Demiaesthetic is an aesthetic orientation where one only feels aesthetic attraction after forming an emotional bond or connection. This connection can be platonic, romantic, or any other form of bond. What is considered an emotional bond and how strong this bond needs to be in order for aesthetic attraction to be possible varies by person.
Demiaesthetic is a part of the nonaesthetic spectrum. The demiaesthetic orientation is usually used along with other labels, but it can also serve as a stand-alone identity.
The romantic counterpart to this term is demiromantic, while the sexual counterpart is demisexual.
History
The earliest mentions of the demiaesthetic orientation, was on the AVEN (Asexual Visibility and Education Network) forums, circa 2012. Not much is known about who coined the term though.[1]
Flags
On July 28, 2018, beyond-mogai-pride-flags made the demiaesthetic flag. It consists of 2 equally large horizontal stripes, a smaller stripe in the middle, and a side-ways triangle on the left side of the flag. The black represents the lack of aesthetic attraction, the grey representing greyaesthetics, the white represents the aesthetic attraction, and the pink representing the nonaesthetic community. [2]
Etymology
The demi- in demiaesthetic means “partial” or “half”.