Yes, this is a real Am I The Asshole, not one where the answer is super obvious and the user is just looking to have their ego stroked.

My SO has BDD and genuinely thinks they look ugly naked. I think they’re 1000% incorrect and that they’re the sexiest human alive, and I would die happy if I could see them naked all the time.

I was diagnosed with a condition called Cone Rod Dystrophy which basically means I’ll lose color vision, then all vision. The timeline is anywhere from next week to 50 years from now.

I want to see them naked every chance I can get so I can cement it in my head before I go blind, but I feel gross for posing that as a reason to let me see them naked.

Like, in the 10 years we’ve been together I’ve never even asked them for a hand job if they didn’t feel up to sex because I didn’t want to seem like a callous asshole, so this would be a big ask from me.

To add in complications, they’re also on the spectrum. Not a criticism since I’m most likely on it too.

  • recklessengagement@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    You wouldn’t be an asshole for asking, but you would be an asshole if you kept insisting after they said no.

    Communication is great, coercion is not.

    Also sounds like therapy would be a good idea, but that can be said of anyone.

    • village604@adultswim.fanOP
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      7 days ago

      The hard part is that they’ve stated that the reason they don’t offer to get me off when they’re not up to sex is because I don’t ask enough, but I don’t ask enough because if they’re not feeling well enough for sex then it seems shitty of me to ask for personal gratification at all.

      But it’s really hard to gauge when they’re not feeling well enough to do anything, and when they’re well enough to do it

      Not that me cumming is directly relational to me seeing them naked, but it speaks to my hesitation to ask. Because I do ask to see, but they seem to intentionally conflate me asking to see with me asking for sex, even though I’ve explained that when I ask to see I’m literally asking to see them naked.

      I have asked for them to think of a way I can ask for personal gratification without seeming callous to their feelings, but like most requests of this nature it falls on deaf ears. Probably because they’re demisexual and don’t really understand a cis gendered straight male on testosterone’s sex drive.

      • LustyArgonian@lemmy.world
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        5 days ago

        It’s because they aren’t attracted to you anymore. You aren’t making her wet. Your personality and manipulations and probably other relationship issues are contributing. The New Sex Therapy by Kaplan is a book that basically says this exact issue is caused by that. You probably need months of couples therapy and letting her let you know when she is ready and letting her reject you. It may take years if the problem is because she had sex out of obligation (self rape in a way, perhaps rape by you if you’re always coercive like in the OP). She may never heal and may never enjoy sex with you or anyone again.

      • √𝛂𝛋𝛆@piefed.world
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        7 days ago

        Still depends on the relationship, person, and intent. I can’t speak for others. I may react initially negatively, but I am open to coercion.

        Crime is really about intent more than any other factor. Manipulation and coercion can be done with positive and negative intent. If a person manipulates me at a clever level with the best of intentions, I have no problem with it, but again, I only speak for myself.

            • snooggums@piefed.world
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              6 days ago

              No you don’t. :p

              Manipulation and coercion when used for dialogue and arguments are inherently negative. That is the meaning that the words carry. Trying to use them in the way that you did means you used the wrong words when trying to communicate with anyone else.

                • LustyArgonian@lemmy.world
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                  5 days ago

                  Lol you’re just a boring narcissist advocating for conditional love and emotional abuse.

                  Recommend the books Stop Caretaking the Borderline or Narcissist, and The Verbally Abusive Relationship by Patricia Evans and Controlling People by Patricia Evans. And Why Does He Do That? By Lundy Bancroft. Many available for free as pdfs or from local libraries.

  • phdepressed@sh.itjust.works
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    7 days ago

    Y’all been together 10y. Uncomfortable conversations are necessary sometimes. I think you’re going to have to crack some of these eggshells. How you crack them is another thing. I think you gotta start with cracking your own shell about asking. Simply stating you’re horny for example. Whether at that point she’s down for sex, a bj, hj or you have to jerk it in the shower are all valid results of that statement that she has control over. If she says no piv sex but she’ll give you a bj you kinda gotta take her word for it.

    My now wife once said she’d give me a bj or sex anytime I asked and I said she underestimated how horny I was. I was right but it was a good week and now she’ll say no if she’s not feeling up to it. A short bit of discomfort, no harm done, longterm benefit where i can ask without coercion worries (usually) and she can respond without being afraid of hurting my feelings or giving me blue balls.

  • Chozo@fedia.io
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    7 days ago

    One thing to keep in mind with body dysmorphia is that what you think about their body is unlikely to change how they feel about their body. Often times, dysmorphia doesn’t stem from outside influences, and is an entirely internal struggle. Depending on what their dysmorphia is rooted in, showering them in praise may help them accept their body, or may compound their negative emotions (“I’m ugly and I’m dating an idiot”).

    You both have valid desires, but they’re both at odds with each other. Honestly, I’d recommend a therapy session for the both of you. It would probably be beneficial to have a neutral third party involved in the conversation.

  • BzzBiotch@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    Well, of course you can ask but your condition grants you no privileges over someone else’s boundaries. You’re only the asshole if you don’t respect those boundaries.