Bisexual Microaggressions, Affirmative Experiences, and Social Appearance Anxiety Among Bi+ Women and Femmes of Color

Bisexual+ individuals with multiple marginalized identities face compounded stressors due to the intersection of experienced and internalized binegativity and other discriminations based on their marginalized identities. Specifically, bisexual+ women and femmes of color (Bi+ WFOC) have unique experiences of objectification by others and themselves due to societal stigma and stereotypes related to their racial-ethnic and sexual identities. The internalization of discrimination based on identity can lead to symptoms of negative psychological well-being for Bi+ WFOC. Previous research has not fully examined bisexual+ specific affirmations, specifically the internalization of bisexual collective self-esteem and perceived experiences of bisexual microaffirmations from others, as protective factors for Bi+ WFOC experiencing these stressors. The present study used a sample of 209 Bi+ WFOC to examine the relationship between social appearance anxiety and bisexual microaggressions, as well as whether bisexual microaffirmations and bisexual collective self-esteem, respectively moderated this association. Results indicated that bisexual microaffirmations did not moderate the relationship between bisexual microaggressions and social appearance anxiety. However, bisexual collective self-esteem significantly moderated this association. Implications regarding the potential protective role of bisexual affirmations for Bi+ WFOC, with a focus on microaffirmations, and directions for future research were discussed.