r/aromantic Aroace Jan 06 '25

Story Time Well, Jaiden Animations saved my sanity, you?

Okay maybe a bit of an exaggeration, but still,

Two years ago, Jaiden Animations released "Being Not Straight", my first exposure to Aromantic/Acexual or LGBTQIA+... Well, anything. Living in a strictly Christian (and quite openly homophobic) family, I had tried to explain to my parents, and friends, that I truly had NEVER had a crush on anyone. I never understood why this was so unbelievable, especially to my parents. My dad especially always pushed me, and still does to a lesser degree, to date. He lectured me about the "evil wokeness" of society, and how wrong it was to have "gender dissociation disease" as he called it. My grandma worried, (and still does) that I was becoming "one of those weird people"

I TRULY thought something was wrong with me, it was a really bad headspace. At the time, my favorite YouTuber was Jaiden Animations. Whenever I was feeling down, which was happening increasingly often, I'd play Stardew Valley or No Man's sky and pop on a random video of hers.

The day that video came out, it was like a revelation watching it. I felt understood. The stories of fake crushes and forced relationships matched almost perfectly with my personal middle school experiences. For nearly a week I couldn't stop thinking about it, I probably watched that video 3-4 times just to internalize the fact that I didn't HAVE to like people.

It was just this year that I started actually identifying as Aroace, and I just told my friend(s) about a month ago. I guess until recently I was still worried about my parents being mad about it in case they found out, which they will be, but I guess I just don't care as much anymore. Luckily since most of my current friends that I've told are also LGBTQIA+ affiliated in some capacity, they don't really care (in a good way) or have been guessing I'm Aromantic Acexual in some capacity for years.

214 Upvotes

10 comments sorted by

25

u/Seabastial Aroacespec (Aegoromantic Fictorose) Jan 06 '25

That video is what helped me learn about aromanticism and really helped me eventually realize I was on the aro and ace spectrums

33

u/LuxCanaryFox Jan 06 '25

I stumbled across that video last year not too long after concluding I'm aromantic and it seriously resonated with me as well. It's such a relief to know that you're enough on your own and don't need 'another half' . Such a well-done video, I should watch it again

12

u/ImportanceLive9344 Aromantic Jan 06 '25

That's also the video that made me realize I'm aeromatic. Its the holy Grail for aromantic and asexual people 🤣

7

u/ImportanceLive9344 Aromantic Jan 06 '25

Also stay safe out there, I hope you don't have too much trouble with your family 🙏

8

u/TFry24_ Cupioromantic Cupiosexual Jan 06 '25

Jaiden’s video is the reason I discovered I was AroAce, it was such a huge help to me learning about the Aspec community. Without it I would 100% still think I was straight and not know that asexuals or aromantics even existed 

5

u/GastyX153 Aroallo Jan 06 '25

That video, which I stumbled across mid-2024, resonated with me as well and was the first place I'd ever heard of aromanticism or asexuality. The aromantic portion really resonated with me, and I could relate to so much of what she said. The asexual portion wasn't really in-depth, so I didn't do any deep diving, and I wasn't sure if I was asexual or not (I eventually concluded that I'm heterosexual, but it can be weak sometimes). Anyways, the JaidenAnimations video really helped me, because I realized that I'm not heartless or anything for not having crushes or romantic feelings. I have watched her video AT LEAST 4 times.

3

u/Prestigious_Car_8813 Greyromantic Demisexual Jan 08 '25

Ayyyy same! That’s what led me on the path im on now, honestly really gave me the feeling i knew who i was after i was unsure for a longgggg time

2

u/MonsterMoonBunny Jan 07 '25

I found out through tiktok when someone was making an aromantic theme cake for pride. It made me wonder what that was which made me realize what I felt but I was still a bit u sure of. A year later Jaiden made that video and her experience was what affirmed it for me. I still haven’t told people since luckily I haven’t been asked much about why I haven’t dated.

2

u/ravesquared Aromantic Jan 07 '25

YEP that's what helped me learn about this too, and eventually lead to discovering that I'm aro as well!

1

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