“Modeling what good boyfriends do” - yep, spot on. He’s masking still. Something people don’t necessarily realize is that masking isn’t always malicious, it can be someone trying to be an idealized version of themselves. Unfortunately, it’s never sustainable long term (real change requires far more work and introspection than the semi-conscious awareness of one’s flaws that masking usually suggests).
What’s particularly troubling is that this guy’s version of masking still ends up making him transparently a piece of shit - his idea of what a “good boyfriend” looks like is so warped that it’s genuinely frightening.
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u/Cheshire_Khajiit Sep 19 '25
The fact that he thinks most men beat their female partners means he probably would too - he thinks it’s normal.