Touch-Ambivalent

Touch-ambivalent, or touch-conflicted, is a touch stance that describes an individual who has mixed or complicated feelings regarding the act or concept of sensual interaction. The term is commonly used by asensual spectrum individuals, but is not exclusive to this community or sensuality.

Touch-ambivalent individuals do not fit neatly into the basic touch stance categories of touch-favorable, touch-indifferent, or touch-repulsed. This can be for any number of reasons. Common touch-ambivalent experiences include the following:


 * One’s feelings towards sensual interaction change or fluctuate over time (touch-oscillating).
 * One’s feelings towards sensual interaction are different depending on the situation or involved individuals. For example, one may feel touch-repulsed normally, but feel touch-favorable only when in a relationship with a partner who is sensually attracted to them.
 * One’s feelings towards sensual interaction are different depending on the specific sensual acts. For example one may feel repulsed by the idea of cuddling, but feel favorable towards other forms of sensual interaction.
 * One’s feelings towards sensual interaction are confusing or unidentifiable. For example, one may struggle to tell if they are touch-favorable or if their desires for touch are caused by the internalized thought that an individual “should” want sensual interaction.

Flag
The touch-ambivalent flag was designed by Tumblr user arco-pluris on March 12, 2018. It is based on the sex-ambivalent and romance ambivalent flags.

History
This term has existed within the asensual community with no clear first coining for many years. The term was recoined for the purpose of providing a concrete source by AnonymousHermitCrab on the subreddit r/asexuality on April 27th, 2022.