People are only just realizing that they identify as fins**ual, so here’s what it means.
For many people discovering their identity, finding the right label can feel like finally putting a name to something they’ve always experienced but couldn’t quite articulate.
This is exactly what happened to members of the fins**ual community when they first encountered the term.
“I think THIS might have finally helped,” wrote one Reddit user after reading about fins**uality, expressing relief after ‘searching for days straight on all these subs trying to find myself.’
Another community member, who discovered their identity at 55, shared: “Someone suggested fins**ual, and the definition when I looked it up fits me to a tee. So I am a newly self-discovered at 55 fins**ual and I am so happy to be here!”
History and coining of fins**uality
The community has been quietly growing since the term was coined in 2014, with dedicated subreddits and social media spaces providing support for those exploring this identity.
The r/Fins**ual subreddit, created about five years ago, has become a hub for discussion, questions, and validation.
“This has explained a lot, thank you,” commented one user, echoing a sentiment shared by many who finally found language that resonated with their experience of attraction.
The term originated online in 2014 when Tumblr user pleurocarpous coined it via pride-flags-for-us.
The accompanying flag was created in August 2015 by Mod Raleigh (pastelmemer) and Tumblr user mutezeppeli, featuring pink and orange hues with a pink symbol, though it has no confirmed specific meaning.
What to know about fins**uality
Fins**ual is often compared to gynes**ual, another term describing attraction patterns.
However, while gynes**ual has multiple definitions – including attraction strictly to cisgender women, attraction to only female g**italia, or attraction to femininity regardless of gender – fins**ual has a more specific focus.
Related terms have also emerged: finromantic, which describes romantic (rather than s**ual) attraction to feminine individuals; finflexible, a flexible variant where someone primarily experiences fins**ual attraction but occasionally feels attraction to non-feminine presentations; mins**ual, the equivalent term for exclusive attraction to masculine individuals; and nins**ual, the non-binary equivalent.
The conversations in fins**ual spaces reveal the nuanced nature of attraction.
One community member described their experience: “I’m attracted to FIN individuals but have a preference for those with female g**italia… I am still attracted to people who are FIN and have male g**italia, just stating this in case anyone missed the keyword Preference.”
Another user grappled with the disconnect between s**ual and romantic attraction: “While I’m aroused by fin-related expressions, I’m not so romantically, as why I preferred dating men. But unfortunately, I can’t get s**ual with them.”
As for pronouns, fins**ual people use whatever pronouns feel right to them—whether gender-neutral options like they/them, ze/zir, or xe/xem, or gender-specific pronouns like she/her or he/him.
What does fins**ual mean?
Fins**ual is the exclusive attraction to those who are feminine in nature (FIN).
This means fins**ual people are attracted to women, feminine-aligned non-binary people, and potentially feminine men.
Crucially, fins**ual is not synonymous with attraction to people who identify as female – it’s attraction to femininity itself.
A fins**ual person might be attracted to a man or non-binary person who presents femininely. Similarly, a fins**ual person might not be attracted to women who present masculinely or androgynously.
The exact parameters of what counts as ‘feminine in nature’ are subjective and can be defined by each individual.
This might include physical presentation, behavioral characteristics, or a combination of both.
As one community moderator explained: “What femininity is to you is entirely subjective.” The key distinction is this: if you find yourself attracted to anyone who presents femininity, regardless of their s**, gender, or g**italia, you might be fins**ual.