A woman has revealed that she broke up with her boyfriend over his “uncomfortable” reaction to the new Barbie movie.
The 23-year–old woman, who goes by the username u/notalaskakidd on Reddit, shared a recent post in the popular “Am I the A**hole?” subReddit forum to ask if she was in the wrong for breaking up with her partner “over the Barbie movie”.
The Reddit user started off her post by noting that she was “really excited” to see the film, as she’s a big fan of its director, Greta Gerwig.
She then explained that her now-ex didn’t know much else about the film before seeing it, but that he proceeded to get “more and more uncomfortable” with the messages in Barbie as the film progressed.
“I was aware of its feminist themes and was secretly hoping my [boyfriend] would get the message. Over the duration of the movie, I could tell he was getting more and more uncomfortable/upset,” she wrote. “And I was getting really sad (both from the movie and his reaction). And I knew we would end up having a conversation about it afterwards.”
According to the woman, her former partner then didn’t talk to her until they got back to their car, which is when he told her he “was really offended by the movie” and that she should have seen it with her “girlfriends” instead of him. She noted that while she “understood where he was coming from,” she opted not to explain to him why she “disagreed” with his claim.
However, she admitted that, even prior to seeing the movie, she and ex were having a arguments about his opinions about women. “We have been having problems with his weird comments about women, the LGBTQ+ community, and other stuff. He would deem it ‘b**** s***,’” she wrote.
She acknowledged that, while the breakup might have been “a long time coming,” the conversation about Barbie was “the straw that broke the camel’s back”. She continued to describe some of their issues throughout the relationship, adding: “I was tired of having to always deal with his attitude and disrespect, and I was also maybe on this girl-power high. So I told him it was over.”
The Reddit user then shared the “complicated part” about the breakup: She let her ex move in with her six months ago, since he has been in between jobs. However, she confessed that they’ve had problems while living together as well, so she “couldn’t take it anymore” and told him to leave the apartment the day after their breakup.
“I stayed at my friend’s house while he packed up his stuff. He said he understood and that he ‘didn’t want to live with me another second anyways,’” she continued, before noting that her ex’s brother later called her and said “he’s MIA”. She also noted that his friends had been calling to ask where he was.
She concluded her post by noting that still had his iPhone’s location, which allegedly said that he was “two states away”. She acknowledged her disappointment about the situation, adding: “I can’t believe this is all because of the freaking Barbie movie.”
As of 3 August, the post has more than 9,600 upvotes, with many readers supporting the woman’s decision to end her relationship. As others critcised her ex’s behaviour, they also pointed out that Barbie didn’t seem like the only reason the couple had split.
“He’s MIA by choice. You got his location so his phone is working. He’s just refusing to answer. I doubt he had nowhere to go,” one person wrote.
AITA for breaking up with my boyfriend over the Barbie movie
by u/notalaskakidd in AITAH
“He sounds like he was an awful person. It’s a movie,” another wrote. “If he was so deeply offended by a movie with feminist themes then that’s his problem, and it shouldn’t be yours.”
“Whatever is going on here, I don’t think the Barbie movie has anything to do with it. I mean unless Mattel destroyed his employment prospects, car, and ability to take care of himself,” another quipped. “Maybe he should go to Oppenheimer next and learn the valuable lesson that playing with bombs is not a good idea.”
In an edit to her post, the woman wrote that she shared her initial comments about her ex in “frenzy of panic and guilt”. She also said she realised that the reason they broke up was because they “were incompatible and [she] was at [her] limit,” not because of Barbie.
The Independent has contacted u/notalaskakidd for comment.
This isn’t the first Reddit user to share their disappointment with a partner’s thoughts about Barbie. Many women have also revealed that they are using the film as a “relationship test,” with TikTok users explaining how their boyfriends’ reactions have served as a good indicator of whether their relationship will last.
