A queer woman who admitted that she used her ‘coming out journey to gain clout online’ has reflected on becoming ‘obsessed with the online world’ – and said she’s ‘still grappling’ with the effects, despite deleting her social media a year ago.
Jenna Bloom, from Olney, Maryland, came out as bisexual via Instagram when she was 17 years old – and soon after embarking on her first relationship with another woman, she started documenting almost every aspect of it on her TikTok account.
She soon became ‘obsessed’ with ‘flexing her new love to the world,’ and focused almost all her time and energy on filming content for the video streaming platform.
But she said spending so much time thinking about the ‘online world shoved her into a fantasy’ and ultimately destroyed her relationship.
A queer woman who admitted that she used her ‘coming out journey to gain clout online’ has reflected on becoming ‘obsessed with the online world’
Jenna Bloom came out as bisexual when she was 17 – and soon after embarking on her first relationship with another woman, she started documenting every aspect of it on TikTok
She soon became ‘obsessed’ with ‘flexing her new love to the world,’ and focused almost all her time and energy on filming content for the video streaming platform
Now, a year after leaving social media behind, the Maryland-native admitted that she deeply regrets turning her sexuality into a ‘spectacle.’
In a recent essay written for Insider, Jenna recalled realizing she was ‘queer’ after ‘consuming endless’ LGBTQ+ content online.
But after getting ‘wrapped up in the lives of lesbian couples on TikTok,’ she started to believe ‘the only way to be queer was to do it loudly and publicly on social media.’
Jenna explained that she was ‘confined to her bedroom’ due to the COVID-19 lockdown, so she felt like the ‘only avenue’ for her to announce her sexuality was through social media.
After coming out to her close friends through a private story on Snapchat, she then posted a selfie to Instagram in front of a bisexual flag, with the caption, ‘Hi, I’m bi.’
‘I was ready to shout about my newfound sexuality from the rooftops. It was finally time for me to break out of the closet I’d spent 17 years trapped in,’ she wrote.
‘It got more than 600 likes and over 300 comments. I was on top of the world and finally felt free.’
Jenna soon entered into a long-distance relationship with a woman she had met over social media.
But she said spending so much time thinking about the ‘online world shoved her into a fantasy’ and ultimately destroyed her relationship
Now, a year after leaving social media behind, the Maryland-native admitted that she deeply regrets turning her sexuality into a ‘spectacle’
She then started showcasing her romance on TikTok – and as the likes and followers started to roll in, she became consumed by the attention.
‘Just like all the queer couples I saw on TikTok, I was compelled to post about my new relationship,’ she continued.
‘I wanted to flex my new “love” to the world. I spent our limited time together focused on filming the newest TikTok trend.
‘But I slowly began to realize 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 the realities of it because she had ‘constructed a relationship in her mind that fit the videos she had been consuming daily.’
‘I thought if my relationship looked good online, it would stay good offline. I was very, very wrong,’ she added.
‘I wanted so badly to be one of those creators with a perfect relationship. But I later 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 girlfriend eventually went their separate ways, and she decided to disable her TikTok and Snapchat accounts.
After Jenna and her girlfriend went their separate ways, she decided to disable her TikTok and Snapchat accounts. She is seen dancing with her sister in one of her TikTok videos
Reflecting on it now, more than a year later, Jenna said leaving social media behind allowed her to ‘finally focus on herself.’ She’s seen left with her sister
Her Instagram profile is still active, but she switched it to private and deleted the app from her phone. She also said she took down the posts regarding her sexuality.
Reflecting on 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 my sexuality isn’t a performance anymore,’ Jenna (seen with her sister) said. ‘Now, I’m content with what I have: an in-person network of people who love and support me’
She also said she regretted announcing that she was bisexual through Instagram, because it took away the chance for her to tell people in person and ‘shoved her into a box.’
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 sitting 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 comments section.
‘Without any access to social media, it’s nice to know my sexuality isn’t a performance anymore.
‘Now, I’m content with what I have: an in-person network of people who love and support me.
‘This year is for focusing on myself while living as my most authentic self – wherever that lies on the wide spectrum of sexuality.’
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