A critique of Bem's "Exotic Becomes Erotic" theory of sexual orientation.

Abstract

Two critiques of D. J. Bem's (1996) "Exotic Becomes Erotic" (EBE) theory of sexual orientation are presented. First, the core proposition of EBE theory is considered; that is, the idea that adults are erotically attracted to the gender-based class of peers (males or females) who were dissimilar or unfamiliar to them in childhood. Studies cited by Bem and additional research show that EBE theory is not supported by scientific evidence. Second, Bem's claim that his theory applies equally to both sexes is questioned; instead the argument that it neglects and misrepresents women's experiences is made. Bem's conceptualization of erotic desire and his analysis of gender nonconformity illustrate this problem. It is suggested that different theories may be needed to explain the development of men's and women's sexual orientation.

Identity-Defense Model of Gender-Variant Development

“…Bem's theory is far from universally accepted and has been seriously questioned by some (Nicolosi & Byrd, 2002;Peplau, Garnets, Spalding, Conley, & Veniegas, 1998). The developmental pathway proposed by Bem (1996), however, does not need to describe the universal pathway for the development of all sexual attractions to be successfully applied to the identity-defense model-the pathway only needs to account for the development of a reasonably significant portion of a person's sexualities.…”

Common Genetic Effects of Gender Atypical Behavior in Childhood and Sexual Orientation in Adulthood: A Study of Finnish Twins

“…Bem (2000) found evidence for the EBE theory by conducting path analyses in which the correlation between genetic similarity of twins and sexual orientation disappeared when GAB was entered as a mediating variable in the analysis, suggesting that the genetic effects affecting sexual orientation are the same as those affecting GAB. However, the theory has been criticized for providing a poor explanation for female homosexuality (Peplau, Garnets, Spalding, Conley, & Veniegas, 1998).…”

DISTINGUISHED SCHOLAR ARTICLE Rethinking women's sexual orientation: An interdisciplinary, relationship‐focused approach

“…According to Daryl Bem's (1996) "Exotic Becomes Erotic" theory of sexual orientation, the answer is yes. Empirical support for this hypothesis about girls is weak (see reviews in Peplau et al, 1998Peplau et al, , 1999. For example, if tomboyism is a precursor to lesbianism, which characterizes no more than 3% of adult women in the United States (Laumann et al, 1994), we might expect tomboys to be rare.…”