Where are the accurate lesbian representations in media??

Recently Gossip Girl aired their scandalous threesome episode. The episode got some major heat from the Parents Television Council and it is a product of the male gaze and a poor representation of homosexuality in media. Not surprisingly, this threesome occurred between two women and one man and played completely into male fantasies. The scene at the end of the episode showed the two women characters kissing each other, while an eager man watched on. From this scene, people might think that sexuality is a fluid, constantly changing thing. Yes the characters on the show are heterosexual, but they also have no problem engaging in homosexual moments, especially if it is for the pleasure of a man.

Lesbian representation in media is more rare and more fantasized then representations of gay men. While gay men in the media are stereotyped as flamboyant, musical theater loving shoppers, lesbians are created for the pleasure of the heterosexual male. I do not watch The L Word but I cant think of one accurate representation of a lesbian on a television show today. When lesbians do make their appearance, it is usually for a girl-on-girl make out scene. Producers like to use the lesbian card to boost ratings and to appeal to a different audience. This season of Gossip Girl has experienced extremely lower ratings then previous seasons and is watched primarily by girls in high school and college. The executives at CW heavily advertised the shocking new episode so that they could increase their viewers and so that they could widen their viewer-ship, hoping that some young males would want to tune in for the scene.

These representations are absurdly unrealistic. I would imagine that few lesbians are amused by these representations of them in media nor would most find them representative of the homosexual culture. Television needs to work harder to integrate lesbian characters onto television shows, without them being temporary or used for male pleasure.