People think my boyfriend is ugly

Any advice on how to get over the fear of judgement?

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1. My husband is turning me into his girl best friend

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The “ugly boyfriend” is a common internet trope. I’m thinking of memes like this one. In fact, there’s a whole theory called the “Hot Girlfriend, Ugly Boyfriend” phenomenon, so if anything, you should take it as a compliment.

In all seriousness, while I do firmly believe beauty is in the eye of the beholder, there are guys I’ve been in situationships with who did not, shall we say, behold beauty in mine eyes. Let’s be clear: They were sweet, funny, and confident. Our connections were unlike anything I had experienced before, because we were drawn together completely by chemistry instead of love at first sight. And while love at first sight is romanticized in movies and music, you can’t build a happy, fulfilling life on washboard abs.

But you know this is well as I do. It’s why you and your partner are together—you followed the chemistry, and built a strong connection. You are, as you wrote, “sexually attracted to him and like who he is as a person.” You’re just worried other people will judge it. That’s a whole other obstacle.

I can start with the obvious advice: That it doesn’t matter what other people think as long as you’re happy. But I also want to be realistic.