Woman’s effort to encourage boyfriend to brush his teeth sparks debate on dating standards for men

One woman has prompted a conversation about the seemingly low standards that have been set for men these days.

Taking to the popular Reddit forum, Am I The A**hole, the original poster questioned whether she was in the wrong for “nagging” her boyfriend to brush his teeth. She started by explaining how she’s 25 years old and her partner is 24 years old. The pair have been together for years and are in a committed long-term relationship.

“I’m super sensitive to strong smells and he rarely brushes his teeth,” the Redditor admitted. “My boyfriend brushes his teeth every few weeks/months.”

Though proper dental hygiene requires one to brush their teeth in the morning and at night, at first, the Reddit user wasn’t bothered by his habits.

She said: “This didn’t bother me at the start of our relationship but in the last few years it’s starting to bother me more and more. I’ve tried everything to try and encourage him to start taking care of himself.”

Her efforts have included buying him flavoured toothpaste and soft toothbrushes. Additionally, the frustrated girlfriend has tried to convince him to brush his teeth when she does and kindly reminds him to do it when it’s “convenient.”

“Nothing I do has even slightly improved his hygienic practices. There’s always an excuse to not brush his teeth or he just says, ‘I’ll do it later,’ but later never comes,” she confessed. “If we are in close proximity I can’t help but mention it and ‘nag’ him about it.”

The Reddit user finished by asking her fellow platform users whether they thought she was a bad person for bugging her boyfriend about this. While most agreed that she was justified in her actions, others used her situation as an example of the low bar set for dating men recently.

A passionate person proclaimed: “The bar is in the f***ing floor. Hygiene is a basic thing.”

“The bar is in hell,” another agreed.

A third commented: “The fact that you even consider being around him is amazing.”

“Girly what are you doing with a guy that brushes his teeth every FEW WEEKS/MONTHS???? You are not his mother, it doesn’t matter how much you love him, if he’s not cleaning his teeth regularly, imagine what else he’s not doing,” one Redditor noted. “This sounds like something from my nightmares honestly. Please do not put up with this.”

A few individuals argued it was the original poster’s issue because she didn’t speak up at the beginning of the relationship since it didn’t bother her.

“Y T A for not letting it bother you in the beginning! Gross,” a blunt individual wrote.

One curious person added: “How do you even get to the lust stage in this situation tho? If someone doesn’t brush their teeth I am pretty sure you would realise from the first interactions.”

“He’s a grown man that can’t be bothered to take care of himself. I’d tell him there will be no intimacy until he starts caring about his personal hygiene,” one Reddit user suggested.