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Celebrity asexuals?


sexnointerest

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sexnointerest

I wonder how the 1% was worked out. With so many asexuals not open about it, I question how accurate the estimate is. Could it be higher than 1%?

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Quintus Crinis

I wonder how the 1% was worked out. With so many asexuals not open about it, I question how accurate the estimate is. Could it be higher than 1%?

It was a survey in 1994 I think?

But yeah the number is probably slightly off because it relied on self-identification in a time with even less visibility than now.

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This may not mean anything, but lately I have noticed that New Zealand pop star Lorde wears a black ring on her right middle finger in many picture and videos, again, it may not mean anything, I have notice she wears a lot of rings on other fingers too. Here is an example.

So, I had another thought about this : if the 1% estimate of asexuals in the worldwide population is even half correct, then there must certainly be more celebrity asexuals out there than the few who have come out or the ones we suspect are ace. Could it be the reason why more celebrities have not come out as ace is because they fear it would harm their careers ? Take Taylor swift for instance (and I am not saying she is ace, only she can confirm that and she has not done so) if she did come out as ace, would her songs about relationships seem disingenuous and would this have an effect on her marketability ?

I wonder if the 1% as a population-wide statistic is not represented in celebrities due to the nature of how celebrities are selected for? As in, perhaps asexuals really are under-represented in the pool of celebrities for whatever reason. I can think of a few possible reasons this might be the case... I mean, the usual "sex sells" philosophy would strongly discourage repulsed aces from becoming celebrities, or at least give them a disadvantage. And the drama factor around sexual relationships in the tabloids would leave asexuals who either have celebate relationships or who choose not to engage in traditional relationships out of the free publicity, further selecting for sexual celebrities....

Of course, this is all just the ramblings of a tired Heart. These are possibly all irrelevant, and possibly there are advantages that encourage ace celebrities as well. Who knows. Without research, we are all really limited to speculation.

Yes, it makes sense that aces would be under represented in the celebrity population, for the reasons you have pointed out here. I agree totally.
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Quintus Crinis

This may not mean anything, but lately I have noticed that New Zealand pop star Lorde wears a black ring on her right middle finger in many picture and videos, again, it may not mean anything, I have notice she wears a lot of rings on other fingers too. Here is an example.

I thought it might just be a silver ring with a black heart on it until they got to the question about good role models. :)

Also just looked up her first big song and some of that certainly sounds rather ace. :)

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sexnointerest

This may not mean anything, but lately I have noticed that New Zealand pop star Lorde wears a black ring on her right middle finger in many picture and videos, again, it may not mean anything, I have notice she wears a lot of rings on other fingers too. Here is an example.

I thought it might just be a silver ring with a black heart on it until they got to the question about good role models. :)

Also just looked up her first big song and some of that certainly sounds rather ace. :)

I'm curious what a ring signifies, in terms of being asexual? Excuse my ignorance, clearly I have a lot to learn.

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Quintus Crinis

I'm curious what a ring signifies, in terms of being asexual? Excuse my ignorance, clearly I have a lot to learn.

I don't have one myself, but I believe that many asexuals have a black ring in place of an engagement/wedding ring?

Hopefully someone else can explain it a bit better than that though. :)

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Astrochelonian

So, I had another thought about this : if the 1% estimate of asexuals in the worldwide population is even half correct, then there must certainly be more celebrity asexuals out there than the few who have come out or the ones we suspect are ace. Could it be the reason why more celebrities have not come out as ace is because they fear it would harm their careers ? Take Taylor swift for instance (and I am not saying she is ace, only she can confirm that and she has not done so) if she did come out as ace, would her songs about relationships seem disingenuous and would this have an effect on her marketability ?

I wouldn't necessarily apply general population statistics to all professions that people choose. Actors and actresses tend to be extroverted and emotional, and enjoy portraying people from all walks of life. Someone that doesn't understand sexuality is going to be challenged to portray that as an actor, so I'm guessing they wouldn't necessarily seek that profession. (Not to say all actors are like that, or Aces can't portray sexual people, or there aren't numerous exceptions to these trends. But from observation it seems like a higher percentage of Aces are introverted than the general population and a higher percentage of actors are extroverted than the general population.)

I would guess that musicians and sports celebrities are probably closer to the general 1% mark. But since many Aces don't care about sexuality, don't want to be questioned and misunderstood, and just don't think their sexuality is anyone's business, there really isn't any advantage in "coming out" so to speak.

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I thought it might just be a silver ring with a black heart on it until they got to the question about good role models. :)

Also just looked up her first big song and some of that certainly sounds rather ace. :)

There are other pictures and videos of Lorde wearing all black rings, I just linked the first video I found so maybe it wasn't the best example.

I wouldn't necessarily apply general population statistics to all professions that people choose. Actors and actresses tend to be extroverted and emotional, and enjoy portraying people from all walks of life. Someone that doesn't understand sexuality is going to be challenged to portray that as an actor, so I'm guessing they wouldn't necessarily seek that profession. (Not to say all actors are like that, or Aces can't portray sexual people, or there aren't numerous exceptions to these trends. But from observation it seems like a higher percentage of Aces are introverted than the general population and a higher percentage of actors are extroverted than the general population.)

I would guess that musicians and sports celebrities are probably closer to the general 1% mark. But since many Aces don't care about sexuality, don't want to be questioned and misunderstood, and just don't think their sexuality is anyone's business, there really isn't any advantage in "coming out" so to speak.

Good points.

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I'm curious what a ring signifies, in terms of being asexual? Excuse my ignorance, clearly I have a lot to learn.

I don't have one myself, but I believe that many asexuals have a black ring in place of an engagement/wedding ring?

Hopefully someone else can explain it a bit better than that though. :)

It's actually traditionally a black ring on the middle right hand finger. We wear it as a symbol of asexuality, but it's not well-known outside the ace community. As such, it's a nice way to find each other if you ever happen to see someone IRL with a black ring on their right middle finger, but it also doesn't get recognised by most people, so you don't risk coming out by accident when you didn't intend to ;)

Once, I saw someone with a black ring, and I asked them about it. I just said, that looks like a nice ring, does it mean anything to you? Unfortunately, it wasn't an ace ring, and they just ended up complimenting me on mine and we moved our separate ways :P

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The first time I heard the word asexual, it was in a documentary on Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of scouting and at the time "the most famous man in Britain after the King". He apparently liked to sleep on his own out on the balcony at night rather than in bed with his wife. The documentary, which sounded very well researched to me and I'm sure had access to a lot of his private correspondence, concluded that he was asexual. We'll never know for sure but it was while watching that that I first realised that being asexual is a "thing".

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Although he's not precisely a celebrity, Edward Gorey was supposedly asexual.

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Shantastic215

Thats cool that Janeane Garofalo come out sort of. That is if Humdingers memory is correct. Not a lot of really big mainstream ones thought. However i guess you can kinda count Game of Thrones character comig out and stateing that he nevel felt attraction even before he was castrated as a kind of win. or at least a step in the right direction i suppose;

not thought tho

I was so excited that Varys is asexual! He's one of my favorite characters anyway, but that just made me love him even more.

I have heard the rumors about Janeane Garofolo and I remember years ago Morrissey said this when asked about his sexual preferences: "I just prefer not to."

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Shantastic215

Although he's not precisely a celebrity, Edward Gorey was supposedly asexual.

I've heard this, too! In a related note, I participated in a Kickstarter campaign to produce a documentary on the last years of his life. They reached their goal so the film should be out (hopefully) later this year...and I get a cool custom Altoids tin (mints included!) with the documentary logo on it. It's kind of a shame there was no option to donate for cake!!! :cake: :cake: :cake: :cake: :cake: :cake: :cake:

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littlepersonparadox

The first time I heard the word asexual, it was in a documentary on Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of scouting and at the time "the most famous man in Britain after the King". He apparently liked to sleep on his own out on the balcony at night rather than in bed with his wife. The documentary, which sounded very well researched to me and I'm sure had access to a lot of his private correspondence, concluded that he was asexual. We'll never know for sure but it was while watching that that I first realized that being asexual is a "thing".

Cool. Lord-Baden-Powell was one cool guy. He started the scouts and his wife actually started Girl Guides and has a castle right here in Toronto that he used. My troop did a sleepover there once. I didn't know he was asexual, so that's cool. I think i'll get a black ring and wear it at school just to see how many people notice and ask questions for a week, October maybe? ;)

also thank you ShanTaskit12345, your the first person to quote something i wrote.

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I believe the novelist and poet Thomas Hardy couldn't bear to touch either of his wives- certainly he was married twice and never fathered any children- and his second wife in particular was essentially a live-in secretary.

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  • 2 weeks later...
sexnointerest

Sheldon from Big Bang Theory is totally Asexual! He has to be. First there was the episode where they made asexual jokes in terms of Sheldon ever having a relationship. Then there was his complete ignorance to girls flirting with him and dating him. Then there were two episode, which I'm currently watching, where he continuously says no to sex with his girlfriend. The first were he says that their relationship was intimate to him, despite the lack of sex. He's the stereotypical Asexual if I've ever seen one, and it's so amazing!

I was thinking exactly the same thing. Would you believe I was going to post something about Sheldon being asexual today. What a coincidence! :)

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Quintus Crinis

Sheldon from Big Bang Theory is totally Asexual! He has to be. First there was the episode where they made asexual jokes in terms of Sheldon ever having a relationship. Then there was his complete ignorance to girls flirting with him and dating him. Then there were two episode, which I'm currently watching, where he continuously says no to sex with his girlfriend. The first were he says that their relationship was intimate to him, despite the lack of sex. He's the stereotypical Asexual if I've ever seen one, and it's so amazing!

I was thinking exactly the same thing. Would you believe I was going to post something about Sheldon being asexual today. What a coincidence! :)

The only problem with Sheldon being asexual is that the Big bang theory writers refuse to agree and the actors keep suggesting that they are working towards a "real relationship" for him and Amy - also the change in Amy from a non-dating aro ace stereotype to the character who keeps badgering Sheldon for more keeps undermining this idea.

Unfortunate because he was certainly a character who initially I found comfort in finding someone else similar to me in the media.

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Michelangelo, although a confessed homosexual, put his work before all other things. He never had any relationships of any kind. Don't know if that makes him asexual or celibate.

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Reclusive NZ author/poet Keri Hulme proudly revealed her atheism and asexuality early in her career. In fact, her most famous work, "The Bone People" [1985] won the Man Booker Prize. This brilliant fiction title, set in NZ, has an asexual component in the story-line. Try it...I'm sure you'll track a source down on the net. Cia 8)

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Member54880

Michelangelo, although a confessed homosexual, put his work before all other things. He never had any relationships of any kind. Don't know if that makes him asexual or celibate.

That'd make him celibate, because if he did experience sexual attraction, he chose to never act on it.

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The first time I heard the word asexual, it was in a documentary on Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of scouting and at the time "the most famous man in Britain after the King". He apparently liked to sleep on his own out on the balcony at night rather than in bed with his wife. The documentary, which sounded very well researched to me and I'm sure had access to a lot of his private correspondence, concluded that he was asexual. We'll never know for sure but it was while watching that that I first realized that being asexual is a "thing".

Cool. Lord-Baden-Powell was one cool guy. He started the scouts and his wife actually started Girl Guides and has a castle right here in Toronto that he used. My troop did a sleepover there once. I didn't know he was asexual, so that's cool. I think i'll get a black ring and wear it at school just to see how many people notice and ask questions for a week, October maybe? ;)

also thank you ShanTaskit12345, your the first person to quote something i wrote.

He's also been accused of being gay and a pedophile, so it depends on who you talk to.

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FinallyReadyToBeHere

After reading his second autobiography, I speculate that, while he identifies as homosexual, Stephen Fry could possibly be asexual. Perhaps gray-Ace at best but, for some reason, as I read The Fry Chronicles, when he talked about realizing he was gay and coming out to his parents, I couldn't help but catch the vibe that he was perhaps asexual.

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sexnointerest

After reading his second autobiography, I speculate that, while he identifies as homosexual, Stephen Fry could possibly be asexual. Perhaps gray-Ace at best but, for some reason, as I read The Fry Chronicles, when he talked about realizing he was gay and coming out to his parents, I couldn't help but catch the vibe that he was perhaps asexual.InterestInter

Before I was aware of him being gay, I was intrigued about that too. Stephen Fry has stated that he did not have sex for many years when he was younger. I found that unusual, and something I could relate to.

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Kiwi_Kitty

Isaac Newton was quite possibly asexual. He never married and, at 84 years old, likely died a virgin. He was allegedly indifferent to the ideas of sex and marriage; according to Voltaire, he "was never sensible to any passion, was not subject to the common frailties of mankind, nor had any commerce with women".

As a gigantic physics nerd, this theory speaks to me on a spiritual level.

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The old horror writer Algernon Blackwood may have been asexual. He was a bachelor until he died and never had any kind of romantic relationships that are known about.

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Quintus Crinis

Just been reading around the Harry Potter series and seen a suggestion on a Harry Potter Wiki page that Dumbledore's character in the books was ace (although again the quote suggests that J. K. Rowling interpreted asexuality as the result of a bad experience since she originally suggested he was gay).

To be honest, I had been thinking about his character for a bit and wondering whether the cannon of him being homosexual was actually homo-romantic ace?

http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Sexual_orientation


Also around Harry potter seen suggestions that Rupert Grint (actor for Ron Weasley) might be ace? - although I don't know where this suggestion comes from originally?

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well Dumbledore always worked better for me as an asexual (though I'm biased there). Thing is, If I'd wanted to write a believable gay character, I'd have given them a partner, not made them someone who never shows any sign of romance or sexuality throughout the entire series! If Dumbledore's gay then he's not exactly having "sexy fun times" (as my friends call it).

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If Dumbledore's gay then he's not exactly having "sexy fun times" (as my friends call it).

The way I understand it, last time he (possibly/probably?) did, it was a major understatement to say it didn't end well...so after that, he was too afraid of giving into it ever again, lest it risk clouding his judgement again, so he chose to stay celibate forever after for the greater good. (And if you read DH, the irony of that wording won't be lost on you.)

Of course, the only confirmed gay character being celibate to make the world a better place has preeeeetty damn unfortunate connotations, all by itself. :mellow:

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I wonder how the 1% was worked out. With so many asexuals not open about it, I question how accurate the estimate is. Could it be higher than 1%?

It was a survey in 1994 I think?

But yeah the number is probably slightly off because it relied on self-identification in a time with even less visibility than now.

I agree. I think that most asexuals don't come out because of lack of visibility and because no one wants the prejudice that comes with it. I believe that the percentage is higher than 1%. In this society, its "weird" to be a virgin by a certain age. I'm sure tons of people would keep their asexuality to themselves for those reasons and more. Celebrities wouldn't admit it either, because of the press, reputation, tabloids, drama, sex sells, etc. Even if asexuality becomes more visible, society is sex-obsessed. There isn't really that many advantages to coming out as asexual besides visibility, so many aces would keep it to themselves instead of being open about it.

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