TikTok. Whether you love or hate it, the ultra-popular video-sharing app is here to stay. Its content has inspired many people to try new things (#LuckyGirlSyndrome, anyone?) or make changes to their lifestyle. And that’s lovely, if you ask me! It’s never too late to pursue new hobbies or interests.
Alas, one Redditor vehemently disagrees. User @Automatic-Ad-5753 posted in the infamous /AmITheAsshole Subreddit after telling her sister-in-law to “grow up” and stop “copying everything from TikTok” — and commenters weren’t here for her rude, needless tear-down.
@Automatic-Ad-5753 (42F) gave this for context: Her SIL (35F) is “so easily influenced, it’s embarrassing.” (Did you catch the Original Poster’s contemptuous tone?)
“Now because of TikTok, she has a 5-step skincare routine — God only knows how much money she threw away on snake oil products,” OP continued. “She spends hours following make-up routines she sees on there. She now wakes up at 5AM to do a workout plan from an account she follows. … Everything is from TikTok. I don’t think she has ever had [an] original thought in her life. She is 35, for God’s sake — it’s an app for teenagers!”
Although TikTok is particularly popular among Gen-Z, its users span multiple generations. But also, what’s the harm in enjoying an app beloved by teens? OP’s SIL seems pretty content, after all. Maybe these TikTokers she’s following are on to something!
Alas, @Automatic-Ad-5753 is unable to see the situation from her SIL’s perspective. Instead of getting curious about why her sister’s husband loves TikTok, she’s doubled down in her judgment and resentment. This tension came to head in preparation for Easter dinner: OP’s SIL said she wanted to bring a butter board, which she learned about after it went viral on the app.
“I finally decided to say something to her,” OP recalled. “I explained to her how it’s embarrassing how she is still trying to act like a teenager, no amount of skincare and 5AM workouts will stop her from aging. … It’s time to grow up and accept how old she is. She is no longer a teenager and that’s OK, we all age.”
“I explained to her that her life is flying by,” she continued. “She is 35. I fear she is going to wake up in a few years and regret not having children and wasting so much of her time worried about what she looks like.”
Um. Presumptuous, much? Who’s to say her SIL is only concerned with her appearance? And how is it OP’s place to weigh in on whether she has children?
To be fair, the SIL also made an unkind remark toward @Automatic-Ad-5753: “She told me, ‘Just because I gave up on myself doesn’t mean she [needs to],’ which was incredibly rude and unnecessary. Sorry I have two kids to take care of. I don’t have time to worry about wrinkles or if my outfit is perfect.” Ouch.
Now, OP’s SIL feels “too uncomfortable” to come over for Easter dinner, and her in-laws are pissed. “My husband agrees that she needs to grow up but thinks I should have kept my mouth shut and should apologize so we can have a nice Easter,” she wrote. “But I’m looking out for her. She is no longer a teenager, and it’s time to accept that.”
AITA Redditors in the comments agreed that OP should have kept these comments to herself. They also believe she’s the AH here, and she should seriously consider reevaluating her stance on her SIL’s TikTok-inspired lifestlye. Based on these exchanges, her “concern” sounds more like jealousy and contempt.
Her SIL is part of her family; if OP really cares about her, she should be more accepting of her interests.
“OP, YTA,” one commenter opined. “You sound bitter. Get over yourself and stop worrying about what other people do with their free time.”
“Also, who fucking cares?” another Redditor wrote. “She’s an employed woman with a hobby she enjoys, adequate time to do it, and ample cash to cover it. How is it any different from ‘acceptable’ hobbies like gaming or watching sports or cooking or knitting or anything else that people with disposable income enjoy?”
For many commenters, the kicker was OP’s remark about her “concern” for her SIL’s biological clock ticking as she ages.
“Surprise — women can be happy an have fulfilling lives without kids. Why are you so concerned about her uterus and sex life tell me?” one Redditor pointed out. “SIL sounds like she is living her best life. Sounds like you are damn jealous of her. I would like to be friends with SIL, she sounds like fun.”
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