Sheldon as Demi-sexual?

[Nutz]

Greetings Muaaimoi, welcome to the good ship Lament.

Good grief, there’s so many things to say on this topic….On another forum I believe we engaged in a seven page ramble about it…

I don’t have the brain power currently to speak in any way edifyingly, but I’ll just start talking anyway....

Pajamas, demisexual generally denotes an ability to become sexually interested in a fellow human being, but only after a certain (variable) level of emotional attachment has been established. Ie, a roomful of naked calendar models of either sex would produce about the same effect on their respective demisexual targets as a roomful of wet lettuces. Ie, none at all. Or perhaps even borderline queasiness. But if one of those calendar models (or indeed anyone at all) was someone that the demisexual deeply trusted, was fond of, or had some other form of emotional attachment towards, then the possibility of sexual interest occurs, but still only towards that individual.

The episode in Season 5 where Amy manipulates Sheldon’s emotions by stimulating an artificial affection through associating herself with his fond childhood memories, was the one time (barring the completely left-field kiss) he’s demonstrated any form of vaguely sexual interest in Amy, to whit, the dandruff comment and his enjoyment of the “playing doctor” Star Trek style scenario. Otherwise his sexual interest, such as it is, appears to be centred around Penny, as demonstrated by a relentless series of inappropriately intimate comments, and frequent mention of her genitals (what is it, four times this season already?), undergarments, sexual proclivities and other secondary sexual characteristics. It’s obviously something of a burr in his brain, but I highly doubt it’s consciously realised, merely manifesting now and then in a somewhat off-colour fixation.

That said, I think his subconscious sexual awareness of Penny is almost superficial in nature, and merely the result of his constantly being in the presence of a chaotic, colourful, scantily clad female who gets in his face all the time. His emotional attachment to her manifests in other, wholly non-sexual ways.

So insofar as his relations with Penny and Amy go, I don’t think he has AS YET been portrayed as fitting the demisexual model, even though it’s a perfectly feasible scenario. Perhaps, as Muaaimoi said, his personal emotional threshold has not been reached.

He’s also not so far been shown to have any sexual interest in Leonard either, the person I think most likely in “real life” that Sheldon would be attracted to, outside of Penny. Presumably Sheldon the fictional character is heterosexual, according to the writers.

I really think they’re flying by the seat of their pants when it comes to Sheldon’s sexuality. Which makes any kind of assessment both unreliable and frustrating.

Personally I think the early Sheldon was written as a classic asexual, (bearing in mind that asexuality does not preclude onanism, it precludes the involvement of other people.) and it suited him marvelously. But if they’d wanted him to be “sexualised” for whatever reason, then the “celibate who lapses” would have worked as well.

Because, far from the incredibly dim-witted argument constantly flung in the Shennys' direction, that for S and P to work romantically, they’d have to violently change their personalities (I think they’re mistaking “personality” for “writers choice of romantic interest”), I’ve no trouble imagining Vintage Sheldon having “angry sex” with either Winkle or Penny, and then going right back to arguing or uncovering the mysteries of the universe.

Sex was not incompatible with the concept of Vintage Sheldon, who was an eccentric adult with childlike propensities, but I think it’s incompatible with the new, manipulatable, somewhat damaged, childish version they have now. His whole nature is severely off-kilter and unbalanced at the moment, and to throw any form of sex into the matter at this or some future juncture would I feel be somewhat repugnant and dubious.

But they’re going to do it anyway, because MONEY.

(NB, as a vague point of reference, like Witchdoctor, I also classify myself as demisexual....it's all rather nebulus and subjective in real life...obviously)

I would love to see your 7 page ramble on the subject. I also would love to hear what TPTB say about it. I mean we're used to hearing over and over again that one if the reasons Sheldon/Penny would never happen was cause he opted out of romance, but they never said what that meant. (Not that continuity matters to them). In fact I only remember one or two times (in the first season) where his tendency to self pleasure or his deal was even mentioned. (But I could be wrong). Although I will say considering how poorly he's doing professionally since Amy came into his life, he should have kept opting out. The poor bastard.