The Sex Lives of College Girls season three went out with a bang last week. Kimberly landed herself in jail after protesting against a hateful congressman, Whitney and the rest of her teammates quit the soccer team, Kacey got dumped by her boyfriend who also happens to be her co-lead in the musical, and in one of the most emotional moments of the season, Bela Malhotra came out as bisexual.
Bela, played by Amrit Kaur, is one of the more comical—sometimes facetious—characters in the series. From comedy group love affairs, to destigmatizing casual hook-ups for women, to taking a very special interest in the school mascot “Franklin the Fox,” she has created a dialogue for sex positivity. Bela’s sexual identity has been a refreshing trope for South Asian women characters who typically couldn’t dare to cross the line she does.
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The queer South Asian experience is far underrepresented in mainstream media. In Hollywood, South Asian women, in particular, are depicted as boy-crazy, or the underdog for bagging the hot guy as a conventionally unattractive brown girl, or a virgin ready to “become a woman.” Though Bela’s character isn’t oh-so-far from the stereotypical boy-obsessed South Asian woman, coming out as bi and already being so comfortable in her sexuality has assisted in creating a new narrative where the South Asian community can see South Asian women as confident and unapologetic queer characters in coming-of-age television. Now, let’s get into the spicy parts of the finale, spoilers incoming!
Episode eight begins to heat up while Bela is at a party with her new friend Haley. As they’re chatting and inching closer, all of us watching are on the edge of our seats. The tension is palpable, and viewers have been waiting for Bela to experiment with her sexuality all season. Finally, Bela spontaneously kisses Haley, and fans could not contain their excitement.
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The next day, Bela eagerly comes out as bisexual to her roommates. Bela clearly wanted her sexual realization to be a big deal, especially after seeing how emotionally and seriously her roommates reacted towards Leighton, the former roommate played by Renee Rapp, who came out as a lesbian in season two. Her friends quickly dismissed her, explaining that Leighton’s coming out was different because“Leighton really went through so much.” She finds validation in Taylor, her openly queer friend who has wormed her way into Bela’s heart over this season.
Her mom’s reaction on the other hand … tissues were necessary in those 60 seconds. That plot line was nothing short of heartwarming, and was also a refreshing trope for South Asian parents, compared to how they are often portrayed as homophobic or unaccepting in television and media. Early in the finale, Bela plans to announce her bisexuality at an open mic performance, which could not be more on-brand for her. But, to her surprise, her mom shows up! Bela is instantly thrown off and frantically changes the subject of her stand-up set. As the episode nears a close, and we fear Bela won’t get her moment, we watch her proudly grab Haley’s hand and squeeze it for her mom to see. The mother and daughter share a moment of eye contact and tears spring up in their eyes. Her mom meets her with a tight embrace and wordlessly pronounces her acceptance. That was certainly the ending we all needed.
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Bela’s coming-out narrative was a perfect way to tie up season three and makes her character that much more lovable. If you’re a fan of the show, watching Bela grow up from season one has been a journey. From Bela quitting The Cutallan and starting her own women-led comedy group to her scheming her parents into thinking she’s a STEM girl and hosting a campus-wide frat strip show, we think we’ve seen it all. But, the season three finale proves us wrong, giving us one of the most touching moments of the season as we watch Bela embrace this new part of her identity. In the next season, we hope to see that stand-up set that she never quite got around to because if there’s one thing about Bela, we know it’s going to be hilarious.