Feeling Stuck: Are Control Issues Ruining My 10-Year Relationship (29F & 29M)?
I’m a 29-year-old woman in a 10-year relationship with my fiancé, who is also 29. We first met in middle school and began dating after we graduated high school. Despite facing various challenges and experiencing family interventions, we remained together and recently got engaged with the support of both our families. His family holds very conservative views, even more so than mine in certain aspects. He has always expressed that his mother would not accept a partner who doesn’t strictly adhere to her religious beliefs or who doesn’t dress modestly. While I typically wore jeans and t-shirts in college, I've gradually adopted more traditional attire. However, his mother also prefers a partner who covers her head and stays off social media. I've been active on social media since 2014, and it hasn’t been an issue for him—until now. In his efforts to gain his mother’s approval, he asked me to delete all photos of myself. Although I was upset, I complied and archived everything. Later, I unarchived a few posts where my face wasn’t visible. He noticed this but initially didn't mention it. However, yesterday he confronted me, accusing me of not keeping my promise and declaring that he wouldn’t tolerate this behavior. Recently, we’ve been experiencing conflicts regarding our beliefs and values—issues we should have discussed earlier but didn’t. I regret not addressing them sooner. Social media has always served as a means for me to share my life (nothing revealing, just everyday updates). The larger issue is that he’s becoming increasingly controlling—dictating my clothing choices, where I can go alone, and even what I can post online. It feels constricting, and I’m uncertain if I can continue living like this for the long term. I love him, but I’m starting to question whether this relationship is sustainable. Has anyone else faced a similar situation? How do I approach this?