I love reading stories about failed open relationships because that’s how mine ended.
my (22f) ex (21m) tried to convince me last Christmas to let him sleep with others and to make our relationship open because he felt he needed sex to fix his depression (we were long distance at the time) and felt like he missed out on exploring and experimenting (even though he did A TON of that with me) because I experimented with people before him. and by people I mean literally one person. He actually had more bodies than me when we met.
I obviously said no as I made it clear from the start of our relationship that I only wanted something committed, exclusive, and monogamous. And he had agreed with that and made no indication that that wasn’t what he wanted. This also made me upset because even though we were long distance, he was making no effort or even any indication that he needed to fill a sexual void. I was actually the one asking to have phone sex and every time he said he either wasn’t interested or in the mood because he already masturbated, ignored any time I sent him nudes, etc. And I have to say: I’m a pretty attractive woman. I have a nice body. I don’t need a man to tell me that to know it’s true, objectively, I have the type of body that is aspirational for most women and I’m proud of it. And I have a pretty face. I‘m commonly told I look like Gwen Stacy. Every little nerd boy’s crush.
But I felt very validated after that relationship ended and I talked to a lot of people, went on dates with men and women who thought I was beautiful and funny and fun, got crush confessions from people I knew, and everyone who saw my body loved it, made sure to tell me and compliment me, and always ask for more. And right now especially I feel so appreciated in a way my insecure ex was never even capable of showing me.
The funniest part is after I broke up with him, he begged for me back, said he regretted what he said and only wanted me, and tried to do anything in his power to get me back. When I finally cut contact with him, after four months of breaking up, he told me he had been abstinent the whole time. Which was funny to me because I know he was definitely going on dates with girls. but I guess they weren’t good enough for them to let him in their pants!
So that’s why I love reading stories on Reddit where people who suggest open relationships against their partner’s wishes get their karma. Especially if the person that didn’t want it or was forced into it, gets a ton of play while the other person gets none and gets all upset and regretful because they realize why they took the first person that will accept them. Because nobody else wants their ass.