À la "The Chart" from The L Word's Alice Pieszecki

The L Word was a groundbreaking 2000s scripted show about six queer women in Los Angeles. We watched as they navigate their relationships, careers, and all the complexities and intricacies of being Queer in the early aughts. Despite its flaws (among them: poor trans representation, thin storylines for People of Color, lack of socioeconomic diversity), the show provided Queer people in the lesbian and bi community unprecedented visibility.

The show’s most iconic concept? Alice’s “chart.” Alice (played by Leisha Hailey), a journalist and pop culture-driven bisexual woman, created a web connecting Queer people by their romantic relationships. The chaotic constellation showed just how small and tight knit this community can be when it comes to dating.

As Alice put it in S1E2: “So? So the point is we’re all connected, see? Through love, through loneliness, through one tiny, lamentable lapse in judgment. All of us, in our isolation, we reach out from the darkness, from the alienation of modern life, to form these connections. I think it’s a really profound statement about the nature of human existence.”

If you’re Queer, you’ve probably made your own version of the chart (the original lesbian networking platform, if you will). Trust me, I’ve got my own map going, and it’s still a work in progress. There’s also a good chance that each of us are only a few lesbians and a couple bisexuals away from being connected.

How does this relate to influencer marketing? Just as these charts connect Queer people romantically, we’re connected online too. Sporty lesbians, crafty bisexuals, masc car geeks…the list goes on. They’re all more connected than you think. Their audiences are networked and overlapping, too. This talent pool and their audiences are ready for any brand, all year round, not just during Pride month. For brands aiming to have maximum impact with target consumers, these connections are a prime opportunity to target and talk to these audiences efficiently and effectively.

To translate this concept to influencer marketing, I’ve created subcategories: sports, comedy, podcasts, reality TV, lifestyle, art/writing, academia (aka BookTok), family/couple, fashion/beauty, and a few smaller niches. I’ve placed each influencer near their primary content category, but as you’ll soon see, one person can fit in multiple categories. A creator might post a fit check, then renovate their kitchen, break down Queer Theory, or promote their lesbian hands Instagram account (yes, it’s real and amazing, look it up— @lesbianhands).

So here it is in all its glory: The Chartà la Alice Pieszecki: Queer Influencer Version.