How do bisexual men across the UK embody bisexual identities in changing social settings?

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Bisexual men have been largely under-researched in bisexual scholarship. Bisexual peopleoften struggle to feel validated in a society that favours the sexual binaries - homosexualityand heterosexuality - and bisexual men must contend with this and expectations ofmasculinity too. While there are (often inaccurate) representations of gay, lesbian andheterosexual appearances, the same cannot be said for bisexual people. Being visible is vitalto forming communities, sharing experiences, and existing away from oppression. Newforms of bisexual community-led representations are beginning to surface such as BiTok onTikTok, but these are not/cannot be widely representative. As new forms of bisexualexpression become more visible, how do bisexual men across the UK understand andembody bisexual identities? Through the micro-ethnographic method of mobile interviews,this study will be done in collaboration with thirty-five bisexual men from a variety oflocations across the UK to understand how they shape their visual expressions of whatbisexuality is, what it feels like, and what it looks like. It will analyse how bisexuality isbrought into being by bisexual men, how they dress and what accessories they wear toembody their idea of bisexuality, how changing social settings force bisexual visualisationsto be (re)negotiated, and the affectual responses being (in)validated produces. In doing so, Iwill seek to collaboratively inquire with these men about new possibilities of shapingbisexual visibility outside of stereotypes and essentialist categories. Ultimately, it willunderstand how bisexual men are forced to be the makers of their own sexual identities, ina culture where to be bisexual is to be invisible.This research will explore bisexual men's experiences as they embody their bisexualitythrough changing social settings. The central aim is to understand how they embody theirsexual identity visually and the affectual, emotional response this creates. Therefore,questions that will guide this research are:- How do self-identifying bisexual men from different locations in the UK express theirbisexuality visually?- How have self-identifying bisexual men from different locations in the UK previouslynegotiated and renegotiated their bisexual embodiment in the process ofunderstanding their sexual identity?- What accessories or visual cues are self-identifying bisexual men from differentlocations in the UK using to bring their bisexuality into being?