and oversensitive when my DH makes negative comments about magazines I read or TV programmes I watch?

[mum2bubble]

My mum sometimes passes on old magazines for me to read and I'm happy to flick through the odd copy of 'OK', Woman's Own etc. I also enjoy fairly lightweight TV programmes on occasion, eg BINTM or Sex and the City or US sitcoms. But if my DH sees me reading/watching these he always remarks (with a raised eyebrow) 'what's THAT you're reading/watching??' The implication to me is that he disapproves. I actively hide the 'evidence' of these things now or simply don't read/watch them as I just can't be arsed with the judgy comments. So AIBU and a bit paranoid or is he BU?

Tell him that hard-working brains need downtime. I work in a so-called "highbrow" scientific job. You wouldn't believe the crap that most of my colleagues watch & read in their time off. It's necessary to deactivate sometimes.

It depends what he's like generally - do you often get the feeling that he's trying to undermine you in other ways too, ie, comments about your weight/attractiveness; how you could make more of yourself; subtly putting down your job, or how you do it. Is he very insecure?

My current DH is lovely and I often tease him about his exciting documentaries that he watches about diagrams, or equations, and he teases me about reading trashy novels and watching Fried Green tomatoes (again).

On the other hand, my ex could NEVER let me watch a single TV show, read a book, listen to a record without putting it down and moaning about how I was never interested in anything but rubbish - and that was part of a wider pattern of emotional abuse, which I eventually divorced him for.

I'm afraid only you can work out the difference...

Red flag for me in the context of my own relationships. With my Ex husband it started gradually and ended up with me hiding my music, my books, switching over the TV etc.
Confront him head on OP. He has no right to do this.

My DH rolls his eyes at my reading habits (Dan Brown type shit) while he sits and reads Anna Karenina. But if he goes to the library with DS, he will pick me up something he thinks I will like. A treasure buried for a thousand years, a desperate race against time, a secret society sworn to protect it? Bingo.

He also rolled his eyes at my Philippa Gregory habit, but has actually got into watching The White Queen with me. I said 'See, I told you they were good!'

BINTM is Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model, FolkGirl - there's a series on at the moment - about halfway through, maybe.

My dh is the same. He has his classic novels by the bed and prefers Mozart to madonna.

I have caught him reading heat magazine more than once in the bathroom though.

Dh is like this a bit.
I watch Revenge. And Smash.
Both utter tripe. But I say "yeah, I know its tripe. But I don't care, I like it".
And together, we watch great tv: soprano's, broadwalk empire etc.
I am ALLOWED to watch quality and tripe. It is allowed.