Why three female celebrities, including Madonna, seemingly came out on TikTok

Madonna and Emily Ratajkowski are among a number of celebrities that have hinted they are gay or bisexual this week on social media. And yes, in case you were wondering, their "coming out" posts may have been carefully timed.

US celebrities Shay Mitchell, Madonna and Emily Ratajkowski have posted on national Coming Out day on TikTok.

Key Points

• Madonna, Emily Ratajowski and Shay Mitchell appeared to "come out" on TikTok
• National Coming Out Day was celebrated in the US on 11 October

Madonna, Emily Ratajkowski and Shay Mitchell have all seemingly come out as queer over the last week, and it all started with a green sofa.

Wellness TikToker Tisha posed the “serious question” on the platform, asking: “If you identify as bisexual, do you own a green velvet couch?”

Many bisexual people responded to the video, revealing that they also owned green velvet couches.

Emma Ratajkowski posts on TikTok on "coming out" day in the United States.

Among them was American model Emily Ratajkowski, who filmed a video showing her own green velvet couch, to the delight of her fans.

“So many celeb women are coming out and I just love it,” one person commented.

“So we all just own the same couch?” another person asked.

Before Ratajkowski, Pretty Little Liars star Shay Mitchell also showed off her green velvet couch.

“Emily Fields caused my bisexual awakening,” one person commented, referring to Mitchell’s character on the show.

The posts coincided with National Coming Out Day, which was celebrated in the US on 11 October.

The LGBTQ+ awareness day began in 1988, on the anniversary of the 1987 National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights.

Madonna joins “if I miss, I’m gay” trend

Pop star Madonna suggested she was gay by joining another popular trend on TikTok.

The singer posted a video in which she held up a pair of pink underwear with the caption “if I miss, I’m gay!”

She then tried to throw the underwear in a bin and missed before dramatically turning away from the camera, seemingly suggesting she was gay.

Madonna posts on TikTok on National "Coming Out" Day in the United States.

The 64-year-old has long been considered a gay icon and an advocate for the LGBTIQ+ community.

Despite this, many commenters suggested that she was “queerbaiting”.

Queerbaiting is a tactic where people hint at but fail to depict same-sex or LGBTIQ+ representation.