An actress has sparked a furious backlash after sharing her long list of relationship “rules”.
Soma Chhaya, a CaActress and musician Nadiana, has made a name for herself in a variety of on-screen roles, including Degrassi: Next Class and The Breadwinner, which won an Oscar in 2018.
The 25-year-old, who now resides in Miami, and her boyfriend, Antoine Martel, 29, a business owner and real estate investor, have been together for three years and she says he “supports” her rules.
She recently shared her dating checklist on Instagram, but other social media users were not convinced and rated her ‘r’.Flag of Ed.’
Soma Chhaya has made a name for herself in a variety of roles, including Degrassi: Next Class, but now she’s gained viral fame for sharing her controversial dating rules.
The 25-year-old, who lives in Miami, and her boyfriend, Antoine Martel, 29, have been together for three years and she says he “supports” her rules.
She recently shared her dating checklist on Instagram, but other social media users weren’t convinced and called it a “red flag.”
Soma, who received widespread backlash for his comments, explained, “Standards, rules and boundaries are necessary for a healthy relationship and if someone doesn’t respect them, they’re not the right person anyway.”
‘We can’t expect people to read our minds about what we are and aren’t okay with.
‘And it’s okay that these rules change over time!
“The key is to communicate when something makes you uncomfortable and come up with a way to handle it together.”
The actress’s number one rule refers to a couple having female friends.
‘I think it’s very important for your partner to not only be your romantic partner, but also your best friend.
‘If there is another woman with whom my partner feels closer, even in a platonic way, it tells me that he does not fully trust me with his heart.
“Either we’re not a good match or I need to step up and get them to trust me somehow.”
Soma explained, “Standards, rules and boundaries are necessary for a healthy relationship and if someone doesn’t respect them, they’re not the right person anyway.”
Social media users have flocked to comment on the rules, and many people seem offended by Soma’s suggestions.
The next stipulation that is vital for Soma’s company is to divide the cost of things based on income.
‘I think dividing things is very common, but dividing the income ratio is something my boyfriend taught me.
‘I like to contribute to our expenses, but I earn much less than him.
“There may come a time when I earn more than him.” [and] Then I will contribute more. It feels fairer for both parties.
Also on Soma’s list is making sure fights never happen in public.
She believes they should present themselves as a unit even when things aren’t all sunshine and rainbows behind closed doors.
‘If people see you fighting publicly, it leaves you vulnerable. Others may feel uncomfortable or overwhelmed if you involve them in your personal affairs.
‘It can also publicly embarrass your partner. Feedback and disagreements are most effective when discussed privately.’
Soma also believes that a couple’s sex life should be kept secret and that privacy is vital.
‘Your privacy is for you and your partner to know, no one else. Yo I think people need to give consent for intimate details about them to be shared.
“Outside of a medical situation, it is not appropriate to share this without your partner’s consent.”
Soma’s final rule is no casual dating.
‘I don’t believe in casual dating. I’ve done it before and it was a huge waste of time and energy.
“I need to know someone’s intentions from the beginning so I can decide if I would like to invest my time in them.”
Soma claims that her family and boyfriend fully support her opinions, and her boyfriend even responds to the comments.
Social media users have flocked to comment on the rules, and many people seem offended by Soma’s suggestions.
“You lost me with the whole ‘rules’ thing… good luck with that,” one person said.
Someone else added: “Shit screams red flag.”
Another user said: “I hear the word ‘rules’ and I already know my life will be miserable.”
But on the other hand, some commenters agreed that his “rules” are basic fundamentals for dating.
One said: “He’s spitting out facts that apply to both sides.”
Another user added: ‘I don’t understand why the comments are so rude. They’re just relationship basics that everyone should follow.’
Soma claims that her family and boyfriend fully support her opinions, and her boyfriend even responds to the comments.
‘My friends, my family and my boyfriend were very supportive of the content.
‘Online reaction was divided. But I didn’t expect everyone to agree with me.
‘Actually, I didn’t want that. I wanted to start a conversation.’