Among close friends and family, joke presents for Christmas or birthdays can be hilarious for everyone involved with no one left feeling hurt in the process.
But when someone you’re not that close to hands you a present that pokes fun at your appearance, it can be hard to know whether they’re joking or not.
One mum on Mumsnet was left baffled when her mother-in-law gifted her a cushion with a joke printed on it for Christmas – as it suggested she gave up jogging because of her weight.
The cushion read: “I gave up jogging for health reasons … my thighs rubbed together, and my knickers caught fire.”
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The mum explained she “used to run a lot” but no longer keeps up with the sport and believed her mother-in-law was “fat-shaming” her with the present.
She wrote: “I don’t really see partners mum since Covid as she lives a couple of hours away and she never travels. Previously we would small talk every few months.
“She came for Christmas lunch and this was my present. Am I being unreasonable in thinking she is fat-shaming me?
“Whenever she sees her slightly overweight son, she makes comments about how he looks pregnant. I used to run a lot, but I don’t now.”
And commenters on Mumsnet couldn’t believe how “rude” the woman’s mother-in-law had been with her gift, as many of them called her “nasty”.
One person wrote: “That’s just a straight-up insult.”
While another said: “Yeah she's being rude! That would be going straight to the charity shop!”
And a third posted: “Wow that is a b****y present. Nasty.”
In a follow-up post, the mum explained she threw the cushion away as soon as her mother-in-law left and agreed the gift was rude.
She posted: “I am overweight, I used to run a lot but stopped a few years ago. I put cushion in the bin and I don’t think I will see my mother-in-law for a while as I can’t be bothered.
“She also never asks about my children who live with us. So why should I even bother; she’s just rude.”
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.
