A woman has sparked a conversation about the seemingly low standards that have been placed on men these days.
On the popular Reddit forum Am I The A**hole, the original poster questioned whether she was wrong for “nagging” her boyfriend to brush his teeth. She began by explaining that she is 25 years old and her partner is 24 years old. The couple has been together for years and is in a long-term committed relationship.
“I'm very sensitive to strong smells and he rarely brushes his teeth,” the Redditor admitted. “My boyfriend brushes his teeth every few weeks or months.”
Although proper dental hygiene requires brushing your teeth in the morning and evening, the Reddit user wasn't bothered by his habits at first.
She said: “This didn't bother me at the beginning of our relationship, but in recent years it's starting to bother me more and more. “I’ve tried everything to try and encourage him to start taking care of himself.”
Their efforts have included buying him flavored toothpaste and soft toothbrushes. Additionally, the frustrated girlfriend has tried to convince him to brush his teeth when she does and gently reminds him to do so when it is “convenient.”
“Nothing I do has even slightly improved their hygiene practices. There is always an excuse for not brushing your teeth or you just say 'I'll do it later', but the after never comes,” she confessed. “If we're too close, I can't help but bring it up and 'scold' him about it.”
The Reddit user ended up asking her fellow users of the platform if they thought she was a bad person for bothering her boyfriend about this. While most agreed that her actions were justified, others used her situation as an example of the low bar recently set for dating men.
One fan proclaimed: “The bar is on the fucking floor. Hygiene is something basic.”
“The bar is in hell,” another agreed.
A third commented: “The fact you would even consider being around him is amazing.”
“Girl, what are you doing with a guy who brushes his teeth every FEW WEEKS/MONTHS???? You are not his mother, no matter how much you love him, if he doesn't clean his teeth regularly, imagine what else he doesn't do,” noted one Redditor. “Honestly, this sounds like something out of my nightmares. Please don’t tolerate this.”
Some people argued that it was the original author's problem because she didn't speak up at the beginning of the relationship because it didn't bother her.
“YTA for not letting it bother you at first! Disgusting,” wrote one blunt individual.
One curious person added: “How do you even get to the lust stage in this situation? If someone doesn't brush their teeth, I'm pretty sure they'll notice from the first few interactions.”
“He's a grown man who doesn't mind taking care of himself. He would tell her that there will be no intimacy until he starts worrying about his personal hygiene,” one Reddit user suggested.
