Men and Women with Bisexual Identities Show Bisexual Patterns of Sexual Attraction to Male and Female “Swimsuit Models”

Do self-identified bisexual men and women actually show bisexual patterns of sexual attraction and interest? To answer this
question, I studied bisexual men’s and women’s sexual attraction to photographed male and female “swimsuit models” that varied
in attractiveness. Participants (663 college students and gay pride attendees, including 14 self-identified bisexual men and
17 self-identified bisexual women) rated their degree of sexual attraction to 34 male and 34 female swimsuit models. Participants’
viewing times to models were unobtrusively assessed. Results showed that bisexual men and women showed bisexual patterns of
attraction and viewing times to photo models, which strongly distinguished them from same-sex heterosexual and homosexual
participants. In contrast to other groups, which showed evidence of greater male than female category specificity, bisexual
men and women did not differ in category specificity. Results suggest that there are subsets of men and women who display
truly bisexual patterns of sexual attraction and interest.