What age do romantics usually first get crushes and celebrity crushes?

[HelloThere]

Wow, the more I look back on this the more sure of myself I am. I'm 15, I've shown outright repulsion when people flirt, I've only ever felt a "heavy feeling" and nothing more but only when I was suspecting that I might be attracted to this person. I've had 1 alterous crush and it was on a guy. I have probably had 1-2 squishes. I never liked the idea of dating. I hated Valentines day. I'm not really able to conceptualize a relationship past kissing and crap like that. I have no intention of dating. My future feels worse if I did date or marry in my eyes. I'd prefer to just have the types of close friends that I can laugh and joke with who are just as extroverted as me. I'd only ever marry platonically. I've never once been compelled to kiss someone, in fact the thought grosses me out. I mean maybe I'd be ok with a little peck on the cheek but I doubt I'd enjoy that. Dating just sounds boring and I doubt I'd be able to talk about anything more than personal interests or beliefs (so basically any conversation with friends). It's become abundantly obvious that I really do not like anyone in that way. I have literally no inclination to do anything romantically coded, and can always see the flaws in everyone no matter what I think of them (often people with crushes just see that person as perfect in some weird way). Just everything lines up, I'm amazed that I didn't figure at least some of this out earlier.

[The Newest Fabled Creature]

Not alloromantic, but when I was little my "celebrity crushes" were actually my admiration of the actor's live action character that they play as, and not the actor themself per se, and the "crush" was actually me developing gender envy from the character. So many times I wanted to literally be Jack Sparrow, but I just written that feeling off as me having a crush on the character or on Johnny Depp himself, when all I liked was his swagger, clothes, personality, and deep voice (and the fact that I also saw him as sexually attractive too) and wanted that all to myself.

I also do tend to fantasize being being with fictional characters, but not because I actually romantically like them, but because they're unattainable and I find them attractive in different ways, too. But, I can't win because then I stop thinking about the character in a romantic-relationship-way, since not even in my dreams I can't be aromantic. /lh

Edited June 25, 2023 by The Newest Fabled Creature

[TheApothiAroace]

On 9/10/2022 at 12:48 AM, Garlic Bread said:

What age do romantics usually first get crushes and celebrity crushes?

I'm an aromantic and I'm just wondering at what age did you get your first crush and what age did you get your first celebrity crush?

Idk bc aroace but one of my friends said he has loved Johnny depp since 3rd grade and my brother had his first crush in…2nd I think? Idk but I would say it tends to happen around age 6-10

[Rackson]

On 6/9/2023 at 1:50 PM, HelloThere said:

 Just everything lines up, I'm amazed that I didn't figure at least some of this out earlier.

Well, its good that you figured it out now!

[dewy]

I'm the CEO of supressing emotions so probably the worst person to ask but I think it was 5th grade (around age 10-12) for crushes on people I knew personally.

Then the puberty induced issues (🏳️‍⚧️) began and most of my crushes became fictional/celebrity crushes because intimacy scared me and I pushed down attraction I felt for people in my personal life, felt safer to just be making heart eyes at fictional characters than even think about having a serious relationship.

Edited August 24, 2023 by dewy