Jessica Rabbit Comes Out As Asexual
You’re not ready for this booby trap
Who framed Jessica Rabbit as sexual?
asexuality: n. A sexual orientation where a person doesn’t experience sexual attraction towards anyone. — The Asexuality Handbook
My biggest question when watching the new Chip ‘N Dale movie from Disney+ wasn’t whether it would be good. It was whether the movie would honor the franchise’s connection to Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
If it didn’t, that meant Disney wasn’t just erasing a legendary film from the in-universe history. They were erasing a queer icon: Jessica Rabbit, the wife of Roger Rabbit, who declared herself asexual as far back as 1988.
PS. I’ll tell you at the end of the article whether Chip ‘N Dale honored its connection to cartoon bunnies.
Why is it so hard to imagine Jessica Rabbit as asexual?
Is it hard…?
For some people, yeah. It’s next to impossible. When they look at Jessica Rabbit, they can’t help it. Rule 34 may have a reputation, but Jessica Rabbit makes them feel things they can’t deny.
But here’s the thing…Jessica Rabbit isn’t responsible for your feelings.
Maybe she just likes looking good. That doesn’t mean she wants to **** you.
Romantic attraction is NOT the same as sexual attraction
True fans of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? will remember a key scene.
Eddie Valiant and Jessica Rabbit stop fighting and join forces to find the titularly-framed Roger. They’re the only two who can save him.
Surveying the wreckage that comes from a rabbit behind the wheel, Eddie throws out a comment (YouTube) that illustrates the problem people who are confused by asexuality have with Jessica and Roger’s marriage.
Eddie: A better lover than a driver, huh?
Jessica: You better believe it, buster.
If we take Jessica and Roger at their word, they have tons of romance…but they never have sex.
See also: “Lovely Illusions” by Sieran Lane for a poem about sex without romance
So when Eddie calls Roger Rabbit her “lover,” he means it like a joke. They are in Toon Town, after all.
But he also means it like an insult. Roger is terrible driver. How hard would it be for him to be a better lover than…well…
Eddie’s point is that being a better lover than that kind of driver means Roger is probably not much better at the act of love than he is behind the wheel.
It’s Eddie’s own fault for getting it so wrong.
The real meaning of the word “lover” probably hits you like a ton of bricks
Jessica Rabbit is asexual. She can’t help it that she’s drawn in a way that men intuitively perceive as erotic.
Don’t believe me? Let’s get private with Jessica and Roger.
Let’s. Get. Intimate.
Look at what she and Roger get up to in the bedroom.
They play patty cake.
He tells jokes.
They watch cartoons.
She sings for him — because it’s him she thinks of when she sings (YouTube).
Jessica loves Roger because he loves her as an ace.
See also: “Two Asexual Porn Artists Share Their Stories” by Logan Silkwood
And yet people with an asexual orientation are so rare that most people don’t see their relationship through the lens of asexuality.
When they imagine the act of love, they can’t imagine romance without sex. They see Jessica and Roger’s relationship through a lens dipped in allo.
It takes a couple of toons to blow their minds wide open.
People who are not on the asexual spectrum are called allosexual
allosexuality/Zedsexuality: n. An umbrella term for any sexual orientation other than asexuality. — The Asexuality Handbook
Allosexuals can’t imagine a Jessica Rabbit who doesn’t want to get down in Toon Town.
And since they can’t imagine wanting to **** Roger Rabbit (well, most of us can’t), they assume Jessica must be getting it from somewhere else.
If you remember the movie, you remember that she was getting it from somewhere else.
The “it” just wasn’t what we thought.
Betrayal is made from pattycake
In the heartbreaking scene when Roger Rabbit sees photographic proof that Jessica has been having an affair, most of the audience can’t help but see Roger’s reaction as a metaphor.
But for Roger and Jessica, pattycake isn’t a metaphor. For them, pattycake is as sacred as sex, but it is not sex.
A laugh can be a powerful thing
Jessica and Roger Rabbit have a romance for the ages. A love that will last as long as the characters.
It’s not sex, after all, that keeps people together. Not even allosexuals. It’s the feelings and experiences that come from those acts.
Jessica and Roger just happen to get their love from making each other laugh.
If you’re like Jessica? If you’re like Roger? If you get your feelings of love and intimacy from playing a game called pattycake?
Just make sure to keep yours sacred ❤
PS. Betty Boop is asexual too
PS2. I told you I’d tell you whether Chip ‘n Dale honored Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
They named an entire dance after Roger LOL.
Other people discussing Jessica Rabbit as asexual
Roger Rabbit/Jessica Rabbit Appearances In Other Media
Other stuff to read
Jessica Rabbit…as Ariel/the Little Mermaid (Twitter)
Wait…the Little Mermaid was trans?? (Transgender Soapbox)
JJ Abrams almost made a sequel to Who Framed Roger Rabbit?(offsite link)
Other stuff to watch (offsite links)
What Does It Mean to Be Asexual? by Psych2Go
5 Asexual People Explain What “Asexual” Means To Them by Tinder (lol)
The Rise of Asexual Representation by Rowan Ellis
The Problem With Asexual Representation by Rowan Ellis
Why Don’t You Do Right? (amazing cover) by Anna Olivia March
Who Framed Roger Rabbit Test Footage by Touchstone Pictures/Disney
Who Framed Roger Rabbit Deleted Scene: “Pig Head” by Touchstone Pictures/Disney
The end (damn girl, that’s dark)
Hi, it’s Stephenie (follow me)!
Believe it or not, I do this for a living.
But once I get past the money, the most important part for me has been connecting with finding queer friends, family, and community.
If you’re looking for a few of your own, try out the growing community at Trans Love & (A)sexuality from writers, editors, and trans activists KP_the_writer and Logan Silkwood.
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