A term that I find useful is “platonic aesthetic attraction”.
It’s a term that I learned through the ace community when I was going through the common bisexual experience of “am I bi though, or am I just asexual?”. It turned out I was bi, but I find the split model of attraction is a useful framework.
Platonic Aesthetic attraction is when you’re able to see someone and go “now that is a beautiful man”, but not experience any attraction in the conventional sense of the word. I personally find it useful because even though I do experience sexual or romantic attraction to people of all genders, that doesn’t mean I experience that for everyone. Sometimes a beautiful person is just a beautiful person.
Edit: got mixed up, and said “Platonic attraction” when I meant “aesthetic attraction”. Thanks to @[email protected] for the correction
I like the term aesthetic attraction. That’s useful.
There are plenty of women I find aesthetically attractive, and some that I find attractive in the hormone surge kind of way, but only rarely do they hold appeal for me as a potential partner, and personality plays a massive role there.
I can tell that some men are aesthetically handsome, but without the hormone rush.
This reminds me a lot of love. People can’t, or don’t, by default, differentiate different forms of love, though, there are many.
If you express love for anyone that isn’t blood related, the implication is that you want to copulate with them, and often, that’s far from the truth.
I love a lot of people, but not in that way. Right now, the only person I love who I want to copulate with is my partner. At the same time, I have a large group of friends that I also love, as a kind of trust and friendship love, though they’re not related to me through blood, in any way, shape, or form (Besides us both being human, I guess).
Commoners in society are extremely reductive, so the nuances of such things often escape them.
You can like, love or even find something attractive, and that doesn’t define you. You define yourself. That’s the privilege of sapience. We can decide such things about ourselves.
I’ve always heard platonic attraction as a strong desire to form a deep platonic connection with a specific person. It’s wanting to be close with a person and form a deep bond, but no sexual or physical connection.
I think you’re just describing finding a person attractive vs being attracted to a person. I haven’t heard a term for it before.
A term that I find useful is “
platonicaesthetic attraction”.It’s a term that I learned through the ace community when I was going through the common bisexual experience of “am I bi though, or am I just asexual?”. It turned out I was bi, but I find the split model of attraction is a useful framework.
PlatonicAesthetic attraction is when you’re able to see someone and go “now that is a beautiful man”, but not experience any attraction in the conventional sense of the word. I personally find it useful because even though I do experience sexual or romantic attraction to people of all genders, that doesn’t mean I experience that for everyone. Sometimes a beautiful person is just a beautiful person.Edit: got mixed up, and said “Platonic attraction” when I meant “aesthetic attraction”. Thanks to @[email protected] for the correction
What you’re describing is aesthetic attraction I think. Platonic attraction is more like advanced friendship afaik, more based on personality.
Ah yeah, I got mixed up. Thanks for the correction
No problem :3
I like the term aesthetic attraction. That’s useful.
There are plenty of women I find aesthetically attractive, and some that I find attractive in the hormone surge kind of way, but only rarely do they hold appeal for me as a potential partner, and personality plays a massive role there.
I can tell that some men are aesthetically handsome, but without the hormone rush.
This reminds me a lot of love. People can’t, or don’t, by default, differentiate different forms of love, though, there are many.
If you express love for anyone that isn’t blood related, the implication is that you want to copulate with them, and often, that’s far from the truth.
I love a lot of people, but not in that way. Right now, the only person I love who I want to copulate with is my partner. At the same time, I have a large group of friends that I also love, as a kind of trust and friendship love, though they’re not related to me through blood, in any way, shape, or form (Besides us both being human, I guess).
Commoners in society are extremely reductive, so the nuances of such things often escape them.
You can like, love or even find something attractive, and that doesn’t define you. You define yourself. That’s the privilege of sapience. We can decide such things about ourselves.
I’ve always heard platonic attraction as a strong desire to form a deep platonic connection with a specific person. It’s wanting to be close with a person and form a deep bond, but no sexual or physical connection.
I think you’re just describing finding a person attractive vs being attracted to a person. I haven’t heard a term for it before.