History UsefulNotes / Aromantic

Aromantic people are those who feel romantic attraction to others rarely, never, or only under specific circumstances, the same way UsefulNotes/{{Asexual}} people feel sexual attraction. This is a romantic orientation counterpart to asexuality, with the same spectrum of gray-spectrum identities [[note]]such as grayromantic (which is also often used as the umbrella term for gray-spectrum romantic identities like demiromantic, which is when romantic attraction only occurs after an emotional bond has been formed) where attraction happens infrequently or in unexpected circumstances[[/note]], but while asexuality and aromanticism are almost exclusively seen together in fiction, someone who identifies with one term does not necessarily identify with the other. Aromantic individuals who still feel sexual attraction are referred to as "aromantic allosexuals", or "aroallo" for short.

Since society is centered around building romantic partnerships for life and having children,[[note]]This is known as "amatonormativity"[[/note]] life can be difficult for people uninterested in such things, especially if they remain single. While the negative stereotypes around lack of romantic attraction lead many aromantics to be asked constantly if they even have ''friends'', aromantic people have friends and often prioritize those relationships more highly than alloromantics, since they're less inclined to prioritize romance just because it is romance.

[[caption-width-right:290:The aromantic pride flag, designed circa 2014 by one Cameron Whimsy.[[labelnote:Wanna know what those colors mean?]]The green was chosen as the opposite of red, the color typically associated with romantic love. Other than that, the black, white, and gray take the same meanings from the UsefulNotes/{{asexual}} flag: people who don't experience sexual attraction, people who do, and people somewhere in between.[[/labelnote]]]]

[[caption-width-right:290:The aromantic pride flag, designed circa 2014 by one Cameron Whimsy.[[labelnote:Wanna know what those colors mean?]]The green was chosen as the opposite of red, the color typically associated with romantic love. Other than that, the black, white, and gray take the same meanings from the UsefulNotes/{{asexual}} flag: people who don't experience sexual attraction, people who do, and people in between.[[/labelnote]]]]

[[caption-width-right:290:The aromantic pride flag, designed circa 2014 by one Cameron Whimsy.[[labelnote:Wanna know what those colors mean?]]The green was chosen as the opposite of red, the color typically associated with romantic love. Other than that, the black, white, and gray take the same meanings from the UsefulNotes/{{asexual}} flag: people who don't experience sexual attraction, people who do, and people somewhere in between.[[/labelnote]]]]

[[caption-width-right:290:The aromantic pride flag, designed circa 2014 by one Cameron Whimsy.[[labelnote:Wanna know what those colors mean?]]The green was chosen as the opposite of red, the color typically associated with romantic love. Other than that, the black, white, and gray take the same meanings from the UsefulNotes/{{asexual}} flag: people who don't experience sexual attraction, people who do, and people in between.[[/labelnote]]]]

[[caption-width-right:290:The aromantic pride flag.[[labelnote:Wanna know what those colors mean?]]The green was chosen as the opposite of red, the color typically associated with romantic love. Other than that, the black, white, and gray take the same meanings from the UsefulNotes/{{asexual}} flag: people who don't experience sexual attraction, people who do, and people in between.[[/labelnote]]]]

[[caption-width-right:290:The aromantic pride flag.]]

The aromantic community has few symbols, but they may include arrows or bows (a play on the shortened "aro" form of the term, and an intentional defiance of the common "cupid" association), anything green, and a white ring on the left middle finger. An ace of spades is common for aromantic asexuals in particular.