Ace and Aro Iceland

What is aromantic?

Aromantic is a term for individuals who have little or no romantic attraction to others. An aromantic person is not necessarily heterosexual, and being aromantic does not make a person incapable of love. There are so many types of love that are often overshadowed by romance such as friendship and family ties, but also what we "insiders" call "queer platonic love" a relationship that goes much deeper than friendship but is not necessarily romantic or sexual.

Different kinds of attraction

Aromantics can be physically and sexually attracted to others. Sexual, physical and romantic attraction are separate things*. Therefore, an aromantic person can be heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, pansexual, asexual and so on.

The spectrum of aromanticism

Aromanticism is a spectrum that contains many concepts. Some people never or rarely feel romantic attraction or only experience it in very specific situations. They may even long for romantic love but just can't feel it. This can prove difficult in a society obsessed with romance. Here are a few terms that fall under Aromanticism:

Demiromantic

Only feeling romantic attraction after first building a strong emotional connection. It can often take years of friendship before romance blossoms. It is therefore very rare.

Gray-romantic

All emotions are on a spectrum, and those who may not be very excited about romance but don't completely rule it out often call themselves gray-romantics. Some say that gray-romance is also an umbrella term for the many definitions that exist for those who have some interest in romance but still consider themselves non-romantic.

Aegoromantic

Romance is lovely and fun! But only as a concept. Stories, movies, games and fantasies play a big role here but aegoromantics have little or no interest on romance in real life.