Loveless Aromanticism
Aromanticism is still a relatively new topic in the queer community. As such, it is very hard to find scholarly sources on aromanticism. This post consists of three definitions of loveless aromantics, and then my personal definition, being somewhat connected to that identity myself.
One explanation of this is “Some people do not feel, understand, or connect with love – any form of it. They may identify as “Loveless”, which originated in the aromantic community as a way of reclaiming something often seen as a negative trait.”
Another definition is “Loveless Aro describes someone who is on the aromantic spectrum that is in some way disconnected from the concept of love, does not feel love, may doubt that they feel love, or rejects the idea of experiencing love.”
In an interview with some loveless aromantics, Santelmo, one of the people interviewed, said “Every loveless aro labels themself as loveless for different reasons, no one with it has the same reasons for doing so. That and saying things like ‘love isn't inherently romantic’ and ignoring the fact that society made it out so that love is inherently romantic.”
As someone who identifies with the term loveless aromatic, my definition is as follows: It is the unwillingness to label any strong positive feelings as love, due to the connotations presented in the word love by our modern society.
My personal reasons for identifying with this term are the same reasons that I prefer it/it’s pronouns: linguistical accuracy. As someone quite interested in language, I cannot use the term love without comparing it to its linguistical predecessors, all of which primarily were used to mean lust. While this is not everyone's reason for identifying as such, it is my own.