Is it normal that my boyfriend compliments other girls but not me?
I am a 20 year old woman and I have been in a relationship with my older boyfriend for one year now. I adore him to bits and we have always been very compatible in terms of our personalities and common interests. Even when we have the occasional fight we are almost always able to resolve it quickly. We live about 200 miles apart and cannot see each other every day, but we do see each other about once a month (for one weekend) and I've always been happy with him on a physical/sexual level as well.
However, there is an issue that I have started to have lately, and that is his lack of compliments and/or praise for me. I have noticed a few instances of him complimenting other girls though. We are registered members on a social website and I saw him leave a comment on one girl's photo, telling her that she had a very pretty face. A few weeks after that, I noticed that he was exchanging photos with another girl on Skype, and he wrote to her expressing how good-looking he thought she was.
Meanwhile, I've tried nearly everything I can just to read or hear something nice from him and I am nearly at my wit's end! Even though we have been together for a year, I try not to "slack off" on my appearance; I make an effort to dress up nice, put on a little make-up, and fix my hair whenever I can (especially when I am visiting him in person). I have complimented him many many times, calling him handsome and amazing, and I constantly express how lucky I am to be with him. I've dropped some not-so-subtle hints, even saying "I would love it if you complimented me more often; it would make me so happy." When I ask him what he thinks of the way I look, he'll either say "okay" or "good" very quickly as if to brush it aside. I cannot understand why he is now unwilling to reciprocate my actions. I have seen other guys constantly reassure their girlfriends that they are the best and make them feel like princesses. I do not feel that way anymore when I'm with my boyfriend -- he used to be much more affectionate in the first few months of our relationship but that has diminished over time. I realize that the "honeymoon phase" of a relationship does not last forever, but he has gone from lots of love and praise to barely anything at all now.
I've been trying to brush this issue off for a long time now and pretend that it doesn't bother me, but my heart would like to tell me otherwise as it is emotionally painful for me to see him leave praises for other girls while leaving me out in the cold. I Skype with him nearly every day with the video on, so he has plenty of chances to say something nice to me even when we are not physically together. The compliment wouldn't even have to be about my appearance; I would be happy to accept anything at this point. What should I do?