Do you find yourself disinterested, even repulsed, by the idea of having sex? Does it take months of knowing someone before you feel comfortable getting physically intimate with them? Does nothing turn you on more than a deep emotional connection? Then you may be what’s come to be known as demisexual.
The concept, a specific, slightly more sexually charged variation of asexuality—or the condition in which someone feels no desire for sex whatsoever—refers to a person who does not feel sexual attraction to another person unless they feel a strong emotional connection to them first. That may not sound that odd, and many demisexual people probably don’t seem that different than anyone who is a little skittish about sex. But there’s something deeper going on that is particular to those who are truly part of this sexual orientation, and it would behoove you to dig deeper and understand whether or not this applies to you. Here are the 15 tell-tale signs you’re demisexual, and some much-needed context to put you at ease. (For more on that, jump to #7 now.)
1
Demisexual people usually aren’t big fans of physical touch
Making out, grinding on the dance floor, even extended hugs are a turnoff to you. Physical intimacy, even with someone you’ve gotten to know, can be uncomfortable and make you feel a bit anxious. You’d rather have a conversation or get to know someone personally rather than feel them up. Sometimes you find these feelings overwhelming and unbearable. “If someone tried to initiate something [sexually], I’d throw my hands in the air and run out of the room screaming,” one demisexual person explained to Wired.
2
Demisexual people typically grow up feeling different
Long before you ever wondered “what is demisexual,” you probably felt your sex life was different than other peoples’. Since your teen years or even earlier, you’ve been aware that you didn’t quite fit in with what everyone else seemed interested in, felt alienated when your friends talked about how sexy someone was or described their dating lives and sexual exploits. You felt like you might be missing something or that there was something deeply wrong with you.
3
Demisexual people do enjoy sex, but only under specific circumstances
Unlike asexuals, who are repulsed by sex, full stop, demisexuals actually enjoy it—when very specific conditions are met. Specifically, you need to feel a strong emotional bond with someone before you could imagine enjoying getting naked with them. You would feel exposed and uncomfortable, rather than aroused, if thrown together with another person you didn’t feel a strong emotional connection with.
4
Demisexual people don’t usually rate strangers’ hotness
When your friends talk about how hot some stranger is or rate a person at the bar on a scale of 1–10, you just don’t get what they’re talking about. It’s as if the concept is entirely alien to you. Judging a person solely by their online dating profile without having even spoken to them doesn’t come naturally to you, and isn’t fun for you to do.
5
Demisexual people are often dubbed “prudes”
Friends who don’t really understand demisexual people will give you a bad time about your tendency to show little interest in getting laid and your inability to flirt will end up labeling you a “prude” or something similar. You’ve tried to explain that you just aren’t interested in sex with randos, but it’s a foreign concept to them and they assume you’re just nervous about sex.
6
Demisexual people long for a relationship—but not physical touch
Demisexual is distinct from asexual. It’s not that you aren’t attracted to others or interested in romantic relationships, but you aren’t aroused by physical touch.
One helpful Redditor broke it down this way: “I always recoiled and quickly withdrew from socializing altogether out of fear of being pressured into anything romantic or sexual with others, but as soon as I got home and in my own bedroom, I found myself longing for a relationship with someone… but the severe anxiety I felt whenever someone expressed any romantic interest in me kept me from dating anyone or even flirting back when it did happen.”
7
You aren’t alone
The term demisexual is relatively new—it was first coined in 2008, on the Asexual Visibility & Education Network website—but it’s been growing fast as more and more people come out as demisexual, refusing to be shamed about their unconventional attractions. So while you might feel like you don’t fit in with the hypersexual times, take heart: there are many other demisexuals out there and even if they aren’t noisy about it, they are numerous. According to a survey in the UK, roughly 0.6 to 5.5 of the population is asexual. There are many more demisexual people than asexuals.
8
Demisexual people don’t get the “hook-up culture”
You feel out of step with the modern hook-up culture. While your friends feel a night out is not complete without a make-out session at the bar or at least getting a phone number with the potential for future fun, you’d be perfectly happy just chilling in a quiet corner and chatting with friends or getting to know a quirky stranger, with no interest in having anything progressing beyond a handshake.
9
Demisexual people aren’t as horny as the rest of the world seems to be
Someone who is demisexual often feels baffled by how horny the rest of the world seems to be. It can seem nuts the way people will blow up their relationships or spend huge sums of money and vast amounts of time to try and get laid. You just don’t feel that sort of drive for sex.
“Overall, I feel like I’m not as sexually charged as the rest the world and rarely feel any sexual attraction towards anyone,” wrote a 23-year-old woman on a Reddit forum dedicated to topics about demisexuality. “When I do feel attraction, it’s after I get to know them or discover that they value me for my intelligence or another personal attribute.”
10
Emotional bonds are extremely important to you
Trust, openness, and emotional connection are what really gets you going. You feel a high when you experience emotional intimacy with another person and sharing personal stories. Where other people might feel a thrill after sleeping with someone else, you feel a jolt of satisfaction after a night of great, personal conversation.
11
Demisexual people are sexually self-sufficient
Most of your moments of sexual gratification come from masturbation and when it comes to physical pleasure, you don’t see the necessity of another person.
12
For you, sex is about connecting
When you do have sex with someone else, it’s in pursuit of a deeper emotional bond. Physical touch serves as a method for connecting and getting to better understand and appreciate your partner, bringing them satisfaction and pleasure.
13
Demisexual people don’t get flirting
Your friends love having meaningless conversations with strangers at the bar or through Tinder, cracking jokes or going off on elaborate, goofy tangents about nothing (even as the subtext is very clearly about something very specific). You’d rather talk about something and lose your patience with the flirty chats that pass as communication between people who are moving toward getting into each others’ pants. Friends will often have to point out to you after the fact that someone was flirting with you when you had no idea in the moment—it’s a language you just don’t speak.
14
Demisexual people tend to date friends
You’ve heard so many dating gurus warn against “falling into the friend zone,” but that’s your favorite place! The only serious relationships you’ve had begun as platonic friendships, where you’d gotten to know another person deeply before it unexpectedly progressed to something romantic. If the same friend had hit on you at a bar, there’s no way it would have gone anywhere. But a few months of hanging out as friends and learning what really makes them tick? Game on.
15
Demisexual people have sexual fantasies or enjoy erotic fiction
Demisexuals may have very active sexual fantasy lives—whether enjoying erotic stories, watching porn, or creating their own mental fantasies. The difference is that it’s not just the physical act of sex that turns them on, but the whole context of the person they imagine having sex with—there’s a major emotional component to these fantasies that give them an extra charge for the demixexual person.
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