It's not uncommon for people to have pics of their ex somewhere around the house, perhaps in the basement, on an old computer, or a thumb drive lying somewhere in a drawer. Is it a big deal? I'd say, not really. Everyone has a past they can't just pretend didn't happen.
Yes, photos are a reminder of past memories, and we are all entitled to have them and not delete photos. Still, no woman wants the picture of her man's ex staring at her every time she visits his social media page. I mean, it's one thing to have his older photos gathering dust somewhere in the basement.
It's a whole different type of ball game to have the ex's picture all over Facebook for the world to see like she's the center of his universe. If you ask a couple of women, I bet they'll say it's like rubbing it in their face without caring how they feel.
In case you are in this boat, let's not rush to conclusions as there may be other reasons for this action. So, before you go all ballistics on him, here are some reasons someone would keep photos of their ex even when he is in a new relationship.
Table of Contents
Allow me to get this one out of the way. Deleting photos of an ex after a break up should be a personal decision. No one should force or make someone delete it, especially when the other party is just insecure, has trust issues, or is trying to be controlling.
Yes, I agree it can make you a little uncomfortable, but if your man isn't giving you any reasons to doubt his feelings, or compare you to his ex, you might want to let it go. His decisions might be totally harmless.
Not everyone had a nasty relationship or break up and not everyone’s ex isn’t a “demon” or a scum. Sometimes, old ex’s photos are just memories they want to keep. Some people don’t see old pictures or photos from their past relationships as a hindrance to creating new memories with a new relationship or new partner. So, as long as he's not keeping tons of nude/sexy photos of her, it might not be a biggie.
One of the reasons some people retain their ex's Facebook photos is because they still harbor feelings for their ex. This scenario is common when breakups happen when we don't want them. Perhaps, the one we love suddenly says they don't want to be with us. In such cases, a person can hold on to a thread of hope that they might get back together with the ex.
If your man is in this boat, you may notice him dropping one or two comments on his ex's newly posted pics. He may even send her a "hi" hoping it won't attract suspicions. When you ask, he might say you are jealous, petty, or dramatic.
Breakups can sometimes come with drama. This drama could be from the ex, family, and nosy friends, especially when it's a relationship that lasted a long time. Don't be surprised if a guy didn't remove photos of his ex. He may just be avoiding drama from family and friends.
This way, he'll keep the breakup quiet and get rid of the pics without attracting the attention of those that'll want to know what happened and those that'll dig up reasons why they should stay together.
If you have yourself a partner who meticulously keeps almost everything, chances are he may extend his painstaking habit to his digital memories as well. For people like that, it doesn't matter whether the photos are on Facebook or framed.
Keeping them feels like the right thing to do. One thing about meticulous record-keepers is that they usually feel that there might be a need for what they are safely tucking away. It probably has nothing to do with rekindling old flames with an ex.
Deleting your ex's photos can be a two-way thing. Sometimes, it could just mean you are ready to move on. Perhaps, you met a potential new partner, and you don't want them seeing any old kissing photos with an ex on social media. At other times, it could be a way of showing you are angry at an ex.
Trust me; I've been there. When my boyfriend broke my heart in my second year in college, I just wanted to get back at him. The only petty thing I did back then, was to erase all his physical presence around me. I made sure to delete the group photo we shared with other friends, hoping to make him feel how hurt I was.
Perhaps, the photos deleted didn’t get to him, so I closed my Facebook account. Yes, he got the memo alright, because he called me to apologize for making me feel so hurt. So, it could mean your man doesn’t want to send the message that he’s immature or petty, especially when the breakup happened not too long ago.
Like I said earlier, not every ex is a scum. If your man broke up with his childhood friend/lover, trust me, chances are you’ll be seeing her pics around for a long time. She isn’t just an ex, they were buddies and probably still friends. Perhaps, they broke up because he was leaving for college, or he got a job far away.
When there are no hard feelings after a breakup, there isn't usually an urgent need to delete the presence of an ex. What's more, if the ex is someone that you share more than just romantic memories with, it might be a little hard to delete those digital memories just because a breakup happened.
I know this might sound weird, but dating a very beautiful lady is like a plus on a guy's "dating resume." For a guy that likes to show off a new set of wheels, a flashy wristwatch, leaving a couple of pics of his hot ex might not sound odd or wrong to him. He might not even have any feelings for her but just doesn’t want to delete the picture. He's just showing off to the viewers of his Facebook page he's "got game." If you confront him, a guy like that might not even feel guilty about it.
While deleting the photos of your ex might be on your post-breakup to-do list, the truth is, others don’t even care if the images are there or not. Many people, especially guys, may not be that big on using social media or posting relationship photos. However, uploading a couple of photos just to make their partner feel special is quite common.
If this is the case with a guy you just met, chances are, he may not remember about the photos after his previous relationship went south. Try not to read too many meanings to his actions. If you can, don't even remind him.
Yes, the relationship started and ended, however, there are no regrets. Therefore keeping the photos of those memories is just a reminder of that time of their lives. It’s not something to deny, it isn’t something to reminisce about too. It’s simply a past memory worth keeping.
While there’s no strict rule about keeping the images of an ex on social media, experts advise that it might be a good idea to keep things that remind you of your ex far away, especially when you are addicted to them and finding it hard to move on.
No, it's not a weird move. People keep photos of their ex even when they have moved on. It doesn't always mean they are still in love or hoping to get back with the ex. Sometimes, they don't even remember they have the photos. At other times, an ex could also be a close friend. Deleting them might mean deleting a whole lot of other memories that aren't directly about the ex.
Use this tool to check whether he actually is who he says he is
Whether you're married or have just started seeing someone, infidelity rates are on the rise and have increased over 40% in the last 20 years, so you have all the right to be worried.
Perhaps you want to know if he's texting other women behind your back? Or whether he has active Tinder or dating profile? Or worse yet, whether he has a criminal record or is cheating on you?
This tool will do just that and pull up any hidden social media and dating profiles, photos, criminal records, and much more to hopefully help put your doubts to rest.
It could mean that your ex still wants to rekindle old flames, which may be evident in his periodic calls or text. On the other hand, he may just have your pics because you've been an important part of his life over the years, perhaps you were married with kids.
The decision to delete them is his. You shouldn't try to suggest it or make it look like you are controlling. However, if he's keeping sexy or nude images, and he's keeping the communication line open, you might want to have a heart-to-heart with him. Sometimes, men need to have a reality check before they realize what they have now is better than what they lost.
If the past relationship was beautiful and probably didn't end in a bad way, some ladies keep old photos of outings and places they went to with their ex just as a reminder of fun-loving moments. These photos should not include loved-up or romantic photos, which could mean that such a lady may still be in love with her ex.
It's not entirely wrong for someone to have one or two photos of their ex. As long as the intentions are not harmful or hurt one's current relationship, it's not a bad idea. I hope you enjoyed the article? Please drop a comment so that we can improve and share it with friends.
Utilize this tool to verify if he's truly who he claims to be
Whether you're married or just started dating someone, infidelity rates have risen by over 40% in the past 20 years, so your concerns are justified.
Do you want to find out if he's texting other women behind your back? Or if he has an active Tinder or dating profile? Or even worse, if he has a criminal record or is cheating on you?
This tool can help by uncovering hidden social media and dating profiles, photos, criminal records, and much more, potentially putting your doubts to rest.
