{"id":37111,"date":"2021-10-19T13:00:09","date_gmt":"2021-10-19T11:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/?p=37111"},"modified":"2021-10-25T15:01:56","modified_gmt":"2021-10-25T13:01:56","slug":"demiromantic-relationships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/demiromantic-relationships\/","title":{"rendered":"Friends First? Exploring Demiromantic Relationships"},"content":{"rendered":"

You may or may not have heard of the term \u2018demisexual\u2019. For reference, <\/span>demisexual<\/span><\/a> is when a person only experiences sexual attraction to another when they have a close emotional bond with them. This bond need not be romantic in nature however\u2014it could even be a platonic friendship.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"demiromantic<\/p>\n

Regardless, demisexuality isn\u2019t actually about being sexually intimate at all. It\u2019s about the ability to <\/span>feel<\/span><\/i> sexual attraction<\/span><\/a> towards others.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For some demisexuals, it could take months or years before a bond is formed, and only then, sexual attraction may arise. More importantly, a bond forming doesn\u2019t guarantee sexual attraction.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now that we\u2019ve covered demisexual, let\u2019s take a look at the term \u2018demiromantic\u2019!<\/span><\/p>\n

What Does It Mean to Be Demiromantic?<\/span><\/h1>\n

Just like a demisexual needs to form a bond with another in order to feel sexual attraction, a demiromantic needs to form a bond with another in order to develop <\/span>romantic<\/span><\/a> feelings.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In other words, an already-existing relationship would need to exist before a demiromantic person would experience a romantic attraction. But that is not to say that a demiromantic individual is always actively looking for a romantic connection.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe major difference for someone who is demiromantic is not that it\u2019s a feeling that comes and goes with different people, but it\u2019s an actual absence of any feeling around romanticism until they get deeply mentally connected to a partner,\u201d <\/span><\/i>said <\/span>Courtney D\u2019Allaird<\/span><\/a> of the University of Albany.<\/span><\/p>\n

Demisexual and demiromantic individuals can be of any <\/span>gender or sexual orientation<\/span><\/a>, and it\u2019s possible for one individual to be both demisexual and demiromantic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Interestingly, demiromanticism falls on the <\/span>aromantic<\/span><\/a> spectrum (aromantic being when someone feels no romantic attraction to anyone). And some demiromantic people may refer to themselves as \u2018greyromantic\u2019 which is someone who occasionally feels romantic attraction.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Common Demiromantic Misconceptions<\/span><\/h2>\n

There are a few common demiromantic misconceptions that exist, mostly because there is a lack of information or knowledge on the topic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some may believe that demiromantic individuals:<\/b><\/p>\n