How The Neighbourhood’s 2012 alt-rock track “Sweater Weather” became a bisexual anthem on TikTok
according to GLAAD.From September 16 to 23, both gay, lesbian, and heterosexual allies join forces with the bi community to accelerate acceptance and draw attention to issues they face, including erasure and visibility.Indeed, “bi-erasure” is a rampant problem in queer spaces, and was often a joke in online communities.
Subscribe to our newsletter for your front-row seat to all things entertainment with a sprinkle of everything else queer.Case-in-point, what was a heartwarming moment from a What Would You Do episode — in which a random stranger comforts a young man by assuring him, “You’re bi,” after his friends tell him he’s actually gay — quickly turned into a meme.That said, niche communities on apps like TikTok, growing acceptance, and a steadily rising number of Americans who identify as LGBTQ+ are changing that.A combination of these factors has led to the crowning of a new bisexual anthem: “Sweater Weather” by The Neighbourhood, a 2012 alt-rock tune that barely cracked the Billboard Hot 100, but has continued to resonate with the bisexual community in particular.While the tune recalls a 2010s-era Tumblr rife with black and white photography, Lana Del Rey lyrics, and a safe place to explore sexuality through image, it’s not an explicitly queer song, nor are any of its members a part of the LGBTQ+ community.Listen.The catchy tune first began to stick in 2020 when the song began going viral on TikTok as influencers like Nessa Barrett, Anna Shumate, and James Wright used it as the soundtrack for their coming-out moments.Almost immediately, other bisexual users began hopping on the trend, using the song as both a showcase of bi pride and to underscore their coming outs.
