AITA for wanting to (24f) break up with my boyfriend (27m) because of comments he made about my body?
I (24f) am considering breaking up with my boyfriend of 3 years (27m) because of how he negatively impacts my body image and self esteem.
Our relationship has been really good for the past few years but I’m still hurt by comments he made about my body during the first few months/dating phase of our relationship, particularly about my breast size. I am quite flat chested and he compared me to a singer at a concert, saying "You're only jealous because she has better tits than you". It was the phrasing of "better" rather than just "bigger" that really hurt me. He has made several jokes like "guess I won't ever be getting a titty fuck ever again" and asked me randomly "have I ever considered getting a boob job?". I feel like he's very focused on people's physical appearance, particularly what he finds negative, and told me that if he had a preference, he prefers women without any body hair (I've now spent nearly 2 grand on laser treatment).
I talked to him about his comments multiple times, and he apologised and expressed feeling guilty and that I've helped him grow as a person, and we tried to move on in the relationship but the insecurity keeps coming back. When he tells me I'm attractive or when we have sex and he compliments my breasts, I find it hard to believe him because he has said negative things about me in the past. When I bring up my body image issues seeking reassurance, or just generally feeling low, his usual response is "I don't know what to say/what you want me to say", and after our latest discussion, he said he doesn't want to give me compliments anymore because it would feel forced and I just percieve it as him just saying what he wants me to hear. It doesn't feel constructive to keep bringing up comments that were made years ago but they have really impacted my confidence. I can't get changed in front of my boyfriend anymore, I have to have sex partially clothed or with the lights off and even then I can't really relax and enjoy it. I feel worse about my body than I ever have, it ruins my daily life, I have panic attacks getting dressed and can’t go on social media anymore because of the comparison to other women. I feel so miserable and though I am returning to therapy, hanging out with my friends, trying to be kinder to myself, eat foods I enjoy etc, I feel on edge as soon as my boyfriend is around because i always have to think about my body, how i'm standing, etc. And I know deep down that I will never heal my relationship with my body while I'm lying next to the person that hurt me. Part of me wants to break up and seek validation from other people who might actually find me attractive, the other part of me thinks that my boyfriend just vocalised what literally any man would be thinking and I'm never going to be anyone's "type" when every other woman has something I don't.
We live together and are converting a van to go traveling which will be finished in the next couple of months. Seeing that dream become a reality has just brought the issues into light and I’m not sure if he is someone I trust enough the travel with, potentially have kids with etc. I don’t want to throw the opportunity to travel away when I’ve worked so hard and can’t financially go on my own (there's a year wait until my driving test!) this isn’t what I want from a partner that I’m meant to trust and feel comfortable around. Any advice welcomed/similar experiences. Am I overreacting?
Posted Aug 4, 2025, 4:35 PM UTC