It’s a subtle control/“negging” thing, with the idea that you’re going to feel “inferior” after a while to work hard to impress him. I’d take a lot of it with a pinch of salt.
I had an ex whose ex wife was a “successful model” with A listers falling at her feet whenever she walked into a room. He himself had all these stunning younger women fall in love with him (and the photos to match) etc.
Thing is. Ex wife had “done some modelling work” (sort of her doing a lot of the chasing and legwork rather than being “scouted”) but couldn’t make a living from it so worked in HR.
Yes I’m sure she was attractive/striking enough, but she was actually breadwinner for her new husband. Which is fine! But not exactly as he’d chosen to portray it.
Ditto with all these “attractive younger women” who were “seriously into him”. He had a high profile job in a foreign country so I think there was a lot of “novelty value” in him rather than anything serious.
As time went in, I realised he actually was a bit of a fantasist and didn’t want to admit that he just was a “ok bloke with an averagely attractive ex wife and daughters” Like all of us!
I also think there was a strong element of gaslighting/ trying to get me to be insecure there.
Despite me generally ignoring the comments/ being complimentary/polite as I’m very confident, if I got “checked out” on the street or in a bar (I’m a personable enough woman meself 
) he’d sort of start getting twitchy and start a randomly animated conversation with the barmaid to try to “knock me down”
It’s just weird and will only get worse. He knows EXACTLY what he’s doing and will start claiming you’re “jealous” when it’s him setting you up. Get rid.