BY LIV WALDE
In relationships, finding a middle ground on expectations is crucial, but if your partner becomes controlling and restricts your autonomy, it's time to take a stand and consider leaving.
Having a husband who consistently shames and belittles women is not a good sign for a healthy partnership, even if you think you might be the exception; unless he is open and willing to learn about feminist issues, it's unlikely he'll change his perspective.
Gaslighting is a form of emotional manipulation where one person distorts another's reality to gain control, making them doubt their perceptions and sense of right and wrong, and it's crucial to recognize and address this behavior in a partner.
Any form of violence, regardless of excuses or justifications, should never be tolerated in a marriage, and seeking support from resources like the National Domestic Violence Hotline is crucial to break free from such dangerous situations.
Mr. Right respects your boundaries and won't make you feel bad for saying no, but if your partner disregards your boundaries or tries to guilt trip you into intimacy, it's important to consider the health of your relationship and seek support if needed.
Isolating victims by cutting off their friends and family makes abusive behaviors easier to perpetrate, and partners who want to keep you all to themselves may use seemingly sweet gestures to achieve this, so it's important to be cautious of such controlling behavior in relationships.