I dated assholes for years before I met my husband. He is everything they were not (nice, caring, kind, considerate, as well as being MAJORLY hot

). There were various reasons I dated assholes.
Firstly, for reasons I don't want to go into involving family situation and the way others (won't say "friends") treated me all ym life it never occurred to me that being trated like shit was in any way abnormal. I had never had anyone in my life - family, acquaintances, classmates - other than my gran - who did NOT treat me like absolute shit most of the time. I thought being manipulated, emotionally abused, screamed at, and expected to spend all my time ministering to other people (because they mattered and I did not) was normal and that I was a bad person. Heck, everyone kept telling me I was, that was all I heard until I was around 15.
So when assholes treated me like shit, I didn't realise that I shouldn't have to put up with this kind of thing. I had the lowest self esteem you could imagine and didn't realise I was reasonably hot and could date lots of guys if I wanted. I felt that if someone was interested, I had to go out with them, and do everything they said, and if I didn't like that, I was a bad person.
Eventually I had a nervous breakdown and ended up in hospital due to one asshole I was dating being such an utter dickhead to me and constantly getting into arguments with me and putting me down because he didn't like what I had said/done/tone of voice/something I was wearing/I disagreed with him etc etc around 10 times a day. And I started to recover some self-esteem, or develop some, I ditched the guy and vowed I would NEVER date another asshole.
And I never did. Bottom line, a lot of women learn at home from their familes that they aren't worth shit, so they take all the crap that is dished out. There are plenty of nice guys going out with absolute bitches as well, works both ways.
circusgirl