My girlfriend is training to be a Licensed Massage Therapist(LMT). I went with her to the professional trade school at which she will be studying and took a tour. I was impressed with the place so far. It had an air of professionalism and very up-to-date equipment.
Then we got to the "practical massage" classroom.
When the spokesperson for the school described the class, she mentioned that my girlfriend would have to strip (to the most "comfortable" level for her) in order to participate - which is legitimate, I suppose, since this IS massage therapy, which has little point if the participants are fully clothed. What caught me off guard was when the spokesperson said that males and females take the class at the same time. The class involves partnering up, as in one person gives the massage and the other receives it, then they switch off.
Now for a little bit of info about my girlfriend: She is oblivious to the difference between when guys are flirting and when they're just being friendly. She said that after she told people we were dating, all her male "friends" cut ties with her. She truly didn't understand why. A good example of her comprehension of the male psyche: When I was flirting (at least my attempt at flirting) with her before I actually asked her out, a lot of people (not just my friends, so I'm assuming I was being obvious) told me to back down a little, that I was coming on too strong. Once we started dating, she told me she had no clue that I liked her "that way." /facepalm
She wants to be an LMT very badly, and I have to admit that it suits her well, so I would never get in the way of her getting her license. It gives me pangs of jealousy to think about that class, though, because I can easily see a guy (the students are mostly college kids, by the way) taking advantage of her innocent nature.
I trust her, but I don't trust male massage trainees (it doesn't help that the male massage stereotype is of a muscular and suave guy that has no problem "pleasuring" the ladies). I know she won't do anything that she thinks is remotely sexual, but massage is a fairly sensual practice, and it makes me kind of angry to think of another guy putting his hands all over her.
And not to mention the "happy ending" fantasy some guys have *shudders* and the number of "unprofessional" LMTs that give the practice a sexual image.
So what do you think? Am I right to feel this way, or am I overreacting? For more juicy discussion goodness: Have you ever had a time in which you felt jealous because of a situation involving your boyfriend/girlfriend/crush?
EDIT: Avoiding being over-protective is good advice. Luckily, I'm a fairly non-confrontational person, so I end up bottling up my negative emotions and letting it dissipate through playing guitar, exercising, and playing video games instead of letting them show. Hooray for suppressed feelings
Then we got to the "practical massage" classroom.
When the spokesperson for the school described the class, she mentioned that my girlfriend would have to strip (to the most "comfortable" level for her) in order to participate - which is legitimate, I suppose, since this IS massage therapy, which has little point if the participants are fully clothed. What caught me off guard was when the spokesperson said that males and females take the class at the same time. The class involves partnering up, as in one person gives the massage and the other receives it, then they switch off.
Now for a little bit of info about my girlfriend: She is oblivious to the difference between when guys are flirting and when they're just being friendly. She said that after she told people we were dating, all her male "friends" cut ties with her. She truly didn't understand why. A good example of her comprehension of the male psyche: When I was flirting (at least my attempt at flirting) with her before I actually asked her out, a lot of people (not just my friends, so I'm assuming I was being obvious) told me to back down a little, that I was coming on too strong. Once we started dating, she told me she had no clue that I liked her "that way." /facepalm
She wants to be an LMT very badly, and I have to admit that it suits her well, so I would never get in the way of her getting her license. It gives me pangs of jealousy to think about that class, though, because I can easily see a guy (the students are mostly college kids, by the way) taking advantage of her innocent nature.
I trust her, but I don't trust male massage trainees (it doesn't help that the male massage stereotype is of a muscular and suave guy that has no problem "pleasuring" the ladies). I know she won't do anything that she thinks is remotely sexual, but massage is a fairly sensual practice, and it makes me kind of angry to think of another guy putting his hands all over her.
And not to mention the "happy ending" fantasy some guys have *shudders* and the number of "unprofessional" LMTs that give the practice a sexual image.
So what do you think? Am I right to feel this way, or am I overreacting? For more juicy discussion goodness: Have you ever had a time in which you felt jealous because of a situation involving your boyfriend/girlfriend/crush?
EDIT: Avoiding being over-protective is good advice. Luckily, I'm a fairly non-confrontational person, so I end up bottling up my negative emotions and letting it dissipate through playing guitar, exercising, and playing video games instead of letting them show. Hooray for suppressed feelings
