on prime I need to become a pirate

[@spiderwickian]

psst if you use a vpn and go british its on netflix (but also Yes it's Pirate Time)

[@JamieBliss]

In which Rowan goes off about period romances.

[@cw2962]

Book with a Asian lesbian lead is the "My Name Is Trouble" books there's 2 out already and a 3rd later this year.

[@Erin-io3fv]

I've been shouting about Therese and Rindy having the same hair and outfits in Carol for years, thank you for validating this correct reading!

[@samm9717]

Heavenly creatures (1994) has an ABSURD amount of these tropes. It's also a piece of ART

[@AJDionysus14]

This video and the rankings within belong in the Gold Star Sapphic ranking. A+! And I thought I was the only one who loves the hands trope! I even made it a thing when I played Cliff in the gayest version of Cabaret ever. (Yeah.) Love this video and this channel.

[@littlestpineapple2898]

Rowan Ellis is the chaotic asexual sapphic energy we deserved and I have never felt so seen

[@jamiepandaman]

In defense of the bisexual love triangle, I like when a bisexual has male and female love interests, because it "confirms"* their bisexuality, much like depicting relationships of lesbians and gay men make their sexuality undeniable by straight/homophobic viewers. If a bisexual character doesn't get to express their feelings for multiple genders/sexes then... are they really bisexual? It's also worth considering that I am bisexual, but I'm not a bisexual woman. Knowing how bi women are fetishized, and knowing how a lot of bisexual love triangles fetishize a bisexual woman, I wouldn't want to defend the trope when it's used to fetishize. *IRL bisexuals don't have to do this. You're still bisexual if you've only been with one gender of partner.

[@FallenTwin]

i loved the chaos energy being in full force in this video! as for the only trope i really have an opinion on it is the bi love triangle one. now i find love triangles boring (because as you said they can so easily be solved with polyamory), and also this trope so easily feeds into harmful stereotypes of bi people. but i just love myself a good chaos bisexual! as a pan person with polyamorous leanings myself i find myself drawn to bi/pan characters with more than one love interest, and if the story fails me i will likely go look for fanfics or imagine my own scenarios. because oh dear do i know that writers of tv/film have failed me many times before and i know how to take matters into my own hands by now.

[@ratboy2]

commenting again because i cant edit my first reply (thanks youtube) and i wanted to recommend an ongoing polyamorous webcomic i’ve been reading for a while. i dont know if they’re your thing, but its one of my favorite comics of all time. it’s called Charity Case. the characters feel really human, and the art is lovely and expressive. there’s a variety of queer representation and good communication between established couples, which was really cool to see. there are several chapters uploaded to date, and if comics work for you I’d definitely suggest checking it out ❤️

[@FallenTwin]

@@ratboy2 oh thank you! i will definitely check it out!!

[@ratboy2]

@@FallenTwin awesome :D

[@-Araina-]

I loooooved the unscripted and down-to-earth feeling of this video. Please more just casual talking videos!! They feel so sincere and fun :)

[@mafaldacosta13]

23:15 FINALLY SOMEONE SAID IT!!!! I have no idea why everyone in the community is saying that this is the gayest movie of all time. You have one character saying he is from a planet with only gay rocks (in a scene that left me thinking "great, but why is this important to the plot or the character? It isn't. It's just filler that happens to be gay but is relevant to no one) and valkrie kisses a woman's hand. That's it! You could possibly say that we have a trans character although as far as I heard it was denied, but even then it is not a gay movie At least Eternals showed a gay family and we actually spend time with them. Still not a gay movie...

[@nickfulwood6384]

Can we just make "hands" a solid asexual trope? lol

[@ihinabg]

I remember the bathtub scene in Nikki & Nora. And I seem to recall some very decent longing Wayhaught gazes in Wynonna Earp. Personally for me the 'lesbians in jail' trope is the one I can absolutely do without. Which is probably why I never got into Orange is the New Back.

[@HeyLookWatchMe]

Okay but, not even the L word? I know the whole cheating thing with Bette was problematic but, come on, that scene was good.

[@nubesvaporosas7191]

I just wanted to mention that My first summer is another example of a nice sharing a bath scene 💜

[@lauramathews3151]

Love butch or stud vibes but personally admire the dappers. Masc presentation just so spiffy. Also as a historical film and fiction nerd, I total agree about the body hair in period film.

[@QAIMIFplays]

I love how her rowan’s Chanel is a mix of long informational videos and her full force adhd rating unhinged gay women

[@sorel7342]

Haha ammonite was so egregious for some of these boring period drama ones. I also find them hard to get through.. also I watched that film with my girlfriends parents so I didn’t even enjoy the enjoyable scenes

[@jennifers5560]

I think Go Fish has the best images of fingers and hands. The last 20 minutes of that movie made the odd “dream sequences” (I don’t know what else to call them) worth it. I think I saw that movie in 1995, it was the first movie I saw that portrayed lesbians that I could relate to. It also has one of main characters cut her long hair down to a crew cut and a fair amount of hands going through hair. (Again in the last 20 minutes.) Unfortunately no letter writing, but it is cute how they have them getting to know each other over phones conversations.

[@milomazli]

Rowan, this video is EXHILIRATING!!! You are so incredibly funny & insightful... Im laughing out loud on the train! 🤣❤️ Also to answer your question: As a straight chick I can confirm "hand" portrayal in Pride & Prejudice is awwwwesooome

[@sarboomer8379]

Speaking of the silent sex scene, there's also the trope of close ups during these scenes that are so zoomed in that you have no idea what body part she's actually gently caressing. Is it a leg or a arm? Maybe it's even the side of a torso a super duper close close up of a neck. Who know?! 🤷🏼

[@angeladavidson2350]

There was not a SINGLE lie in this video lmao

[@michaelnewton5873]

Rowan unfortunately it seems that Hollywood screen writers have been trained to write Creatively and the tropes you mention are all found in fiction. Someone needs to encourage Creative writers to write fiction based on life and things experienced or seen. You made many good points especially with the 20 year old Lesbian falling for the 40-50 lesbian in a Mother-daughter sort of way that porn likes to exploit.

[@imsotiredofthiscrap2341]

i think im one of the three mlm ppl who watches this channel and im here for it honestly. i volunteer to be the token bisexual man wherever whenever

[@sanaaa-v4411]

Thanks for shouting out Cynthia So's novel, If You Still Recognize Me!! Absolutely devoured it and loved it. I work in publishing, and work on quite a few queer books, but it's still rare and special to see our non-white, internationally-influenced queer experiences depicted--and with such tenderness and beauty ❤️

[@cw2962]

Natasha Leon: I'm straight. I've slept with women I'm not dumb

[@crytalcrytal2517]

"It is not even mid-day, I am off to have an ice cold bath like that frail little boy in The Secret Garden..." 🤣🤣🤣 Incredible sign-off ✨️🏆✨️ lmao

[@mitigatortish]

I've watched so many of your videos, Rowan, but THIS one has to be one of my top 3! Your energy is just fantastic, and I couldn't agree more with your takes. *chef's kiss*

[@jordannechambo8776]

I absolutely loved every minute of this video! This was so engaging and enjoyable to watch. As an AuDHD person I had to read a lot of comments and try to empathize with the NT perspective before I could understand what you and seemingly most of the commenters meant by chaos. I guess my brain's natural chaos matches the "ADHD chaos vibe" of your unscripted videos really well. I always enjoy watching your video essays and appreciate the nuances perspectives you present, but this was honestly Gold Star Lesbian. Oh and talking about the movie experience from an asexual perspective - I love that you mentioned that and I felt so seen. Overall, amazing video, amazing channel, amazing person. You seem so awesome and fun and I wish we were friends.