What is aromantic? Well, believe it or not, there are people out there who can’t develop romantic feelings for other people. That's the true aromantic meaning, and it’s a romantic orientation that involves no interest in romantic love whatsoever.
Most people view aromanticism as a form of asexuality, despite the fact that romantic orientation and sexuality are totally separate concepts. Aromantic individuals are rare, but they are real and you could be one of them.
Being aromantic doesn’t mean that you’re broken. It just means that you needs are very different from others around you. Have you wondered if you’re one of the few, the proud, the aromantic? These signs suggest you might be.
1. You never had a crush.
When you were in high school, everyone else was talking about who was crushing on who. It was a time when everyone had a crush.
You, on the other hand? You didn’t crush on anyone. You couldn’t figure out why; it just never happened. Even after high school, nothing quite felt like the “butterflies in your stomach” other people had.
2. The idea of weddings baffles you.
For most women, planning a wedding and seeing all the little details come together is the most romantic thing you could imagine. Heck, if you’re like me, you have dreamed about a perfect wedding for ages.
A person who’s aromantic, on the other hand, will not see the appeal. If anything, they’ll just see it as another party.
3. Relationships aren’t your thing.
By definition, people who are aromantic do not want relationships of a romantic type. If you’re aromantic, others may have pursued you romantically but you would always turn them down simply because it’s not something that you understand or care to pursue.
4. You can feel platonic love, but you don’t have a desire for romantic love.
Don’t get me wrong — aromantics are people who can feel certain types of love. They may feel the kind of love best friends have, or the feeling of love that comes between a parent and a child. However, romantic love doesn’t really work with them.
5. You’re not attracted to people sexually or romantically.
From what I’ve personally seen, most people who are aromantic don’t get sexual attraction either. So, if you know that you’re asexual, you probably might also want to see if you get the desire to have a boyfriend or girlfriend. If you don’t, you’re an asexual aromantic.
6. If you do want a relationship, you’re not really in it for romantic reasons.
Though rare, some aromantic people want to be in relationships, but even then, they don’t really have the same reasons for it as other people would. They may choose to be in a relationship for financial reasons, or just to have a best friend to live with and talk to.
7. You do get sexual attraction to people, but you’re not capable of feeling non-platonic romantic attraction.
Contrary to popular belief, some aromantic people do experience sexual attraction to others and have fairly active s** lives. They are aromantic, though, because they do not experience romantic attraction to people the way most others do.
8. The most intense attraction you experience is a squish.
Crushes are the desire to spend time with someone romantically, and in most cases, sexually. Squishes, on the other hand, are the desire to befriend someone and just spend time with a certain person platonically.