Queer woman admits she used her ‘coming out journey to gain clout online’
A queer woman who admitted she used her ‘coming out adventure’ to gain influence online reflected on ‘becoming obsessed with the online world’ – and said she ‘still struggles’ with the effects, despite the removal from her social media a year ago.
Jenna Bloom, from Olney, Maryland, came out as bisexual via Instagram when she was 17 years old — and shortly after starting her first relationship with another woman, she began documenting almost every aspect of it on her TikTok account .
She soon became “obsessed” with “bowing her new love to the world” and focused almost all of her time and energy on filming content for the video streaming platform.
But she said spending so much time thinking about the online world “pushed her into a fantasy” and ultimately destroyed her relationship.
Strange woman who admitted she used her ‘coming out’ to gain online clout has reflected on ‘becoming obsessed with the online world’
Jenna Bloom came out as bisexual when she was 17 – and shortly after starting her first relationship with another woman, she started documenting every aspect of it on TikTok
She soon became “obsessed” with “bowing her new love to the world” and focused almost all of her time and energy on filming content for the video streaming platform.
Now, a year after leaving social media behind, the Maryland-born woman admits she deeply regrets making a “spectacle” of her sexuality.
In a recent essay written for InsiderJenna recalled realizing she was “queer” after consuming “endless” LGBTQ+ content online.
But after she “delves into the lives of lesbian couples on TikTok,” she came to believe “that the only way to be queer was to do it loudly and publicly on social media.”
Jenna explained that she was “locked in her bedroom” due to the COVID-19 lockdown, so she felt the “only way” she could announce her sexuality was through social media.
After reaching out to her close friends via a private story on Snapchat, she posted a selfie on Instagram in front of a bisexual flag, captioning it “Hi, I’m bi.”
“I was ready to shout my new sexuality from the rooftops. It was finally time for me to break out of the closet I had been in for 17 years,” she wrote.
It got over 600 likes and over 300 comments. I was on top of the world and finally felt free.’
Jenna soon entered a long-distance relationship with a woman she had met through social media.
But she said spending so much time thinking about the “online world pushed her into a fantasy” and ultimately destroyed her relationship
Now, a year after leaving social media behind, the Maryland-born woman admitted she deeply regrets making a “spectacle” of her sexuality
She then began showcasing her romance on TikTok — and as the likes and followers poured in, she became consumed with the attention.
“Like all the queer couples I saw on TikTok, I had to post something about my new relationship,” she continued.
“I wanted to show my new “love” to the world. I spent our limited time together filming the latest TikTok trend.
“But I slowly started to realize that I was using my sexuality and sexual exploration as fuel to create content for social media.”
When things turned sour in her romance, Jenna said she struggled to face reality because she had “built a relationship in her mind that matched the videos she watched daily.”
“I thought that if my relationship looked good online, it would stay good offline. I was very wrong,” she added.
“I so wanted to be one of those creators with a perfect relationship. But later I realized I wasn’t, and my relationship was far from perfect.
“Almost every chance I got, I posted about my life online instead of dealing with it myself.”
She and her friend eventually went their separate ways and she decided to disable her TikTok and Snapchat accounts.
After Jenna and her friend went their separate ways, she decided to disable her TikTok and Snapchat accounts. She dances with her sister in one of her TikTok videos
Thinking about it now, more than a year later, Jenna said leaving social media behind allowed her to “finally focus on herself.” She left with her sister
Her Instagram profile is still active, but she has set it to private and deleted the app from her phone. She also said she deleted the posts about her sexuality.
Thinking about it now, more than a year later, Jenna said leaving social media behind allowed her to “finally focus on herself.”
“Without any access to social media, it’s nice to know that my sexuality isn’t a performance anymore,” said Jenna (seen with her sister). “Now I’m happy with what I have: a personal network of people who love and support me”
She also said she regretted announcing she was bisexual via Instagram because it took away her chance to tell people in person and “boxed her.”
She added that she now believes “sexuality is fluid” and “rejects the idea that she has to use one word to define it.”
“Instead of putting my cousins down and telling them the news, they found out on their Instagram feeds,” she concluded.
Instead of hugging me, they joined hundreds of other people congratulating me in my comment section.
‘Without any access to social media, it’s nice to know that my sexuality is no longer a performance.
“Now I’m happy with what I have: a personal network of people who love and support me.
“This year is to focus on myself while living as my most authentic self – wherever that lies on the broad spectrum of sexuality.”