There was a lot less bi visibility in the media back in 1992 and so bisexual and lesbian/gay groups were up in arms when the film Basic Instinct came out.
It quickly became a totemic example of negative bi and queer representation on screen: one of the central characters is a manipulative bisexual woman who seems to be using her sexuality to get away with murder.
Sharon Stone and Michael Douglas starred in the film famous for two things: the scene where audiences got a fleeting glimpse up Stone’s skirt, and her character’s tendency to reach for the icepick during sex.
Reportedly after the film was released Sharon Stone complained that interviewers always wanted to talk about how shocking the film’s sex scenes were, yet didn’t seem to have a problem with characters being killed in a grisly fashion.
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