What does it mean for you to be aromantic?

[WhatEverDontCare]

I know being aromantic means "not having romantic feelings towards anyone", but I would like to hear your experiences and understand what it means in practice for you to be aromantic and what are the effects on your life. For example it could be that you don't like cuddles, that you don't want to be in a relationship and so on. By the way, are there any aromantic people that like cuddles? Because it seems a contradiction to me? I'm talking about long cuddles, not just a friendly hug.

[TheAP]

Moved from Questions about Asexuality to Romantic and Aromantic Orientations.

 

TheAP

Questions about Asexuality co-mod

[Yatogami]

 "I want to do things with you, but I don't care about all that fancy stuff and prefer a practical approach. "

[WhatEverDontCare]

1 minute ago, Yato said:

 "I want to do things with you, but I don't care about all that fancy stuff and prefer a practical approach. "

@Yato Couldn't a romantic person says the same though? With "fancy stuff" are you referring to flowers, romantic dinners and things like that? I think a person can prefer a practical approach but still be romantic? 

I am just confused on what romantic means, because I for example like cuddles but don't like "romantic" things at all, and I see my ideal relationship like a deep friendhsip but with cuddles and with the monogamy thingy in addition.

[Yatogami]

14 minutes ago, WhatEverDontCare said:

@Yato Couldn't a romantic person says the same though? With "fancy stuff" are you referring to flowers, romantic dinners and things like that? I think a person can prefer a practical approach but still be romantic? 

I am just confused on what romantic means, because I for example like cuddles but don't like "romantic" things at all, and I see my ideal relationship like a deep friendhsip but with cuddles and with the monogamy thingy in addition.

I was being slightly joking, because I am aromantic and its how I see it. Atmosphere does little for me.

[fuzzipueo]

For myself, I want good friendships with people I share interests with, but I don't want cuddles or hugs. The idea makes my skin crawl and I feel a bit claustrophobic. Even with my niece, it can be an uncomfortable thing and she's one of the very few humans I willingly allow to get that close to me. I will add, however, that I am also a big time introvert with a big dose of shyness thrown in for good measure, so a lot of my avoidance may come from that and not just being aromantic. Cats are a different story, however.

 

There are aromantics who do like to cuddle and would love to end up in a cuddle pile if you asked them.

 

The way my aromanticism affects my life is that it does dictate how I handle relationships with other people. I don't encourage romantic feelings and if someone starts acting that way toward me, I usually stop interacting with them until they understand I'm not going to respond to their overtures. However, if they want to be friends with me and are willing to talk books, and history and other fascinating things, I'm all in.

[Galactic Turtle]

The feelings, actions, and progression of romantic attraction and relationships sound unnatural to me at best.

 

I desire long-lasting friendships and to do work that I view as meaningful.

[Florenna]

There's a thread below called "I'm Aromantic because...", there people have listed exactly what it means for them and/or practical effects