Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

‘Smile, Derek. Why don’t you smile more?’: The objectification of Derek Hale and queerbaiting in MTV’s Teen Wolf

2018; Intellect; Volume: 6; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1386/jfs.6.2.145_1

2046-6706

Jaquelin Elliott, Megan Fowler,

Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology

Abstract Holding in mind Barbara Creed’s assertion that the werewolf is a ‘feminized male monster, a queer creature aligned to the primal uncanny’, this article explores gender trouble and queerbaiting in MTV’s Teen Wolf – a series infamous in online fan circles for baiting fan favourite pairing Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski (dubbed ‘Sterek’ by fans) while largely failing to fulfil its promises of dynamic, three-dimensional LGBTQ representation. This article enumerates the queer cues embedded in Stiles and Derek’s narratives, paying special attention to Stiles’ implied bisexuality and Derek’s constant objectification by the camera, repeated sexual victimization, and the often queered repositioning of his body into the role of ‘damsel in distress’. By doing so, this article attempts to contextualize Teen Wolf fans’ reasons for shipping Sterek and will argue that this queer reading is indeed not a ‘willful misreading’, but one drawing upon a complex web of queer affect and queerbaiting in the show. This article will also examine the ways in which fans use both fan works and social media not only to explore readings of Derek and Stiles as queer and fight back against queerbaiting, but also to articulate the reparative potential of a consensual relationship with Stiles for Derek’s healing from his repeated trauma.