Woman Praised for Insulting Sister-in-Law’s Weight

A woman has found support online after her sister-in-law broke her new swinging hammock chair, culminating in an argument where she insulted her in-law’s weight.

The now-viral Reddit post, titled, “AITA for making my SIL [sister-in-law] feel like s**t about her weight?” has been upvoted 16,900 times since it was shared on June 5. Redditor @Fickle-Life-9867 shared the post to the subreddit “Am I the A**hole,” and it has been turning heads ever since.

According to a 2016 study published in the International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education, the average woman in the United States is a size 16 or 18. In addition, Statista reported last year that the plus-size clothing industry was valued at around $6.67 billion, which was a decrease from its value in 2019.

The Post

The original poster (OP) is a 33-year-old female, and has three children. For her birthday last week, her 16-year-old son bought her a swinging hammock chair that she’d been wanting for two years, which cost him “quite a bit” of his savings. The woman intended to put the money back in his account so he can continue to save.

“He was so excited to see me open this gift and couldn’t wait to help me set it up,” the woman explained. “I told him he shouldn’t have, that it was a lot of money, and his response was ‘You never get anything nice. I wanted you to have it.’ And it was true. I usually don’t get anything for my birthday or Christmases outside of Tupperware or soaps.”

The OP admitted it might sound “stupid,” but she has “cherished” the hammock chair since he got it for her, especially as she finally has something nice that’s hers.

The woman’s 46-year-old sister-in-law comes over once a week to see everyone, and on one occasion went toward the swing, which the OP’s son had hooked up on their deck. The Redditor asked her politely to not sit on it, in which her sister-in-law replied, “Is there a weight limit?”

The OP told her the limit was 250 pounds, and showed her the box to confirm it. Her sister-in-law wasn’t upset, but said, “That’s a bummer, they need to make something capable of holding us big girls.”

The OP agreed with her when husband came home. When the woman went inside to grab drinks, her sister-in-law and her husband were talking on the porch. Not even five minutes passed, the OP said she heard a “loud crash” and her husband say, “F**k, are you alright?”

The woman went outside, and her sister-in-law had sat in the swing and the “crochet netting around the hook snapped on one side, causing her to fall right on her a**.”

The OP’s in-law was sitting there as she laughed, when she said, “I guess I need to learn to listen.” At that, the OP reportedly “lost it.”

She relayed again how she never gets anything nice. The swing was the one thing she had that was hers, and it didn’t even take a person a week before it was ruined.

The woman responded, “I literally just f**king told you not even 20 minutes ago that it would not hold you and to please not f**king sit in it.”

Her sister-in-law said that “usually the weight limit is a lie” and that she “thought it would hold.” The OP shot back: “The weight limit probably would have held if you were only 50 lbs heavier than it, not 150,” and in her post added: “She is 420ish lbs because she is one of those girls who eat food on camera for money, and she absolutely loves her weight.”

Instead of saying she was sorry or offering to compensate the OP for the broken swing, her sister-in-law called her a “s**t bag, for making her feel like her weight is a problem.”

“It’s just a f**king chair,” her husband said.

Redditors React

Over 2,100 comments poured in, with many people backing the OP. One Redditor thinks her sister-in-law “destroyed something special of yours and didn’t even apologize. I’m sure she’s very embarrassed, but she knew the consequences of her actions and did it anyway. Your husband sucks too.”

Another user doesn’t think the OP was “fat-shaming” the woman, adding that she “ignored” and also “dismissed” her warning about the weight limit on her swing, and now is responsible for “destroying” it, but refuses to take “responsibility.”

“You were simply holding her accountable for what she did, and you are absolutely entitled to be angry,” they said. “She is the AH [a**hole] for this, and your husband is an AH as well for not supporting you.”

Others took the time to slam the woman’s husband as well as the sister. “NTA, she was asked not to do it,” the user said. “Your husband is as big [an] AH as your SIL, maybe even bigger if your son has to buy you stuff because he sees you get s**t. She [owes] you money, [an] apology, and he owns you [an] apology and better gifts.”

However, a few people voted ESH, or everyone sucks here. Some thought the OP took things too far, with one Redditor saying her sister-in-law is an “a** for not listening,” acknowledging that she needs to buy a new chair. However, they called the OP’s attitude about her weight “gross.”

The commenter added: “But you had to take it further, commenting on the actual numbers involved in her weight and what she does for a living/in her spare time. That is none of your business, and it’s not your place to have an opinion on it. I know you were upset, and you had a right to be. What you said went way too far. She owes you compensation, but you also owe her an apology. This is literally how eating disorders start.”

Newsweek reached out to Redditor @Fickle-Life-9867 for comment.

Other Viral Family Moments

This isn’t the only viral moment involving families. Last week, parents were backed for telling their pregnant daughter that they wouldn’t help raise her child. Meanwhile, a man was recently bashed for charging his wife’s family $25 each to attend a cookout. In addition, the internet slammed a “victimized” woman’s lie about why her grandkids can’t come over.