The most destructive marriage on television may finally have come to an end.
On Sunday, Ashley Snowden shared the following photo on her official Instagram page, including along with the selfie a lengthy caption.
The caption definitely attempts to be all deep and profound, but followers are asking an even more pressing question in relation to what Ashley wrote:
Did she just admit to dumping her allegedly abusive husband, Dimtri Snowden?
“Sometimes emotional maturity looks like gazing into the mirror and knowing what you will and what you won’t stand for,” Ashley wrote to open the post, hinting she has decided NOT to stand for something.
Hence the immediate speculation about her marriage.
Over the past several weeks, one Seeking Sister Wives star after another has gone public with allegations that Dimitri has abused and/or assaulted her — with two women accusing him of rape.
It started back when Christeline Petersen filed for a restraining order against the TLC personality.
She told authorities at the time that she had been lived in fear of her husband for about a year.
Petersen also detailed an incident in which Snowden slammed her skull against the headboard and also explained how Dimtri allegedly acted in bed, saying “he choked me during sex, even though I told him not to” and adding:
“The more I struggled the more he enjoyed it.”
After Peterson — who married Dimitri on Season 3 of Seeking Sister Wife — said all this, Ariadne Joseph spoke to blogger John Yates.
Another partner of Dimitri and Ashley for a brief period of time, Joseph outlined all the shady rules enforced by the Snowdens any time they brought on a partner.
For example?
- She was required to be naked at all times.
- Ashley watched her and Dimitri have sex.
- She wasn’t allowed to leave the house by herself.
- She was pressured to give the couple money.
And, yes, Joseph added, Dimitri assaulted her in bed.
“When you’re in a situation where you’re married, or with someone, and you both have had consensual sex, it’s hard to reconcile in your mind that this person has violated you, has taken something from you without permission,” Joseph said.
She added in the interview that she was hesitant to use the “r-word” at first (rape), but has since realized this is exactly what transpired.
Joseph didn’t let Ashley off the hook, either.
“These people abused me and traumatized me and my children,” she told Yates, emphasizing that Ashley was manipulative and just as responsible for all that happened to her as Dimitri.
Since Joseph and Peterson went public, Tayler Middleton and Vanessa Cobbs — both of whom also lived with the Snowdens in the recent past — have sided with these alleged victims and made it clear TLC should cancel Seeking Sister Wife.
Ashley, meanwhile, continued on Instagram as follows:
Sometimes emotional maturity is knowing when to let go of what is hurting you, despite the effort you put into building it up.
Sometimes emotional maturity is not responding to everything that demands your attention.
Sometimes emotional maturity is saying what you need to say, even if it makes others uncomfortable.
Sometimes emotional maturity is apologizing when you were wrong…and sometimes it’s knowing what isn’t yours to apologize for.
Emotional maturity is knowing when you aren’t willing or able to take on certain energies because emotional maturity isn’t about proving to others that you can handle tough situations.
Always being the mature one is draining and may actually mean you need a new situation or need to find a more mature community to exist within.
Just before Ashley strongly implied she has left Dimitri, emails leaked online that backed up this point.
The seemingly awful human being may very well be single and homeless at the moment.
We won’t be shedding a single tear for Dimtri Snowden if this really is the case.
Concluded Ashley, who, it bears repeating, very much seems to have enabled Dimitri at best and flat-out abused all the women mentioned above at worst…
Being emotionally mature is taking heed to red flags, giving yourself grace for past mistakes you’ve learned from, knowing your boundaries and upholding them, knowing when something is good for you and when it’s not.
Also?
Not giving life to every negative thought that pops into your head or being consumed by the past or thoughts of the future, and finally, looking in the mirror and knowing your worth, even if those around you don’t.
Don’t let this idea of emotional maturity have you fooled into staying in some bs.
Emotional maturity isn’t martyrdom. It’s learning thyself, and then applying the knowledge despite what others think they know about you.
And, it’s also knowing that letting go may be painful, but perhaps the best thing that can happen for you.