A general rule of thumb is that you are going to fight with your family, so forgiving them for trivial things is always the easiest solution. That doesn’t always happen, as sometimes, couples fight over the silliest of things, and then one ends up getting the silent treatment.
Speaking of the silent treatment, this wife is punishing her husband with it after her brother-in-law commented on her dress size in front of the whole family. She had expected her spouse to stand up for her; however, folks were divided when she narrated her story.
More info: Mumsnet
Giving your partner the silent treatment is pretty common in couple conflicts, but it’s not always the healthier option
The poster finds comments from her brother-in-law’s new wife uncomfortable and she doesn’t feel respected in the family
Image credits: Zaina245
At a family gathering, the poster and her new sister-in-law were wearing the same dress, but her brother-in-law commented that their sizes were different
Image credits: Zaina245
The poster was offended by this as she has an eating disorder, plus she has also recently given birth to their 3rd child, so she expected her husband to defend her
Image credits: Zaina245
She had an argument with her husband on the car ride home and broke down into tears as he didn’t say anything on her behalf, and now she’s giving him the silent treatment
Today, we dive into the world of the original poster (OP) who got into a conflict with her husband over something that her brother-in-law said.
Well, she thinks that her new sister-in-law says very offensive things to her, which makes her feel uncomfortable and disrespected in the family. She says that she never really had an issue with her brother-in-law until that day when there was a family gathering where she was wearing a dress similar to one her sister-in-law was wearing.
When people were speaking about her dress, her brother-in-law emphasized that her size was different, which she found quite offensive. She tells us that she had struggled with an eating disorder and she had also given birth to their third child recently. So, she expected her husband to stand up for her, but he simply looked at her and said nothing.
She felt hurt that not even a single person said anything in her defense, and while going home, she got into an argument over it with her husband. For once, she really wanted him to stand up for her and say something, but since he didn’t, she broke down into tears and now she’s giving him the silent treatment.
Folks online were divided when she narrated the story. When she mentioned that her brother-in-law is “quite lazy with his wife and lets her just say whatever she wants even if it is wrong,” people were shocked. They mentioned that it was very insensitive of her, and some even commented that she hated women.
OP went on to explain that in their tradition men spoke for their women and she would be thrown out of the family if she said the things that her sister-in-law says to her. Although she tried to explain it, people couldn’t grasp why the men had to control what the women said. This probably aggravated OP more, as she said that people did not understand the family situation.
Some people commented that she was overreacting and that giving her husband the silent treatment was very immature of her. They said that the brother-in-law was only speaking about the dress size and nothing more and if she found it offensive, she should’ve spoken up for herself rather than expecting things from her husband.
Meanwhile, other folks also commented that it was very hurtful and nasty what he said, knowing about OP’s past. Research suggests that approximately 1.25 million people in the UK have an eating disorder. It has also been observed that individuals struggling with eating disorders have a critical sense of self that leads them to have negative views of their beauty and self-worth.
It could be argued that because of this, the woman was sensitive about the remark that her brother-in-law made. Not to forget, she had recently given birth, and research states that relapse of eating disorders is common in new mothers. Well, this does throw light on why the poster reacted the way she did.
Some even said that there was probably a steady stream of comments from her in-laws that might have pushed her into an extreme reaction. However, they pointed out that speaking to her in-laws would be a better choice rather than taking it out on her husband.
Well, the netizens were divided, but what about you? If you found someone stuck in a similar situation, what would you advise them to do? Feel free to express your thoughts in the comments!
Folks online were divided in their opinions, as some felt she was overreacting, while others sympathized that they would’ve been hurt as well
