• RION [she/her]@hexbear.net
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      3 months ago

      It’s very easy to read as “I don’t find you super attractive but you seem like someone I could settle for once I’m done playing the field”

      Her intent seems to be more “I don’t think I could have hooked up with you and moved on because of how special you are to me” but she phrased it in an ambiguous way

      • TheDoctor [they/them]@hexbear.net
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        3 months ago

        The first interpretation is extremely foreign to me. Do people just marry someone who they don’t like that much because they wanna settle down?

        • sinstrium [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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          3 months ago

          Yes thats most of the hetero marriages/long-term relationships. They simply grab the next person who “is there”. There is like a lot of silent expectations in hetero social circles to have an active relationship. I notice this everytime people do not know that I am gay yet hahaha.

        • spectre [he/him]@hexbear.net
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          3 months ago

          I would say most marriages throughout history are basically exactly that. I may be won’t, but honestly I don’t think I’m wrong. It has a lot more to do with availability than compatibility (which can be developed, tbf)

          • TheDoctor [they/them]@hexbear.net
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            3 months ago

            (which can be developed, tbf)

            I think this is a sticking point for me. My wife and I have worked hard and paid a lot of attention to make sure we’re both growing and that we’re growing closer instead of apart. I understand statistically that if I could somehow review billions of people that I could find someone more immediately compatible with me, so availability was a major factor for us. But we consistently have been told people are jealous of our relationship and we were barrels of red flags when we first got together. By the time we married we were excellent communicators who adored each other.

            I don’t want to shame people who haven’t had this experience because I’ve clearly missed out on a lot and I’m not so naive as to think everyone could just git gud at relationships. The whole discussion just seems foreign to me as a result.

      • Angel [any]@hexbear.net
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        3 months ago

        As an “”““AMAB,””“” this left me scratching my head confused as fuck, and I still don’t understand how someone could be so upset by it. I’d love to hear nothing more than this from my partner.

        Point for my gender being validated I guess but also a point for me hating cisheteronormative bullshit.

      • frankfurt_schoolgirl [she/her]@hexbear.net
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        3 months ago

        So what was she supposed to say to her bf of 2.5 years, “hey if I saw you on an app i’d totally have a meaningless one night stand with you and then never talk to you again”?

        It seems to me that this man is just highly insecure that his gf may have had previous partners because he views her as his property basically.

        • The_Jewish_Cuban [he/him]@hexbear.net
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          3 months ago

          I don’t see how someone telling their partner “if I saw you on the street I wouldn’t find you immediately attractive” is something that wouldn’t bother you. Maybe the dude is overreacting, especially since she seems conciliatory and apologetic, but if I’m suffering from a period of body dysmorphia and my S.O. tells me that it would hurt a lot. People like to feel desired and this compliment, intentional or not, could easily be taken as saying you’re not.

            • The_Jewish_Cuban [he/him]@hexbear.net
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              3 months ago

              If you’re in a good headspace I think your reaction is 100% percent typical and the right way to interpret it. The kicker is sometimes you just feel like shit about your body and that changes the way you understand it. I hope this guy gets over it because it clearly wasn’t meant that way, but he’ll have to work through his emotions to do it. It really does impede the way your mind works

        • 7bicycles [he/him]@hexbear.net
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          3 months ago

          My girlfriend occasionally notes she’d have noticed me at a party or in the streets if I wore that outfit before we were together as a compliment, which is nice, I assume it’s more in that realm and not “I don’t care about you at all but you’re hot”

    • KnilAdlez [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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      3 months ago

      I think every one earth wants to be considered hot, smart, and funny. If your partner says something that comes off as suggesting you are not one of those things, it can be hurtful.

    • aaaaaaadjsf [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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      3 months ago

      It’s a backhanded and insulting “compliment”. It can easily be seen as if she’s saying that she’s settling down and he’s not her first choice, or that she doesn’t see him as physically attractive but wants to have a long term relationship with him because of the “security” he offers. Pretty much almost every man that’s attracted to women in some way will see this as a backhanded compliment or negging. No one wants it to be implied or told that they’re not sexy or fun.

    • FunkyStuff [he/him]@hexbear.net
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      3 months ago

      Yeah other people are pointing out ways that it could sound backhanded, but unless she said it in a pissed off voice it seems innocent and much more thoughtful than the more usual compliments you might think of.