Aros with Celebrity Crushes?

[CaffeineCat85]

Hi, 

I'm new here and a new Aro (2022)and I'm curious on the topic of Celebrity Crushes/Attraction. 

Does it fall under the Squish category (still not sure on this term) or does it fall under Sexual Attraction? 

I will admit when a celebrity is attractive/hot (ie: Pedro Pascal, Patrick Stump, Scarlet Johansen, etc), but am confused on this since I discovered Aromantisism. 

[Apex]

The type of attraction doesn't depend on who it's directed at. Could be a squish, crush, sexual, etc.

Having a crush on a celebrity doesn't necessarily mean you aren't aro. Celebrities are unattainable which can make them "safe" and/or puts them on like... a different axis of attraction.

[nonmerci]

It depends on what are the feelings involved. For some it will be admiration, others will have sexual fantasies with celebrities, or will imagine dates, or they could just look at them all day... It can be anything, that's the confusing part.

[Serafu]

hello! omg fellow Patrick Stump enthusiast :'] I like to think that bc celebrities are people we'll never have actual romantic/sexual relationships with, they don't technically "count" within romantic and sexual attraction. you can definitely call yourself aromantic even if you experience romantic attraction for a celebrity, n it's ultimately up to you how you define your attraction :] 

[Collie]

I have heard of people experiencing sexual or romantic attraction only for people who can never love them back, such as celebrities. Or even fictional characters

[alto]

I once had a celebrity squish...who ended up scamming me out of a large amount of money.  Be careful!

[frutiger aro]

i have a few "crushes" on celebrities and even fictional characters but for me it's primarily just aesthetic attraction. i think the appeal for me is that i can admire their face, voice, mannerisms, etc from a distance because they're either famous or fictional and therefore inaccessible and therefore "safe", as opposed to people irl who carry the risk of liking me back lol. but different people have different attraction types, and because of the inherent distance of celebrities i think even having a crush on one doesn't make you any less aro.

Edited September 24, 2023 by frutiger aro
wanted to add another point

[dewy]

It depends on your feelings on the celebrity for what kind of attraction you feel. Could be aesthetic if you just think they're good looking, could be sexual if you find yourself aroused by them or having sexual fantasies.

A lot of aspec people experience these kinds of feelings with celebrities and fictional characters because it can stay as a fantasy and wouldn't actually happen, yknow? For example, I love romancing characters in games because it's fun but it's not real - I can just turn off the game and go on with my life when I want.

[Guest AroGyal]

My first thought is that this would fall under the aro subcategory of lithromantic. 

[tiger_hoods12]

I’m asexual and on the aromantic spectrum. One of the biggest signs of being asexual is that you’ve never gotten a celebrity crush, however, I experienced something similar to what you said that had me confused for a second. I remember in my childhood thinking actors such as Eddie Murphy and Will Smith were relatively pretty attractive people especially in their youth. I never associated this as a crush just something like if someone else said that they thought they were hot, I’d see it. Later on, in the life I thought that same thing for actors Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Tom Hanks when he was younger. For me, it was more of an aesthetic attraction that I was feeling. Especially with Will Smith in his earlier roles. His style was also simple yet cool. Loved it! He looked very handsome, I’ll admit it!