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Last week, I (16F) went on vacation with my mom (48F), her best friend Rita (46F), and Rita’s family—Mark (50M) and their son Jake (15M).
Rita, who lost a lot of weight on a strict diet, kept criticizing my eating habits throughout the trip. On the last night, she made a big deal about my steak and tonic water, suggesting I should get a slimline tonic and skip dessert.
When I agreed to share a sundae with Jake, Rita called me a greedy pig and insulted my appearance, even though I was slimmer than she was.
I got fed up and told her to mind her own business and that my eating habits were fine. Rita got very angry, called me names, and insulted me further.
My mom is upset with me, and Rita is still furious. Jake finds it funny, and my dad is mad at Rita and my mom for not supporting me. I’m unsure if I overreacted or if I was in the right. AITA?
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AITA for Telling Someone Their Strict Diet Isn’t My Concern?
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Last week, I (16F) went on vacation with my mom (48F), her best friend Rita (46F), and Rita’s family—Mark (50M) and their son Jake (15M).
Rita, who recently lost a lot of weight through a strict diet, kept commenting on what I ate during the trip. On the final night, she criticized my steak and tonic water, suggesting I should choose a slimline tonic and skip dessert.
When I decided to share a sundae with Jake, Rita called me a greedy pig and made negative remarks about my appearance, even though I’m slimmer than she is.
I lost my patience and told Rita to stay out of my eating choices and that my habits were just fine. Rita reacted angrily, hurling insults at me.
Now, my mom is upset with me, Rita is still fuming, Jake thinks it’s amusing, and my dad is angry at Rita and my mom for not standing up for me. I’m unsure if I overreacted or if I was justified. AITA?
NTA. Rita is a grown woman who acted like a child. So what that you said some harsh things, they were provoked by (again) a grown woman who was repeatedly bullying a 16 year old girl on vacation. What the actual fuck is your moms problem for not defending you btw. I’m so sorry this happened to you. I’m 27 and I would have said much worse things back to Rita if I were in your shoes. It’s so disgusting the way she behaved!
NTA. it’s abuse. your dad needs to step up and put a kibosh on the whole thing. he should have done that earlier. decline all future offers to get together. were there any witnesses around during this horrid woman’s outburst? you should enlist them to make your case why rita must steer clear of you at all costs.
How on earth did neither of your parents put an immediate stop to those comments? She was wildly inappropriate and you had to stand up for yourself since clearly the adults who are supposed to look out for you were doing a terrible job. She shouldn’t be projecting her insecurities onto you. She was absolutely in the wrong and I say NTA.
ETA: Sorry, ignore ‘parents’ and replace with mother
NTA for so many reasons. 1. You’re a growing kid who doesn’t seem to have a weight issue 2. She’s not your mother 3. No one has the right to dictate your diet or what weight is appropriate for you, especially when you’re 16 and capable of making your own nutritional choices 4. She is the adult in this situation, so while you could’ve handled it better, don’t beat yourself up because she should be the one acting like an adult, not you. Just learn from it, because I know one thing for sure: good ol Rita was just resentful AF watching you eat all those delicious things while she had to sit there sipping on her slimline. I don’t think it helps that her son likes you more than her. She sounds like a miserable petty person who resents others for not adhering to her standards
I’m horrified at the mother for letting her friend speak to her own daughter like that. These types of comments are what pushes people into EDs and should not be taken lightly by a parent of a teenager.
