Of course you don’t have to fit a box. But it’s easier to communicate your preferences if there is a lable you can use for yourself. OP is trying to find out if there is such a shortcut they could use. Explaining that they don’t necessarily need to do that is not helpful.
themeatbridge@lemmy.world 22 hours ago
Sure, but it’s also helpful to know that there aren’t labels for everything, nor do we need labels for everything. Really, the only person you need to communicate your preferences to is the person you prefer. In my (admittedly limited) experience, romantic partners don’t want to be reduced to a subset of their attractive physical features. “I like you” is generally sufficient, and it’s not really anybody else’s business what you like or don’t like. We’re conditioned to try to label ourselves, and I would argue that it is unhealthy reinforcing that conditioning by inventing new labels.
OP could describe themselves as bi or pan or omni, but none of those are the sum total of OP’s lived experience. We should describe ourselves, not define ourselves.
angrystego@lemmy.world 4 hours ago
I agree. I just percieve OP’s post as trying to find a lable because they just want to know whether there is one. It’s ok to want to know and telling them they don’t need it is not helpful.