Is it worth getting a flag etc? Would getting a bisexual pride flag help with accepting myself better? What was your experience getting your first one?
I went shopping today for workout clothes. I had previously scoped out what stores I was going to shop, based on their inventory posted online. At one national chain store I stopped at, I had previously seen special apparel for pride month. Today I saw a good looking button down collar shirt, khaki background with small rainbow color lightning bolts as the pattern. Very nice look, but wouldn’t you know, they had every size except my size! There were also 2 beach towels, white background with bright bold rainbow color stripes. The pattern makes the color stripes look like they were applied with paint brushes. Bought both towels (half price - yay!) plus the workout clothes I originally planned to buy. Here in Hawaii you can never have enough beach towels! If you’re interested in showing your pride, there are lots of fun bumper stickers available online. I see a fun one on a pickup truck I pass each morning during my walk - rainbow colors all across the length of the bumper sticker, with just these words printed in black letters, “ Me Too !!! ”
I dont necessarily think that buying a flag will mean you accept your sexuality however sometimes be need to take these steps to help us progress on our journey. So I think if you feel like you want to buy one, then why not, go for it.
I am not confident it will help or be the best way to accept yourself. If you think it will help then I encourage you to do so. Some suggestions/ideas to help you accept yourself are the following Join some online bisexual groups (exclusive as opposed to mixed orientations, because I think you could benefit from having LOTS of people you can personally relate to, as opposed to vague) Read books fiction, non-fiction with bisexual characters you can look up online for those types of books Avoid watching TV/movies with bisexual characters in them IMO because they tend to have a negative depiction of bisexual folks. Research for some bisexual musicians/artists. There are many great bisexual people who write music and it may help you feel connected with that aspect of yourself. There are some YT channels that are created by bisexual people. You can have a chance to support their content by watching them and benefit from some connection as well.
I haven't gotten a pride flag, and I live in such a conservative area that I'm not too comfortable putting one up outside. I want one for my room, though. For me, it's less about self-acceptance and more about self-expression. I do have some pride clothes, though, including socks, underwear, a shirt, and a pin on my bag. It feels great being openly me, and I've even gotten a few compliments on them (not my underwear, of course), which makes me feel accepted.
I think that getting pride accessories shows that at least at some level one has accepted themselves, even if not fully. The times that I have had accessories and worn or displayed them it was not about me accepting myself but more about communicating it to others.
Honestly? I would say get it, not for the sake of getting it, but get it for yourself, to remind yourself how far you have come. how much you have accomplished and that this is just another step in you becoming a fuller happier you.
I got a few flags, including custom rainbow flag and a heavy duty bisexual flag. I hung them outside for the first time this year, the rainbow for the end part of Pride Month, and the Bi flag on bi visibility day in September. They are draped on the outside of my closet door now (hey, that’s an advance over 2018-2019 when they were rolled up on the top shelf of the closet). The flags were important to me, not for acceptance but more about the next stage of celebrating that part of me. I carried the rainbow flag in Pride Parade after I came out, and loaned my bi flag and some other rainbow flags for use on a float (it was appreciated).