Misguided Monoliths: BoJack Horseman and the Reality of Asexuality
In recent years, the LGBTQ community has gained increasing recognition for the variety of identities it includes. The media and entertainment industry, especially, have been bringing more attention to telling queer stories in film and television aimed at all ages. Newer animated shows like The Owl House and the revamped She-Ra and the Princess of Power are being produced by major companies in entertainment such as Disney Channel and Netflix respectively, and have amplified queer representation in children’s media.
However, there are communities that still go almost entirely unrepresented in entertainment: namely the asexual community. Asexuality is largely misunderstood by the allosexual – a term used for anyone who does not identify as part of the asexual spectrum – the majority of the population. Asexuality is misconstrued by the greater public and associated with immaturity or, in extreme cases, inhumanity. BoJack Horseman, a Netflix Original adult animated series, features multiple asexual characters including Todd Chavez (Aaron Paul), a character in its primary cast who discovers he is asexual midway through the series. A relevant portion of his storyline, and that of both his love interests, revolves around their sexualities, identities, and their understanding of relationships in that context. While the pertinence of this plotline and the popularity of BoJack Horseman bring a genuine and realistic definition of asexuality to the forefront of mainstream media, asexual characters in the show perpetuate some of the most common and unreasonable stereotypes of asexual people, distorting the public’s perspective.
Misrepresenting asexuality is rooted in society’s widespread ignorance regarding what it means to be asexual. The way in which the world currently views asexuality contextualizes the harmful stereotypes sustained by BoJack Horseman and other canon asexual characters in media. The primary issue that arises when illustrating asexuality is the intense divide regarding the authenticity of the identity. People tend to believe that asexuality doesn’t exist or have not heard of it. Likewise, straight allosexuals typically think there’s something wrong with the chemical makeup in asexual brains, while many exclusionists in the queer community think asexuality shouldn’t be included as an LGBTQ identity. For the most part, asexuality is not acknowledged by allosexual people. Ace people are repeatedly compared to plants or single celled organisms with the only reference point being high school biology. This is extremely harmful to the asexual population, as aces are often alienated by the false notion that sex, or sexual attraction, is what makes someone human.
In addition to being ignored, asexuality is wrongly defined and compartmentalized as not wanting to have sex. Asexuality, in the most widely accepted terms, is not celibacy or a product of innocence, as one might assume. Rather, it is simply any variation of the lack of sexual attraction and, therefore, a spectrum. There are very few characters in pop culture and mainstream media that have been confirmed to be canonically asexual. A notable number of these characters are confirmed as such postscript. Ace representation is brief, unsupported, or harmful, keeping asexual awareness from the public eye and reinforcing stereotypes.
Although asexual representation is sparse in the media as a whole, BoJack Horseman has a number of canon asexual characters, all of which unfortunately misconstrue the average viewer’s understanding of asexuality. Todd’s first asexual girlfriend, Yolanda Buenaventura (Natalie Morales), is only a somewhat fleshed out character whose main traits fall into an infamous asexual stereotype: the out of touch nerd. She speaks completely deadpan and it is implied that she believes she is smarter than other people. While it’s not inherently harmful that Yolanda holds herself in high regard, she doesn’t have much depth aside from her fear of coming out to her family, which consequently contributes to a false archetype of ace people. Yet, as far as representation goes, Yolanda isn’t awful. She’s not actively a bad person, nor does she antagonize any of the main characters. Furthermore, in a bitter reference to reality for many ace people, Todd and Yolanda eventually break up mid season five as a result of having nothing in common aside from their asexuality (Ancient History). Towards the show’s finale, Todd begins a relationship with another asexual character, Maude (Echo Gillette). She is, fundamentally, a female version of Todd who is awkward and only slightly smarter than him, thus only adding to the archetype BoJack Horseman perpetuates through Todd’s own characterization. Like Yolanda, Maude isn’t an inherently harmful character. In fact, she is voiced by Echo Gillette, an asexual Youtuber, creating exposure for asexuality in society. Still, Maude doesn’t have a storyline of her own; she exists solely and entirely to give Todd a girlfriend with whom he has more in common. Yolanda’s only prominent storyline revolves her fear of coming out to her family as asexual when she brings Todd home, narrowing her persona to only one aspect of her identity. Through this portrayal, the writers have only allowed Yolanda to be defined by her asexuality. This reflects poorly on ace people as it would on anyone represented by a single facet of their identity: Yolanda makes it seem as if asexual people are nothing more than their lack of sexual attraction.
Maude and Yolanda are, in most senses of the term, manic pixie dream girls; they exist in BoJack Horseman as one dimensional women included solely for the purpose of aiding a male protagonist’s story. They are brought in primarily to further Todd’s interests, and both end up pigeonholed into stereotypes. As such, while Maude and Yolanda aren’t blatantly harmful, they hinder realistic ace representation in one of the only shows in mainstream media with recurring asexual characters.
As a member of the main cast, much of the issue regarding depictions of asexuality in BoJack Horseman has to do with the complicated nature of Todd Chavez. While his existence is incredibly beneficial, he is unfortunately problematic as a character. And yet, ace people may gravitate towards Todd because he is one of the only characters they have. To the writers’ credit, Todd has a surprising degree of depth. While not as much as some of the other characters in this markedly emotional series, he is insightful. He even calls out BoJack (Will Arnett)’s toxic personality at times, once saying “You are all the things that are wrong with you” (It’s You). Moreover, Todd frequently works on ‘projects,’ one of which is an asexual dating app called “All About That Ace,” which is clever considering how many dating apps are directly associated with sexual attraction.
However, while the prominence of an ace character makes Todd important, he completely reinforces stereotypes. In essence, Todd is naive. He’s seen as stupid and innocent by the people around him and acts quite childish at times. At one point in the series, he invents a sex robot because he doesn’t understand sexual attraction and sex – a gross misinterpretation of the asexual perspective on allosexual relationships (Ancient History). Todd also tends to miss social cues, a trait often falsely associated with asexuality. He is also the only recurring human asexual character and is a white man, therefore underscoring both the preconceived notion that most aces are white yet simultaneously combatting the idea that aces are mostly women or nonbinary people. Nevertheless, Todd is definitively not a positive depiction of asexuality. His primary characteristics fit exactly into the stereotypical assumption that asexual people are childish and detached. As a result, BoJack Horseman, in attempting to depict asexuality, creates ‘representation’ that is actually incredibly detrimental to society’s perception of the identity.
The incorporation of an uncommon identity, such as asexuality, in a major company’s original series is further complicated by its consumers. Netflix’s influence as a successful corporation within the entertainment industry is understandably powerful. As such, portraying asexuality in a popular show creates a specific picture of an asexual person in the mind of the allosexual viewers. Hence, the complication. While it reinforces stereotypes, multiple viewers have applauded BoJack Horseman for its handling of asexual characters. Some highlight how well the show handles the gravity of an identity like asexuality by explaining that it begs the question, “How does it feel to have no interest in what society deems a ‘normal human impulse’ like sex, when everyone and everything around you seems to be erotically charged?” (Cuby). This feeling of being ‘not normal’ is one which Cuby references as held by many queer people. To exist as an asexual person in a world which focuses so much on an attraction you simply don’t feel (or feel infrequently or minutely) can be utterly dehumanizing, as if one isn’t just ‘not normal,’ but also not human. To see this idea alluded to in popular media is significant and to hear a prominent character speak about his sexuality, saying, “I think I might be nothing” is more than validating for asexual viewers (That Went Well). One reviewer elaborates on the seemingly mutual reaction of ace viewers, one which sent them into “full-on knees-to-chest existential breakdown mode” (Henderson). The exigency of asexual characters in this kind of media is difficult to illustrate, but absolutely potent and reflected by viewers’ reactions to this show.
Ergo, asexual characters in BoJack Horseman are intrinsically conflicting. Some asexual viewers may genuinely relate to the characters in BoJack Horseman – who’s to say that some aces don’t see themselves in Yolanda or Todd? – but some may conflate an accurate definition of asexuality with positive representation in characters. One of the responses I encountered in reference to Todd in BoJack Horseman was roughly as follows: “Oh, the horrible one?” Yet, another journalist found Todd himself deeply relatable, explaining that his “complete inability to recognize that Emily was hitting on him…brought back so many awkward memories of me missing obvious social cues” (W). Just as asexual people are not a monolith, neither are their feelings towards these characters. Still, from an objective standpoint, the depiction of asexuality in BoJack Horseman is problematic. Though some ace people relate to the characters and some deeply appreciate how the show defines asexuality, all three prominent ace characters fit easily into stereotypes. Because this show is one of the only pieces of media to include asexuality, seemingly harmless character traits, like Yolanda’s blunt mannerisms and Todd’s foolishness, can distort society’s perception of the asexual community as a whole.
So, what are the writers doing right with BoJack Horseman? Little. At minimum, they define asexuality in a broad manner that respects the asexual spectrum as wide and diverse –Todd at one point says “One could be a.) Romantic, or b.) Aromantic, while also being a.) Sexual, or b.) Asexual” (The Light Bulb Scene). Casting an asexual actress to voice an ace character (Echo Gillette as Maude) is another notable plus, and the fact that an influential streaming service’s original series includes an asexual character at all is important. Including these characters acknowdledges asexuality without using it as a joke – a notable step towards better representation.
Todd is one of the only ace characters whose sexuality is incorporated into a story and brought up somewhat frequently, rather than simply being mentioned offhand. Even so, he is multiple asexual stereotypes rolled into one character, and the stereotypes he doesn’t fit are pushed onto the only other recurring ace characters in the show. Todd and Maude are the naive, dumb, innocent asexuals while Yolanda is the repressed, disconnected academic. Asexual people are severely misrepresented and underrepresented, and though the show creates stereotypes of their ace characters, BoJack Horseman does something most pieces of media don’t: acknowledge their very existence. The bare minimum shouldn’t be so significant, but it unfortunately led me to hesitate in criticizing the writers for even recognizing asexuality at all. Nonwithstanding, they distorted the average allosexual viewer’s understanding of asexuality in doing so.
The show creates a monolith of ace people by using stereotypical character archetypes to represent them. BoJack Horseman implies that asexual people are inherently awkward, slow to process, and generally not normal people. It skews public opinion and pushes an exact fear shared by many asexual people: an “unavoidable sense of unease when you know you live in a world that wasn’t designed for people like you” (Cuby). The asexual community has so little representation that whatever is included comes to define the identity for the public. Because there is so little positive and genuine asexual representation, poorly written characters perpetuate stereotypes to a disgusting extent.
All things considered, it’s exciting to have asexual characters, and essential to incorporate them into mainstream media, but BoJack Horseman does it poorly. Therefore, its distorted representation negatively influences viewers’ opinions towards asexual people. These characters are, in essence, problematic. They distort and alienate an entire population of people already relegated to one-liners, postscripts, and the rare canonically asexual comedic relief. If one day, a mainstream plotline miraculously features an asexual person rather than a stereotype, there will exist a first, true step in the right direction.
Works cited
“Ancient History.” BoJack Horseman, created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg, season 5, episode 9, Netflix, 2018.
Cuby, Michael. “Why I Find BoJack Horseman’s Depiction of Asexuality Deeply Relatable.” Them., Them., 26 Sept. 2018, www.them.us/story/bojack-horseman-asexuality.
Henderson, Taylor. “‘Bojack Horseman’s’ Todd Chavez Comes out as Asexual, Makes TV
History.” Pride.com, PRIDE.com, 12 Sept. 2017, www.pride.com/tv/2017/9/12/todd-chavez-tvs-first-openly-asexual-character-and-people-are-emotional#:~:text=On%20the%20season%20finale%20of,think%20I%20might%20be%20nothing.%22.
“It’s You.” BoJack Horseman, created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg, season 3, episode 10, Netflix, 2016.
“That Went Well.” BoJack Horseman, created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg, season 3, episode 12, Netflix, 2016.
“The Light Bulb Scene.” BoJack Horseman, created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg, season 5, episode 1, Netflix, 2018.
W., Nico. “BoJack Horseman Nails Asexual Representation | the Mary Sue.” The Mary Sue, 17 Aug. 2016, www.themarysue.com/bojack-horseman-asexual-representation/.