I’m Yasmin Benoit (@theyasminbenoit), an alternative model and asexuality activist from Berkshire, England. 

After gaining a platform through my modeling, I decided to publicly come out as asexual in late 2017 with the goal of providing more representation for asexual people. Since then, I’ve came to realize that there are actually more asexual people out there than you would originally assume, but we largely go unseen. It’s our lack of visibility which contributes to prevalent and harmful stereotypes about asexual people.  

A misconception that I’ve encountered a lot is that there is an asexual way to look or dress, and it’s not a good one. Asexual people are assumed to be “too unattractive” to get a partner. At the same time, we’re not supposed to make ourselves look “attractive” by dressing up because we’re not trying to sexually entice anyone. Not only does this assume that people only dress to please others and not themselves — it means that asexual people can’t win either way.   

When I was given the opportunity to write for Qwear, I decided to start the #ThisIsWhatAsexualLooksLike series and hashtag to give the agency back to asexual people, so that we could represent ourselves. I wanted to give us a platform to show that there is no asexual way to look or dress. In this edition of the series, I chose to focus on asexual femmes, to highlight our experiences navigating a world which sexualizes us and our self-presentation. I’m grateful for all of the asexual people who have participated in this new chapter of the series. 

Valerie

Ashley Marie

Candex Louie

Aidenn Queen

Stephanie Zambrana

Marie

Want to contribute to asexual visibility? Share your looks using the #ThisIsWhatAsexualLooksLike hashtag on your social media!  

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