Hi there, DOT fam!
I’ve (33F) been single and dating around for a few months and have been seeing one person in particular quite a bit. I like him a lot, but part of the reason I’m uncertain of whether we’re a good fit is due to our relationship dynamic – last night we talked about this, and I realized I’m really curious for other people’s perspectives/experiences.
I’m a very career-oriented woman leading a (small but integral) department at a startup. I’ve been at my job for about 5 years, but my responsibilities really took off about a year ago. I’m still adjusting to those changes – I make a lot of decisions, oversee a substantial budget, end up leading a lot of meetings, etc. I also work in a male-dominated company/industry, and most people I work with on a daily basis are men.
I’ve been finding lately that this is having a pretty big impact on my personal life. I’ve started making more focused efforts to be/appear/feel more feminine, and I’m finding that I’m more sensitive when I’m not treated as such. My personality as a whole is generally quite dominant, but in a romantic sense I’ve been rejecting that and craving dynamics in which I’m more doted on, or that exude more traditional gender role mannerisms (men holding open doors, for example), or in which I’m treated extremely tenderly. I also learned through a relationship last year that I’m currently very submissive sexually, which is quite new to me, and (also new to me) I am needing a lot more reassurance and compliments about my body/physique/etc.
I would love to understand from other career-focused (or high-stress career-having) women whether they have experienced the same (or if you’ve had a partner who has experienced this). I’ve been searching around through Reddit, Google, etc and not having any luck diving into this topic. I have a few friends who are dominatrices, and I am familiar with the trope of high-powered men seeking out their services to experience a lack of control – this feels adjacent but not quite the same.
Thanks in advance for any input ❤️