Pulling pranks on partners and testing a partner's "worth" and "loyalty" is becoming increasingly common and problematic, thanks to TikTok and YouTube.
But these trends are also changing how people think about relationships and how they treat their partners, and it's not for the better, cringed the members of the "Am I the A**hole?" (AITAH) subReddit.
The Redditor, who has since deleted her account, served lunch to her boyfriend every work day, since his job was close by. At a recent lunch, her boyfriend kept demanding she leave the table to get him another drink.
When she eventually refused, and he called her a "lazy girl," the Original Poster (OP) pointed out that he expected her to treat him like a baby, which she did not deserve.
She asked the sub:
"AITAH for refusing to give my boyfriend a 'baby' treatment?"
The OP's boyfriend kept making demands during their lunch together.
"My boyfriend stays in my house every day during his lunch break since his office is nearby."
"So we were both having our meals and eating lunch when he asked me to grab him a glass of water from the kitchen."
"I still gave him one, though I had already served him and made everything ready except this water."
"We live in an Asian household; that's why we did not have a pitcher, and the water comes straight from the mineral dispenser instead. And obviously, you would have to stand up to go where the dispenser is."
"He asked me again for water despite me obviously trying to put food in my mouth from my spoon and EAT."
"I gave him a second glass and a third glass of water."
But when he asked for a fourth cup of water, enough was enough.
"I couldn't even take anything from my spoon because of his consistent demand about water. I kept on standing up from the dining table to the dispenser area."
"For the fourth time he asked, I refused, saying, 'Can't you see that I'm trying to swallow my food and eat in peace? You can get yourself water if you want; I had already kept standing around here. we can just drink water once the meal is actually done."
"He said I'm such a 'lazy girl' for refusing to give him water."
The OP called her boyfriend out on his behavior.
"I said he's not a baby and I'm not supposed to be treating him like one, he can go stand up where the dispenser is if need be, since he couldn't even let me finish my food."
"I said he's not at all brand new here, so why is he acting brand new? I mean, he clearly knows where my kitchen is and where the dispenser is, so he can take anything from the dish cabinet if he must. Why is he acting like he does not know how to stand up and serve himself?"
"I said he's 25 and not a f**king baby who's very dependent and needs spoonfeeding."
"AITAH?"
Fellow Redditors weighed in:
- NTA: Not the A**hole
- YTA: You're the A**hole
- ESH: Everybody Sucks Here
- NAH: No A**holes Here
Some pointed out that the boyfriend was obviously trying to test the OP's "obedience."
"It's called an obedience test. He's checking to see if you'll obey without question, even at your own detriment. It means you'll stay when he starts the emotional abuse, you'll stay when the financial abuse starts, and you'll be obedient and stay when the physical abuse starts."
"He expects you to let him come over, feed him, and calls you names when you don't snap to obey. Don't care how good the d**k is, nothing is worth that." - Sugar_Mama76
"NTA. He is obviously testing how much you'll tolerate."
"It's a shame it took four asks. Shut it down now. 'Lazy girl' is so condescending, and if you not getting up a fourth time is lazy, what does it make him that he never got up once?" - Live_Pressure_5432
"I'm sorry, but could you please explain to me why it took him asking for you to wait on him for the fourth time before you stopped? He is showing you who he is; please believe him." - Sudden-Remote-169
"He's just testing her submission with ridiculous and inconvenient requests. Seeing how much she jumps when he snaps his lazy little entitled patriarchal fingers."
"OP, get out! You don't want a child to take care of before even having babies." - robottestsaretoohard
"Far too often, men expect to be served their dinner. The wife makes their plate and puts it on the table. She then takes care of the children, and only when everyone is cared for, then she may eat."
"This is socialized as 'normal.' My mom would cook a full meal, and if anyone glanced around for something, she would leap up and, 'I got it; I got it!' Mom, I know where the salad dressing is. Or butter. Or a refill on my drink."
"But she had been socialized from childhood that the males and then the other younger children were more important than herself. It took my dad a long time to be able to get salt for himself."
"Girls are socialized from infancy to be nice and not make waves (think of the old nursery rhyme: girls are made from sugar and spice and everything nice) and be whatever a man wants. I was told many times by my grandmother that no man wants a smart-mouthed wife."
"In short, be submissive and obedient to get a man. Any man, because we all know a woman is nothing without one."
"For the record, I am still sassy as f**k. And I don't have just any man, I have an amazing one that loves and supports my intelligence and sassy-ness." - Sugar_Mama76
"Honey, I don't care if you're Asian; it's 2025; find a man who appreciates you and won't treat you or test you like this. Women should not be treated as servants."
"I can't imagine settling down with someone to basically become a slave. I'd rather be on my own."
"You cooked a nice meal and gave it to him on a plate. You gave him his first drink to go with his meal... Absolutely fine, babe... But after the second drink request, I'm sat down... I'd be reminding him he has legs! Also how big are these cups of water?!"
"I'm so glad you said boyfriend. They're easier to change than a husband!" - Lopsided-Might1530
Others were disgusted by the boyfriend calling the OP a "lazy girl."
"Being called a lazy girl by the lazy boy who is looking for the 'bang maid/mommy' treatment instead of an actual adult partner might throw me over the edge. Next week, he is going to have her clipping his toenails." - Puzzleheaded-Gas1710
"NTA. I would have said, 'What the f**k? You are the lazy boy. You are the one who is thirsty and too lazy to get their own drink.'"
"'If I am thirsty, I will get my own drink. I am not your servant. I am my own autonomous creature.'" - OiMouseboy
"He was testing you. He managed to get you to fetch him 4 glasses of water before you could eat a complete bite of your food."
"After fetching him four glasses of water, he calls YOU lazy. This behavior and his opinion of you isn't going to ever change." - PrpleSparklyUnicrn13
"You were trying to eat during a lunch break at your house, and he doesn't care whether you eat or not, and you are somehow a lazy girl for not jumping up the fourth time to get him water. Why on earth do you put up with such abusive treatment? You need to walk away from that AH." - veryjudgely
"It felt to me like it was one of those 'tests' that have been going around lately, where essentially the task is for men to ask a woman (or more specifically, the woman that they're with romantically) to perform something subservient but in a way that it's almost outlandish, all in an effort to test whether or not she's a 'good girl.'"
"I may have explained that badly, but it's becoming a sort of trend in certain circles that have specific ideas on a woman's worth being tied to how submissive she is. I doubt that OP's bf truly needed four consecutive glasses of water during a single meal; the point was whether or not OP would get him the water regardless."
"And she may have done so the first time, the second time, and the third time, but the people who do these sorts of things would agree that she ultimately failed because of her pushback at the fourth water."
"Because there is no real 'passing' when it comes to these things; the point is to progressively escalate the asks until she inevitably refuses if she has any sort of spine whatsoever, all so she can finally be deemed a lesser woman."
"OP says her boyfriend is 25, so it's likely he's come across this sort of content before and decided to put her to the test, and if that's the case then i say ew, OP needs to shut that s**t down immediately and not let it fester, before she finds herself putting up with things that she previously would not have." - DahliaDarling14
Though the subReddit was frustrated that it took four glasses of water for the OP to get the point and to stand up for herself, they were otherwise glad to see her speak up for herself and not take anymore criticism from her boyfriend.
Either her boyfriend needed to learn to respect her and not make demands like this anymore, or he needed to find somewhere else to get lunch each day.















Woman Irate After 'Misogynistic' Date 'Insults' Her In Front Of Waiter For Interrupting Him
While dating is supposed to be fun and the best way to find new love, some people are just not meant to date each other.
Fortunately, people can get out of dating someone, and no reason is too small or petty, members of the "Am I Overreacting?" (AIO) subreddit pointed out.
Redditor Mental_Driver_6134 had been dating a guy on and off for over a year, and while things were okay, there hadn't been a particular reason to make the relationship more serious.
When they went on a date, and the guy publicly insulted her for interrupting him and speaking out of turn, the Original Poster (OP) was not certain it was worth going on another date with him or continuing to string this situationship along.
She asked the sub:
At a restaurant, the OP's date wasn't being clear while speaking with the waiter.
"I went on a dinner date with this guy who I've been with for over a year now, on and off. We discussed the order and were in a good mood overall."
"When the waiter came to take the order, he started explaining him something about his preference for a particular dish. Basically, he didn't want too much garlic in chili burnt garlic noodles."
"Everything was going fine, but I saw that he was taking too much time explaining it and wasn't really getting to the main point, which was less garlic."
"I chimed in and casually said, 'We just want less garlic.'"
"But I couldn't even complete the sentence before he said to me in front of the waiter, 'If you're gonna cut me off like this, I'm not giving any orders, okay?!' in the rudest way possible."
The moment ruined the date for the OP.
"I just went quiet after that. He quickly realized that he made a mistake and tried to cover up by saying that, 'Okay , I won't shout at you next time onwards.'"
"I was really p**sed off but didn't react much to avoid creating a scene."
"On our way back home, he started with his explanation. He said that I tried to make him feel small by cutting him off and lacked basic etiquette and that I should have at least said, 'Can I give my opinion here?- before cutting him off."
"It kept getting worse as he said that since he was the older one and 'The Man,' I should not have interrupted him and let him give the order."
"The whole tone was so misogynistic."
"He even mocked me for not knowing how to use chopsticks properly, which I didn't mind as basic banter, and I told him that there are forks and spoons kept here; it's not necessary to use the chopsticks (he ended up dropping his dumpling while explaining to me how to use chopsticks)."
"When the noodles came, he said that we could use forks then, and I was like, 'No, why not use chopsticks here, as well? You should watch more anime, maybe,' and he then went on to brag about having been to many five-star restaurants, which implied that he knew more than me and that I lacked any 'real experience.'"
The OP was over it by the end of the conversation.
"I was too exhausted from this; it seemed so nonsensical that I left later and told him to maintain a distance."
"Later he was saying that I'm stuck on such a small thing and that he won't shout again, but it was my mistake that I tried to cut him off (which wasn't my intention at all)."
"Also, sidenote: He's like four and a half years older than me. I met him last September and on and off many times with a few months of minimal contact. These offs end with him acting as if nothing happened."
"This incident was the calmest he's behaved if compared to past situations, so you can guess what the worst may have looked like."
"I only gave him a chance cause he was trying to control his anger issues. But I think you can't expect a 29-year-old to fix the misogyny."
Fellow Redditors weighed in:
Some reassured the OP that she was right to be upset.
"He was s**tty, but it was her fault; I just love that. NOR."
"If she hadn’t interrupted his highness, none of this would have happened. Why can’t she just admit it?"
"I’m so glad I’m long out of the dating pool. There is no bar anymore; it’s what can I get from you while I treat you like s**t. Man, the good old days of dating are long over." - Shadow4summer
"NOR. The 'I'm the man' line revealed everything OP needs to know about him. He couldn't handle a simple, harmless interruption, so he tried to humiliate her in public to regain control. Taking his own dumpling dive while trying to act superior is peak karma, honestly." - virelaczi
"NOR! If a 'small' man tries to put you down in public on a date, run the eff away! It doesn’t matter if it’s two dates, two months, or two YEARS!" - Delicious_Winner_819
"Not overreacting, this man is clearly insecure and controlling. Not to mention a misogynist. Instead of being on and off, just be off. It's better to be single than to be with someone who tries to make you feel less than." - curiouscuriel
"'I know better than you.'"
"Should tell you ALL you need to know about this 'man'. Go and find somebody who will treat you as their person... and not an object. That is what is not sitting right with you."
"NOR. And bloody run!!! I wouldn't even give him the time of day after an experience like that." - pootling_1976
"My ex would constantly say, 'You're interrupting me.' I was not. He was a psycho."
"This is how it went, for example:"
"Him: I am ordering chicken and snow peas and white rice [long pause]."
"I start to say ANYTHING (the place is on effing fire!), and he would berate me, 'You interrupted me, you ALWAYS do that, I can never speak, blah, blah blah.'"
"I say, 'Lucifer (what I call him behind his back), you took a long pause. I waited, and I thought you were done.'"
"Then THAT becomes a pile of s**t convo, more berating... He was so manipulative and verbally abusive; I cannot even scratch the surface here."
"So, no. That date is a Lucifer, and you should never even speak to him again." - Belmontisnowhideous
Others pointed out that the OP didn't have to keep dating him if this is how she felt about him.
"Great news! You do not need to spend any more time with this guy." - Blue-flash
"If you marry this guy, this behavior will only get worse. He doesn’t respect women, and he probably never will. I'd stop dating him now before you waste more time." - Additional-Start9455
"NOR. Don’t waste another minute of your life on an angry man. He’ll get worse, not better. Just find a guy who doesn’t need fixing." - Broad_Pomegranate141
"I mean, him being an insufferable smug jerk is not a small thing."
"'I went on a dinner date with this guy who I've been with for over a year now, on and off.' But this strikes me as an elephant in the room."
"It isn't often that good, healthy relationships are on and off again. And given how profoundly rude he was, how immediately he doubled down, how condescending, etc., I can't help but think this isn't the first time he's been gross as a partner."
"NOR, but really ask yourself what you're doing here. This can't be the life you hoped for, and you know he isn't going to change as well." - Traeyze
"NOR. There's no way to live with this kind of man, honestly, and OP should definitely leave this guy."
"A year of on and off with kind of behavior is basically a preview of the next ten." - NoEar4226
"NOR. I've broken up with guys like that by telling them they were right all along. I'm just not smart enough for him. He deserves someone on his own level..."
"Hopefully he picks up the hint and does some self-reflection for his future dates (with other women)."
"For what it's worth, I have two post-graduate degrees." - PomeloPepper
"When someone treats you like s**t, you do NOT have to stay with them, no matter how long you've been together."
"Unfortunately, my therapist had to explain this to me a short time after I started seeing her because my parents never gave me any autonomy to make my own decisions. I didn’t know that I could just leave places that I didn’t feel safe in because it wasn’t an option for me until then."
"Some people do need to be given permission to do what’s best for them because of the way they were treated by their parents."
"Hopefully she does leave him because he sucks, and with the way he treats her, things will likely get worse for her." - Accomplished_Dig284
We've all heard the advice to not cry over spilled milk, but clearly, this date must fuss over garlicky noodles.
To the subReddit, it wasn't worth continuing to date a man who clearly had anger and control issues, especially given everything going on in society right now.
The OP would be better off staying single for a while or dating someone new, preferably someone who respects their differences about noodles and chopsticks.