'Girlfriend said she wouldn’t date me if I was broke?': Boyfriend’s reaction sparks major debate

A Reddit post by u/Worldly‑Iron‑4839 opened up a debate when his girlfriend told him she’d never date a broke man, even though she earns well herself. The 24-year-old wrote that he earns $200,000 a year, while his girlfriend makes around $100,000 to $110,000. Earlier that day, she had sent him a TikTok about never dating broke men. Assuming it was a joke, he responded with a laugh, but she quickly corrected him, saying she was serious and meant it as a "compliment." The post, before deletion, gained around 5.5k upvotes and over 1,800 comments.

"She was trying to compliment me by saying I’m a good boyfriend because I’m not broke. This admittedly rubbed me the wrong way a bit because I want somebody to be with me because of who I am, not how much money I have," he said. He further shared that she noticed his discomfort and responded by claiming it was no different from men refusing to date women who weren’t physically attractive. That’s when he felt the need to push back. He recalled that when he first met his girlfriend, she wasn’t his usual type. "She is a slim, tan blonde. My type before had been curvier, paler brunettes," he said, adding that he fell for her personality and later grew to love how she looked. 

"I began to say this but thought better of it, since I felt it would lead to an argument," he wrote. "She demanded I say what I meant, so I said what I described above." She didn’t take his statement well and called him a huge a$$hole for admitting she wasn’t attractive when they first met, though he insisted that wasn’t his intention. "I do think she’s physically attractive. I just meant she wasn’t my type or someone I was drawn to before getting to know her," he added.

Financial conflicts like this are among the top reasons for dissatisfaction and dissolution in romantic relationships. One study published in The Journal of Social and Personal Relationships found that when people tie their self-worth to financial success, they tend to experience more conflict with their partners, and those partners often report feeling less emotionally supported. The post has since been deleted.

The post left Reddit divided, but many commenters sided with the original poster and questioned the girlfriend’s mindset. u/Away-Elephant-4323 wrote, "What happens if you suddenly lost your job tomorrow — would she bail? Things happen unexpectedly. If all she’s seeing you for is the dollar amount you have in the bank, she’s not the one." u/AgentValuable3760 said, "You've been served notice. She is with you not because of you, but because of what you provide. If that disappears, so does she. A fair-weather love, at best."

u/QueenAmarella commented, "Not the jerk. You are right, and she is just playing the victim now to take the focus away from her being a gold digger. I should advise you to rethink your relationship. Good luck." And u/legalizethesenuts added, "Not the jerk. I AM a broke man. My girlfriend dates me because she just loves me, with or without money. You should try it sometime, man. It rules. 'You are the jerk' to yourself if you put up with greedy people like that."