"My Boyfriend's Friends All Hate Me"

Even if you get along great with your significant other, getting along with their friends can be a different story. Redditor wakeupcharlie recently learned this when she overheard her boyfriend James' friends talking about her.
"Their main complaint was that I'm a vapid, girly, brain-dead 'culture zombie' because of the things I'm interested in," she wrote. "They think I'm stupid and boring, and the things I like are embarrassing and dumb." They judged her for liking trashy TV shows, mystery novels, makeup, and pretty much anything that's not considered intellectual, though the things they're into don't exactly sound like the epitome of high culture either. They're "really big into the whole geek culture trendy fad thing. Video games, [A Song of Ice and Fire], Zombie Walkers, Star Wars, etc.," she explained—which she has no problem with, but they have no right to take issue with her interests either. How should she deal with her boyfriend's friends? Should she even care what they have to say? Here's what Reddit told her:"James's friends sound like they might be the type of people you just can't please. Even if you did like video games, you'd probably like the wrong ones. If you liked the same TV shows, you'd probably have the wrong opinion or critiques about them. Some do this because they consider themselves gatekeepers, but some are and would do it anyway probably because they're jealous of James and his relationship with you. Don't sweat it. James's opinion is the only one that matters." —hellafitz"I opened this thread thinking James and his friends spent their weekends in falconry and translating Aramaic into Middle English for fun or something. Their interests are just as mainstream as yours and they're living in a world of delusion if they feel like some kind of highly intellectual keepers of an elite tradition. The ONLY difference between what they like and what you like is that by and large, they like Boy Things and you like Girl Things and they have the mindset that Boy Things are important and Girl Things are crap." —Akavinceblack"You are dating James, not his friends. James obviously loves you for who you are, even if you don't share some mutual interests. You don't have to justify yourself to anyone, especially not the condescending jerks he calls his friends. Just keep doing your thing and own it. Not everyone will like you in life. It's OK. What matters is that you love yourself. If James seriously thought that of you, then he wouldn't have been a lovely boyfriend for over two years. Hold your head up high, girl!" —Anodynic"You should wait until they're all together and then saying something like, 'Hey, guys, I don't want to start a whole conversation about this and I don't mean to make anyone uncomfortable, but I overheard you talking about me a few days ago and basically saying I was a vapid airhead because my interests are different than yours. It hurt my feelings, particularly since I've made an effort to appreciate your interests even though they are different than mine. I can be smart and interesting while also enjoying shows about women and their relationships. I can be smart and interesting and also care about fashion and make-up. It hurts my feelings that all of you think otherwise. Why can't I have different interests from you without losing your respect? Why do your stereotypically masculine interests automatically make you more interesting and less vapid than my stereotypically feminine interests?'" —mogotogo"Point blank—they're sexist. They don't realize how they are suckers for targeted marketing." —rainbowbarfff"There's nothing wrong with your interests. They are perfectly normal. Make sure your BF sticks up for you." —sagittamusic