Jump to content

Do you think Sheldon from Big Bang Theory is the Asexual stereotype?


Recommended Posts

I think he represents the asexual stereotype to a T. When people think of a typical asexual, I think they think of an ultra-cerebral nerdy type (I'm like that too, though with much more in the way of social skills and concern for others).

I think the fact that asexuality has enough visibility to have its own stereotype is pretty cool actually, and Sheldon is beloved enough that I think his portrayal on TV is good for asexuals.

So, what do you think of Sheldon? Do you think he embodies the asexual stereotype? I've actually had people tell me they could sense I was asexual before I told them, which I think may have something to do with the popularity of the Sheldon asexual caricature.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I think Sheldon just represents your average nerd-virgin type of guy. Nothing more nothing less. Don't think asexuality has anything to do with that character.

Link to post
Share on other sites
The Great WTF

I don't want to be associated with any stereotype character, especially one whose creators have said he was never written to be asexual in the first place. I'm reaching a point where I kind of hate Sheldon. Between the negative stereotypes I get forced on me by everyone associating asexuality with him and having to deal with real life versions of him in my graduate studies, I want nothing to do with him as a character, much less as a representation of my community.

It's wonderful to see people who can relate to him and there are many in this community, but I do not want him representing asexuality as a whole.

If I want an asexual character to represent me, I'll go for Luffy or Paksenarrion. Hell, I'll take the ACD's Sherlock Holmes over Sheldon.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Is Sheldon canonically asexual? Like recond1te says, I think he's more the stereotype of a nerdy geek who's too socially incompetent to get laid, rather than an actual asexual. If he is the stereotype asexual, I find that pretty disappointing. There are a number of other characters who people claim are "archetypal asexuals" but aren't actually asexual at all (I'm thinking of Sherlock Holmes and the Doctor).

It's pretty cool that during this Asexual Awareness Week, people are doing the asexual fandom challenge on Tumblr (search the #aawfc tag), where they list characters/ships that are asexual/aromantic/grey-a/platonic. My personal fave has been Haruhi Fujioka from Ouran High School Host Club, because the idea of an aroace protagonist of a romance anime, especially one that plays with romance tropes the way Ouran does, makes me so happy I could cry. She's also smart, thoughtful and friendly, but has 0 interest in any of the 6 hot, rich guys she's surrounded by. :D

Link to post
Share on other sites
Breathing....

I would see Sheldon on as more of a representation of high functioning autism/aspergers. I don't think he's so much asexual as totally unaware of societal norms, which I suppose in some respects I was/am because of my asexuality. But given his other behaviours and the fact that everything is rationalised from not driving to watching things in the correct order to his physical manifestations of his relationships (we know he tries to be romantic just that his own obsessions, namely trains and specifics, makes it seem less romantic). I'm not sure I'm making sense, but I think we cannot know and if the writers say no, then he probably isn't. :)

Link to post
Share on other sites

Like recond1te says, I think he's more the stereotype of a nerdy geek who's too socially incompetent to get laid, rather than an actual asexual.

I have to disagree - that would describe Raj rather than Sheldon. He has never been interested in sex in the first place, and he never actively sought it out.

Link to post
Share on other sites

The character's written with a bag of new quirks, neuroses and disorders every episode for easy laughs - in other words, hardly representative of a human being, let alone an asexual

Link to post
Share on other sites

The show doesn't really present Sheldon as an Asexual,just a really intelligent guy who's interested in reading marvel rather than engaging in conversations with others. If Sheldon where to be portrayed as having a sexuality, it would be far more easier for me to be he is sapiosexual rather than asexual.

Link to post
Share on other sites

If I'm not mistaken, the writers of BBT have never denied that Sheldon is asexual. They merely said that he was not originally written with that in mind. That doesn't mean that the character hasn't developed that way organically. To me, Sheldon absolutely reads as asexual. He makes it very clear that he has no desire for sexual intercourse. He also hints at not having a libido either ("provided that one is afflicted with one" I think he says about it to another character).

It's interesting, that thought that Sheldon is the asexual stereotype. I think it's true. It's not necessarily pleasant, but that's what a stereotype is. A gay man might get annoyed watching a very camp character quoting every line from Moulin Rouge and bowing before Barbara Streisand. A gay woman might get annoyed watching a butch character who hates all men. A bisexual person might get annoyed being represented by a highly promiscuous character who'll sleep with anything that moves. Much in the same way, an asexual person might be annoyed watching a nerdy intellectual with no social skills.

But yes, I think it's great that we count enough to have our own stupid stereotypes ^^ Ah, craving visibility XD

Link to post
Share on other sites

I think he is more the stereotype of Asperger´s syndrome and asexuality is often connected with AS.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I think he is more the stereotype of Asperger´s syndrome and asexuality is often connected with AS.

True, though there are also a lot of sexual Asperger's types. In an extreme example, mass shooter Elliot Roger comes to mind as a tragic case where he ended up having maddening sexual frustration that he couldn't satisfy due to his poor social skills. He was a bad egg, however, just in general.

What's funny about Asperger's folks is that some of them actually have better social skills than the average non-Asperger's person because they learn social skills scientifically as opposed to by feel.

The Asperger's folks I've met have tended to either have lacking social skills or superior social skills.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I would love it if I was a character on a show, because it would confuse audiences so much, they would be all what? This attractive single girl is outgoing and fun loving and is always laughing with strange guys and....isn't going to bang any of them.......what??

Though knowing tv they'd probably have a protagonist who would 'convert me' ..like that would ever happen in real life. (boy would get punched that's wat would happen)

Link to post
Share on other sites

I think he is more the stereotype of Asperger´s syndrome and asexuality is often connected with AS.

True, though there are also a lot of sexual Asperger's types. In an extreme example, mass shooter Elliot Roger comes to mind as a tragic case where he ended up having maddening sexual frustration that he couldn't satisfy due to his poor social skills. He was a bad egg, however, just in general.

Elliot Roger wasn't considered to be Asperger's.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I think he is more the stereotype of Asperger´s syndrome and asexuality is often connected with AS.

True, though there are also a lot of sexual Asperger's types. In an extreme example, mass shooter Elliot Roger comes to mind as a tragic case where he ended up having maddening sexual frustration that he couldn't satisfy due to his poor social skills. He was a bad egg, however, just in general.

Elliot Roger wasn't considered to be Asperger's.

My bad. I think I read he was supposed to be somewhere on the spectrum, though, but there were all these misfacts in the reportage.

Link to post
Share on other sites
PurpleKoolaid

I think that Sheldon is definitely the stereotypical idea of what an asexual person is like (i.e. how sexuals view asexuals until they actually know any with the not physical touch, awkward, almost nonhuman, thinks superior at times ext ext). And for some reason I have it in my head that someone either on or off the show said that he was an asexual character and being someone who doesn't really watch the show it is neither here nor there for me. But I do mind when those kinds of characters (like Sheldon or Moss or), anyone who is just obviously too awkward to be dating or just happens to be single for a stretch is considered asexual. Like they're just not having sex for a period of time, that doesn't mean that they don't want the V.

But that just leads my into a spiralled rant where I talk about the people's assumptions about asexuality and how when I talk about coming out as asexual randoms will say that I can't 'come out' to being [basically the definition of celibate] because it's not an orientation thing. and then on the flip side people that know me being surprised or doubtful about it because they thought that I was even promiscuous from how normal/typical university student I am with my appearance and outgoing-ness. So that all ties in with a misconception about the actual orientation WHICH THEN LEADS to the problem of having an orientation title that has so many (social/) culture meanings (i.e. bio self reproduction, non-sexual acting, sexual orientation ext) an example of this is like when in literature class we talk about asexual speeches or texts, it is not at all about sexual orientation. and when we talk about people, plants, animals, whatever, in science it is also not about sexual orientation. heterosexual/homosexual do NOT have a different meaning somewhere else, it is aLWAYS about sexual orientation, if you were taking about it elsewhere (literature) you would say 'homo-ertoic undertones' but you wouldn't say that the speech was 'homosexual'. And that's an issue that I have with the term asexual itself because people think sex when they hear it. I wish there was a term like a-attraction heteroromantic or "un-attraction" or something (that actually makes sense) lol just because there would be no need for an explantation, it would be exactly what it sounds like. because with words that have multiple meanings will always have one (meaning) that is more well known than the others, and with (sexual orientation meaning) right now, ours isn't the one that comes to mind for the 'typical people at home'.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I wouldn't consider Moss from IT Crowd as an asexual character. We just never see him in a relationship. That does not make him asexual. Sheldon is different in that he expresses over and over that he has no desire for sex. That is called being asexual. That is what makes him asexual. Not the fact that he's awkward and nerdy and doesn't understand other people.

Link to post
Share on other sites

No stereotype is good, and, tgere is so much diversity in this community, as can be seen in AVEN, that I would there is no stereotypical asexual anyway.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I think Sheldon is definitely a stereotype of asexuality, as well as neuro-atypicality. He does express lack of desire for sex-as well as disinterest in intimacy, difficulty socializing, etc, etc. These traits are used as a joke and those aspects of Sheldon's person are treated as abnormal--especially the lack of sexuality. The "nerdy guy who can't get laid" thing is sort of a weak argument, seeing as that describes most of the cast at some point in the show. In fact, he is portrayed as immature in comparison to the rest of the cast due to these things.

Sheldon's "quirks" are used so single him out and contrast him to the rest of the cast, and it's funny because he's different and there are laugh tracks.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...