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Relationships

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Would these comments and behaviours be reasonable deal breakers in dating?

347 replies

RedflagGreenflag · 27/07/2026 17:50

I've was dating someone for a few months (met on Hinge, mid 40s)and am reflecting on my standards and self-esteem in the wake of it ending. Which, if any, would be deal breakers or have caused you serious concern?

-made a few silly sexual jokes whilst messaging, before we met eg..I asked him if he played a musical instrument and he made a joke about wanking
-first date in a coffee shop, I removed a long sleeved top as was too warm (had another top on underneath obvs) and he went "wahaaayyy" as if I was stripping
-made a joke about all women having a base level of psycho
-referred to disabled people as "Scopey"
-met a colleague of min at a works do and told me she was "rough" and this is why he doesn't date women from her area
-despite the fact he is on amicable terms with his ex wife, told me laughingly, when she asked for a divorce, that he had called her a "fat old witch" and threatened to take her pension
-told me inappropriate details about his ex including that she was restricted in sexual positions she could do due to bad hip and that she could orgasm immediately from anal sex (he told me this whilst we were in bed by way of praising my comparative flexibility)
-said "You look lovely in your dress; my ex wife never wore them because of her body type"
-met an acquaintance of mine and said "You're naturally beautiful, not like women like that who plaster on the make up"
-when I was trying to encourage him to get o know me better and asked if there was anything he wanted to know about me (cause I had tried to ask him lots about himself) he said "What is the smallest penis out there have encountered?
-told me, in bed, that he had yet to encounter a smelly vagina
-told me he had dumped a woman as her pubic hair was too long (after avoiding having sex with her for weeks)
-shortly after we began a sexual relationship, told me he thought genitals in general were gross and then was annoyed with me when I went a bit quiet and distant for a few minutes after he said that
-first time we had sex, he seemed clueless despite being married before and many relationships. He kissed me for a while and I was expecting some foreplay (I know I could have initiated this but I had lead on taking him up to my bedroom and removing clothes so didn't want to lead ointment everything). Without so much as touching me intimately, he entered me without a condom. He stopped as soon as I told him to and was visibly upset and said he thought I had wanted it as we were naked and he was laying on top of me. He was genuinely upset and I ended up comforting him!
-I disclosed to him that I had been sexually assaulted in a previous relationship. Despite this, he sent me a GIF that appeared to be of a woman being assaulted, face down on the floor and crying..looked like really rough porn but you could only see her face.
-he had some very laddish mates and he said he didn't judge them for sleeping with prostitutes although it was not something he would do. Told me they had all been giggling in the pub about some story about a woman with a massive anus.
-in a weird coincidence, a mate of his turned up at my house to collect something I had listed on marketplace. He arrived 15 minutes earlier that agreed and ex and I were in bed. When ex realised who it was, he got dressed and said hi his mate. he later told me that the incident had been the subject of joking on their group WhatsApp, with one them writing "He was just pulling out of her as he arrived!"

I felt unsettled with him lot. Would the above reasonably explain that? I have very poor self esteem and anxious attachment style and I am trying to work out if there were reasons outside of that which would make others feel insecure in this dynamic. He was affectionate, attractive, a good dad, good to his mum, a professional, kind to animals, funny, lots of friends and very keen on me. He would send gushing messages and romantic songs and GIFs a lot. He seemed quite future -focused with wanting to progress the relationship quickly. He made me feel very chosen. He was not the type to ask me things about how many men I had slept and liked natural-looking women. So there were lots of good things about him too.

OP posts:
Sodthesystem · 27/07/2026 18:30

RedflagGreenflag · 27/07/2026 18:25

He did tell me that he loved me after just 6 or 7 dates. I’ve been told that is lovebombjng but then I hear countless tales of people on here who fell in love quickly and are still together 20 years later. So when is it love bombing and when is it genuine love?

Not after 6 dates. You don’t KNOW anyone after six dates. You can love who you think they are but really that is just a placeholder idea of them until you actually get to know them.

Love forms organically over time and proximity. Lots of it.

Also, so what if he says I love you? That doesn’t mean you love him. Or owe him anything.

PinkMagpie · 27/07/2026 18:33

RedflagGreenflag · 27/07/2026 18:05

he was actually really nervous the first time we had sex.

I tried to teach him how I like to be touched (this was not the first time we were intimate but several weeks in) and WHILST he was touching me, he was nervously going on about how fussy his ex wife was regarding where and how she liked to be touched. He did seem very unsure sexually.

How are you supposed to enjoy sex if he is wittering on about his ex-wife DURING it!

OP he sounds like Jay from the Inbetweeners. Not a chance did his ex-wife come immediately from anal sex if he can’t even do basic foreplay.

and the comment about disabled people? 🤮🤮🤮

you are well rid! Well done for giving him the elbow

SeasideDaisy · 27/07/2026 18:33

Sodthesystem · 27/07/2026 17:56

Always keep this in mind: if they don’t like women - they don’t like you.

So true, I’m ashamed to admit this but I always used to tell my self it was a compliment that they saw me as different from the rest.. They didn’t obviously.
This guys a creep op, be thankful you were only dating him.

ThingsCouldBeEasier · 27/07/2026 18:34

Any one of those would be deal breakers for me.
I would also count that as sexual assault.

I wonder whether The Freedom Programme might help you? Also look up the Burnt Haystack approach to dating.

category12 · 27/07/2026 18:35

I couldn't finish reading your op, it was obvious about a third of the way down that he's a horrible person.

Meadowfinch · 27/07/2026 18:35

Christ OP, you've just confirmed all my fears about OLD.

I was considering giving it another try. I've just abandoned that idea.

OP, being single is infinitely better than being with a smutty-mouthed 14yo. What on earth do you see in him?

At least I have intelligent interesting conversations with grown adults.

BillieWiper · 27/07/2026 18:36

For the question about small penises you should've said 'yours' and walked out. Never speak to him again!

ExtraOnions · 27/07/2026 18:37

Set your bar higher … no idea why you are still flogging this dead horse

Sodthesystem · 27/07/2026 18:38

SeasideDaisy · 27/07/2026 18:33

So true, I’m ashamed to admit this but I always used to tell my self it was a compliment that they saw me as different from the rest.. They didn’t obviously.
This guys a creep op, be thankful you were only dating him.

Yup. You’re on the pedestal.. until you aren’t. Then you’re a horrible, hate filled, crazy shrew just like all the “other women”.

And even if that wasn’t the case, why would you want anything to do with men who have prejudice like that? If they hated a certain race or made rude remarks about people who had disabilities or implied that all gay people were crazy… you’d think they were a bigoted prat. Well the same thing goes if it’s about women.

We must never let them convince us that we are only special because other people are less-than. That’s not a compliment.

PinkMagpie · 27/07/2026 18:40

Sodthesystem · 27/07/2026 17:56

Always keep this in mind: if they don’t like women - they don’t like you.

So, so true

Rachelshair · 27/07/2026 18:41

He sounds very immature and needs to shut up about his ex wife. You have given him too many chances imo.

LapisBlue · 27/07/2026 18:42

Oh my God. Leaving aside all his revolting OTHER comments, how could you get intimate with someone detailing so much information WHEN YOU WERE IN BED WITH HIM!!??

I would have clammed up closed like a shell.

Seriously, I struggle with self-esteem. But nothing like this. Read back your first post. It's heartbreaking 💔

DreamingOfGeneHunt · 27/07/2026 18:43

Fucking Nora. Life is too short for this.

RedflagGreenflag · 27/07/2026 18:43

But what about all the good stuff about him? He was kind to his mum by taking her to appointments looking after her cats and had his son 50% of the time and protected that time (as in, not off dating when he had his son but fully present).

OP posts:
LikeWhoUsesTypewritersAnyway · 27/07/2026 18:44

RedflagGreenflag · 27/07/2026 17:50

I've was dating someone for a few months (met on Hinge, mid 40s)and am reflecting on my standards and self-esteem in the wake of it ending. Which, if any, would be deal breakers or have caused you serious concern?

-made a few silly sexual jokes whilst messaging, before we met eg..I asked him if he played a musical instrument and he made a joke about wanking
-first date in a coffee shop, I removed a long sleeved top as was too warm (had another top on underneath obvs) and he went "wahaaayyy" as if I was stripping
-made a joke about all women having a base level of psycho
-referred to disabled people as "Scopey"
-met a colleague of min at a works do and told me she was "rough" and this is why he doesn't date women from her area
-despite the fact he is on amicable terms with his ex wife, told me laughingly, when she asked for a divorce, that he had called her a "fat old witch" and threatened to take her pension
-told me inappropriate details about his ex including that she was restricted in sexual positions she could do due to bad hip and that she could orgasm immediately from anal sex (he told me this whilst we were in bed by way of praising my comparative flexibility)
-said "You look lovely in your dress; my ex wife never wore them because of her body type"
-met an acquaintance of mine and said "You're naturally beautiful, not like women like that who plaster on the make up"
-when I was trying to encourage him to get o know me better and asked if there was anything he wanted to know about me (cause I had tried to ask him lots about himself) he said "What is the smallest penis out there have encountered?
-told me, in bed, that he had yet to encounter a smelly vagina
-told me he had dumped a woman as her pubic hair was too long (after avoiding having sex with her for weeks)
-shortly after we began a sexual relationship, told me he thought genitals in general were gross and then was annoyed with me when I went a bit quiet and distant for a few minutes after he said that
-first time we had sex, he seemed clueless despite being married before and many relationships. He kissed me for a while and I was expecting some foreplay (I know I could have initiated this but I had lead on taking him up to my bedroom and removing clothes so didn't want to lead ointment everything). Without so much as touching me intimately, he entered me without a condom. He stopped as soon as I told him to and was visibly upset and said he thought I had wanted it as we were naked and he was laying on top of me. He was genuinely upset and I ended up comforting him!
-I disclosed to him that I had been sexually assaulted in a previous relationship. Despite this, he sent me a GIF that appeared to be of a woman being assaulted, face down on the floor and crying..looked like really rough porn but you could only see her face.
-he had some very laddish mates and he said he didn't judge them for sleeping with prostitutes although it was not something he would do. Told me they had all been giggling in the pub about some story about a woman with a massive anus.
-in a weird coincidence, a mate of his turned up at my house to collect something I had listed on marketplace. He arrived 15 minutes earlier that agreed and ex and I were in bed. When ex realised who it was, he got dressed and said hi his mate. he later told me that the incident had been the subject of joking on their group WhatsApp, with one them writing "He was just pulling out of her as he arrived!"

I felt unsettled with him lot. Would the above reasonably explain that? I have very poor self esteem and anxious attachment style and I am trying to work out if there were reasons outside of that which would make others feel insecure in this dynamic. He was affectionate, attractive, a good dad, good to his mum, a professional, kind to animals, funny, lots of friends and very keen on me. He would send gushing messages and romantic songs and GIFs a lot. He seemed quite future -focused with wanting to progress the relationship quickly. He made me feel very chosen. He was not the type to ask me things about how many men I had slept and liked natural-looking women. So there were lots of good things about him too.

God, why are some men so utterly fucking vile? Confused (Moreso middle aged and older men.) Sooooo many of them are full of sexual innuendo, and filth, and bad 'jokes,' and groping, and inappropriate comments, and racism, and bigotry. and ableism. 😖

No wonder so many women choose to remain single when a long term relationship/marriage breaks down. If DH and I split - been together 37 years - no WAY would I be interested in another man. Wouldn't even look!

I get that it may be different if you're only around 40 or younger though, but if you're in your mid 40s, you will be trying to fish through a pool of rotten eggs who are in their mid 50s or older, because men in their mid 40s will be looking for women in their mid 30s.

Throw this one back @RedflagGreenflag He sounds utterly repugnant!

category12 · 27/07/2026 18:45

RedflagGreenflag · 27/07/2026 18:43

But what about all the good stuff about him? He was kind to his mum by taking her to appointments looking after her cats and had his son 50% of the time and protected that time (as in, not off dating when he had his son but fully present).

If you had a sandwich with lots of your favourite things in it but also a turd, would you eat it?

LapisBlue · 27/07/2026 18:46

RedflagGreenflag · 27/07/2026 18:43

But what about all the good stuff about him? He was kind to his mum by taking her to appointments looking after her cats and had his son 50% of the time and protected that time (as in, not off dating when he had his son but fully present).

Good stuff? Is this a joke? Are you real?

category12 · 27/07/2026 18:47

-I disclosed to him that I had been sexually assaulted in a previous relationship. Despite this, he sent me a GIF that appeared to be of a woman being assaulted, face down on the floor and crying..looked like really rough porn but you could only see her face.

He's testing your boundaries and apparently finding them really weak.

RedflagGreenflag · 27/07/2026 18:47

LapisBlue · 27/07/2026 18:46

Good stuff? Is this a joke? Are you real?

Isn’t that good stuff?

OP posts:
AliasGracie · 27/07/2026 18:48

RedflagGreenflag · 27/07/2026 17:50

I've was dating someone for a few months (met on Hinge, mid 40s)and am reflecting on my standards and self-esteem in the wake of it ending. Which, if any, would be deal breakers or have caused you serious concern?

-made a few silly sexual jokes whilst messaging, before we met eg..I asked him if he played a musical instrument and he made a joke about wanking
-first date in a coffee shop, I removed a long sleeved top as was too warm (had another top on underneath obvs) and he went "wahaaayyy" as if I was stripping
-made a joke about all women having a base level of psycho
-referred to disabled people as "Scopey"
-met a colleague of min at a works do and told me she was "rough" and this is why he doesn't date women from her area
-despite the fact he is on amicable terms with his ex wife, told me laughingly, when she asked for a divorce, that he had called her a "fat old witch" and threatened to take her pension
-told me inappropriate details about his ex including that she was restricted in sexual positions she could do due to bad hip and that she could orgasm immediately from anal sex (he told me this whilst we were in bed by way of praising my comparative flexibility)
-said "You look lovely in your dress; my ex wife never wore them because of her body type"
-met an acquaintance of mine and said "You're naturally beautiful, not like women like that who plaster on the make up"
-when I was trying to encourage him to get o know me better and asked if there was anything he wanted to know about me (cause I had tried to ask him lots about himself) he said "What is the smallest penis out there have encountered?
-told me, in bed, that he had yet to encounter a smelly vagina
-told me he had dumped a woman as her pubic hair was too long (after avoiding having sex with her for weeks)
-shortly after we began a sexual relationship, told me he thought genitals in general were gross and then was annoyed with me when I went a bit quiet and distant for a few minutes after he said that
-first time we had sex, he seemed clueless despite being married before and many relationships. He kissed me for a while and I was expecting some foreplay (I know I could have initiated this but I had lead on taking him up to my bedroom and removing clothes so didn't want to lead ointment everything). Without so much as touching me intimately, he entered me without a condom. He stopped as soon as I told him to and was visibly upset and said he thought I had wanted it as we were naked and he was laying on top of me. He was genuinely upset and I ended up comforting him!
-I disclosed to him that I had been sexually assaulted in a previous relationship. Despite this, he sent me a GIF that appeared to be of a woman being assaulted, face down on the floor and crying..looked like really rough porn but you could only see her face.
-he had some very laddish mates and he said he didn't judge them for sleeping with prostitutes although it was not something he would do. Told me they had all been giggling in the pub about some story about a woman with a massive anus.
-in a weird coincidence, a mate of his turned up at my house to collect something I had listed on marketplace. He arrived 15 minutes earlier that agreed and ex and I were in bed. When ex realised who it was, he got dressed and said hi his mate. he later told me that the incident had been the subject of joking on their group WhatsApp, with one them writing "He was just pulling out of her as he arrived!"

I felt unsettled with him lot. Would the above reasonably explain that? I have very poor self esteem and anxious attachment style and I am trying to work out if there were reasons outside of that which would make others feel insecure in this dynamic. He was affectionate, attractive, a good dad, good to his mum, a professional, kind to animals, funny, lots of friends and very keen on me. He would send gushing messages and romantic songs and GIFs a lot. He seemed quite future -focused with wanting to progress the relationship quickly. He made me feel very chosen. He was not the type to ask me things about how many men I had slept and liked natural-looking women. So there were lots of good things about him too.

I feel quite sick after reading that. Why on earth didn't you dump all these men straight away?

LapisBlue · 27/07/2026 18:49

RedflagGreenflag · 27/07/2026 18:47

Isn’t that good stuff?

Read your first post again. Your "good stuff" arguments are just normal behaviour, nothing special

PinkMagpie · 27/07/2026 18:50

It is good stuff OP but the things you have listed as red flags are so gross that they outweigh it

it’s great if he is a good son and father, but that is basic human decency. It should be the floor of his good qualities, not the ceiling

StrictlyAFemaleFemale · 27/07/2026 18:50

I can forgive stupid jokes jokes over text - Tone can be quite hard to read. But the wahay in the coffee shop would have given me the ick.

SleepingStandingUp · 27/07/2026 18:51

-wank comment - weird and uncomfortable
-"wahaaayyy" - pervy and creepy
-psycho - red flag whipping you in the face
-"Scopey" - I'd have left / blocked.
-"rough" - ugh
-"fat old witch" - that red flag is practically choking yoj
-ex sex - gross
-ex dress - why does he keep talking about her??
-make up - ugh
-penis - is he 15?
-smelly vagina - gross

  • pubic hair - ugh
-genitals - 🙄 -first time sex - wtaf -GIF - ffs
  • massive anus - again, is he 15?
-mate - definitely 15.
PinkMagpie · 27/07/2026 18:51

Also he sounds terrible in bed. I don’t want to hear about someone’s ex wife when I’m having sex with them

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