“Used Only to Fulfill a Fantasy”: A Systematic Review of the Fetishization and Sexual Objectification Experiences of Queer Identifying People

Fetishization, severe sexual objectification reflecting hypersexual investment in body types or identities, disproportionately affects gender and sexual minorities. Nevertheless, cisgender, heterosexual female experiences dominate objectification research, and queer identities are assumed either entirely homogenous or disconnected. Addressing these concerns, this systematic review aimed to synthesize literature exploring the fetishization or sexual objectification perceptions and experiences of queer-identifying people, and their perceived impacts. Three electronic databases—PsycINFO (Ovid), ProQuest, and Scopus—were searched in June 2024, and eligible articles were independently screened. A total of 32 studies met the inclusion criteria, with the majority conducted in the United States (N = 19). A blended inductive-deductive thematic analysis approach was used to identify patterns across studies. Each research aim pre-determined a main theme; however, three subthemes describing common and unique experiences across identities authentically emerged under each: (1) queerness for others; (2) reductive; (3) power imbalances; (4) it’s almost always cishet men; (5) consensual vs. nonconsensual; (6) online vs. in person; (7) health vulnerabilities; (8) relationship with others; and (9) relationship with oneself. Results confirm queerness deserves recognition as simultaneously a collective experience and individualistic identity, and that it remains marginalized. Additionally, from practitioners to activists, sexual objectification must be acknowledged beyond cishet women.