My boyfriend (M37) doesn't like my (F24) hair and its starting to impact our relationship

My (M37) boyfriend of 2 years is always making comments about my hair in its natural state.

When I (F24) have my hair in an afro and we're getting ready to leave the house to run errands he will say "aren't you going to brush your hair before we go?"

If I wear my hair in a fro on date night he will say "can't you straighten your hair?" because he doesn't like the look of my hair in its natural state when we go to nice restaurants.

For him it's about "time and place" and a fro doesn't look right at an upscale restaurant. It doesn't fit the "vibe".

He likes when I straighten my hair or wear long box braids but he's not a fan of the natural hair look.

As someone who has worked really hard to appreciate my natural hair and feel comfortable in my skin it would be nice if he could do the same.

When we met he said he loved my fro but now it feels like he only finds me attractive when my hair is straight or in long braids.

I don't have the energy or willingness to sit for 10 hours to get long braids. He's offered to pay for my braids or pay for me to get my hair professionally straightened but I don't want to.

His parents even make comments about my hair when we go over for dinner. His mom likes to joke that my hair is like "jump rope" when I have my twists. His dad pretends to pick items out of my hair when it's in a fro.

I've asked his parents to not comment on my hair (my boyfriend accused me of being sensitive) but they still do.

It's come to a point where I no longer wear my natural hair around him because I know he's going to have something to say. I do my hair wash days while he's at work and then straighten my hair and pull it back into a bun with gel.

I feel so self conscious if my hair is not done and I'm around him.

How do I get him to stop making comments about my hair? Even if he doesn't love it, I don't think it needs to be a topic of conversation all the time.

TL;DR: Boyfriend makes comments about my natural hair and I don't know how to get him to stop.

Submitted May 24, 2023 at 12:07AM by firstwepour-roses https://ift.tt/qgYlhL3