Pranks are among those events that have to be planned carefully because if something goes wrong, it can go really wrong.
But the prankster should also be willing to understand that not everyone will enjoy being pranked, either, pointed out the “Am I the A**hole?” (AITA) subReddit.
Redditor icyhotprankthrowaway was among those who did not enjoy being pranked, and for good reason, after having IcyHot put into one of her bras.
When her boyfriend insisted she was overreacting, the Original Poster (OP) wondered if she was making too big of a deal out of it.
She asked the sub:
“AITA for ‘overreacting’ when my boyfriend put IcyHot in my bra?”
The OP was recently pranked by her boyfriend.
“I (15 female) have been dating ‘Luke’ (16 male) for a year. This is the first time he’s pranked me.”
“Today, while he was at my house, he did this horrible prank on me. He put IcyHot in my bra.”
“While I was taking a shower, he rubbed IcyHot all over the bra on top in my underwear drawer with two of his friend, ‘Liam’ and ‘Barry.’ Then they left my room. I changed and came downstairs.”
“It hurt like h**l. I didn’t know what was going on. I kept grimacing and cringing and Luke was like, ‘Enjoying your IcyHot? Oh yeah, YOU JUST GOT PRANKED!'”
The OP’s boyfriend didn’t appreciate her reaction to the prank.
“I snapped and told him to get out.”
“He said, ‘Calm down, it was a harmless prank, you are overreacting! You’ll regret overreacting tomorrow, it’s just a prank!'”
“He keeps saying calm down, I’m overreacting to a harmless prank, stop being such a drama queen.”
But the OP didn’t appreciate what happened.
“I don’t think it was a prank, it still hurts. It was embarrassing (the three of them all saw my bras and underwear!) and painful, and he thinks I’m being dramatic, am overreacting, and need to calm down.”
“He keeps calling and texting me, and I really don’t want to talk to him right now.”
“So I’m asking you guys. AITA?”
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 said the OP could have been really injured by this prank.
“ABSOLUTELY NTA.”
“Not only would icy hot be uncomfortable under normal circumstances, but straight out of a warm shower your skin is more pliable and soft and it will burn tenfold! Source: I made this mistake once on my back.”
“What a jerk move! Your bf is not funny, OP. He’s the a**hole.” – pineapplesandpuppies
“You do not f**k around with that stuff (IcyHot), it’s strong. Mine says on the package not to shower or wash your hands with hot water after applying.”
“I got some NEAR a boob yesterday (was putting it on my shoulder) and it was painful. Boob skin tends to be pretty soft and sensitive; I can’t imagine getting the stuff all over them.” – lizardgal10
“This is flat-out sexual harassment and intentional physical harm. Not a joke.”
“You can throw in the destruction of the property too, bras are not only expensive but it takes time to conform to your body. I’m mad for you first and mad for your bra second.” – lysstheb***hcalore
“NTA. One of the easiest NTAs ever. If it caused pain, then WTF does he think the word ‘harmless’ means?”
“Those who say he’s immature are understating it. He’s cruel and very, very stupid. Seriously, the guy’s a blithering idiot.”
“Of course, I assume you’re dumping him, right?” – BunkyTheClown
“I’ve broken up with men for less. NTA and you have your whole life ahead of you. Get you a man who brings you flowers when you’re fighting and is kind and DOESN’T PUT ICY HOT IN YOUR BRA.”
“I know he’s young but his parents should teach him respect and morals and they have obviously failed and you don’t need to be on the shit end of it.”
“My boyfriend’s prank for me is jump scaring me and recording it. THAT’S A PRANK.” – mcdonaldsfrenchfri
Others agreed and questioned the qualities of the relationship.
“Instead of admitting he’d made an error in judgment and apologizing, he shifted the blame onto you and blamed you for overreacting. That’s indicative of an abusive personality.”
“Because he’s so young and inexperienced, I’m curious what he would say if you said, ‘If you had acknowledged that what you did was an error in judgment, caused me pain and embarrassment, and apologized for it, we would be having a very different conversation right now.'” – LeahOR
“I just want to say girl, I’m so sorry for what you’re about to go through. Every time a man violated me (whether my privacy or physically), whenever I called them out for it, he and his friends always harassed me, gaslit me, and made other people around me think I was dramatic and crazy.”
“And it wasn’t just a one-time thing, I had so many men do this to me and so many of my friends have experienced this as well.”
“Being a teenage girl sucks, the best advice I can give is don’t give teenage boys anything you’re scared of losing. Your respect, your privacy, your secrets, etc. Focus on you, it’s so worth it.” – ineedadvicepleaze
“NTA. Also WTF?”
“There are several things wrong with this.”
“1. He caused you physical pain. He knew it would hurt, that’s the point.”
“2. He breached your privacy by showing your underwear to his friends. He knows underwear is private. He knows he did not have your consent. He did it anyway.”
“3. Not for nothing, but he damaged/risked damaging your property. Bras are expensive, and who knows if it’ll leave a grease mark.”
“Is this really the kind of guy you want to spend time and emotional energy on? There’s better guys out there, I promise.” – ReasonableFig2111
“NTA”
“He intentionally humiliated you, caused you physical pain, and then belittled you for not just acting like that was totally fine.”
“That needs to be a 100 percent deal-breaker for you. Obviously, he’s going to tell you that you’re wrong, that you’re being melodramatic, and he’ll probably rope some idiots into backing him up on that, but stand your ground.”
“You do not deserve to be in a relationship with someone who does things like that.” – Extension-Ad-972
“NTA. Also, you are not overreacting. He violated your privacy and caused you pain for fun, and you are still referring to him as your boyfriend, I would say you have not reacted enough.”
“Do not shy away from this drama, Queen. Every person of dating age in dating distance should know absolutely all about this, so they can make informed choices about this guy, who should really be your ex.” – eaca02124
“NTA. Show him these comments, he needs to know that he’s the asshole here. I get it, he’s just a child, but still old enough to know better!”
“It was extremely violating to go into your drawers, to touch your bras/underwear (thank GOD they had the sense not to put it in the panties).”
“A prank is only funny if everyone is laughing. Everyone needs to be in on the joke. It also shouldn’t cause any harm or pain.”
“This wasn’t the case. It was just mean.” – fragilemagnoliax
“NTA… Right after bathing your pores are open. The icy hot shouldn’t even be applied under those circumstances.”
“The skin under you bra and panties is tender so that makes it worse. They could have caused major problems if you were particularly sensitive and even causing a trip to the emergency room.”
“He and his friends need to be introduced to boundaries for their pranks.” – Clear_Molasses7456
“NTA. That is not a prank, that was just mean.”
“To go even further, he has no right to dicated how you feel about something. That is a tactic used to gaslight you and make you feel bad or crazy for how YOU feel about a situation.”
“That is a red flag and honestly, I would recommend stopping to think about how willing you are to put up with gaslightning from a friend/partner.” – Quiet_Picklepuss
“NTA. I’m all for pranks, but jesus, there are lines, and it sounds like he crossed a f’k ton of them.”
“Line 1: Going through your undergarment drawers without your permission”
“Line 2: Showing your undergarments to his friends”
“Line 3: Pulling a first time prank on someone that causes pain”
“Line 4: Belittling you for not being okay with something you didn’t ask permission for”
“These aren’t minor lines, btw. These are massive.”
“Little f’ker violated your personal space, hurt you, and then blamed you for not liking it. Throw him to the curb like the bag of cat turds he is.” – Raxendyl
“OMG. Totally NTA. I get chemical burns from IcyHot… if someone did that to me saying ‘haha just a prank’, they would be gone so fast.”
“I hope you’re ok. If it still hurts you should run a cold shower and sit in it for 15 minutes.”
“My dermatologist friend gave me that tip when I tried IcyHot for the first time and the redness and pain started getting worse.” – CoconutDreams
“NTA but I don’t think you need to call the cops and sue him like people are saying. He is 16, and stupid.”
“He probably didn’t want it to hurt you, and when it did he got defensive—because he’s stupid. Stand your ground, and tell him if he thinks it’s no big deal him and his friends will voluntarily rub some on their balls.”
“Tell him it hurt, and it embarrassed you.
“Y’all are projecting your experiences on teenagers. This was likely nowhere near the malicious gaslighting horror you’re assuming it to be, and if it is that bad it’s not 100% clear from this write up.”
“Not dismissing OPs extremely valid feelings, but calling the cops over this is seriously unhinged.” – tranquil-animals
Some insisted the OP tell her parents or press charges.
“Oh, sweet girl. NTA. Dump him. What he did was abusive and immature.”
“And when I say abusive, I mean both physically AND emotionally.”
“P.S. If you’re comfortable, tell your mom. I’m a mom and I would want to know so I could support my girl.” – LakeLov3r
“He is completely dismissive of OP’s feelings and not the least bit sorry for hurting her or humiliating her. Instead of caring that his girlfriend is upset, he keeps telling her to calm down, that she is being a drama queen, etc.”
“OP, this is dump-worthy behavior. He’s not even sorry he hurt you in one of your private areas after showing your undergarments to his friends. He doesn’t care about your feelings or respect you.”
“Also, I’d tell your parents and have them tell the parents of all the boys involved. They are being inappropriate and adults need to set them straight. NTA.”
“It’s literally for their own good for them to get in trouble for this. None of us adults want these little assholes to grow up into adults thinking this BS is okay.” – TheHatOnTheCat
“Or tell him you’re going to the police and reporting an assault. Not at all a lawyer, but considering OP was actually harmed, this might pass muster.”
“(You probably don’t need to actually do it if you’re uncomfortable – letting him stew in fear for a day or two would/should get the point across – but he’ll learn sooner or later what happens when you F around.)”
“But also definitely tell his mother. If I had a son who did this, he’d be funding the nicest bra money can buy for you, losing all privileges, and writing a ten-page essay on the social history of women’s underthings.” – inthemuseum
While she had mixed feelings because of being told she had overreacted and was acting like a drama queen, the subReddit insisted this was not a reasonable prank, especially when it involves someone you’re supposed to be dating.
To take the situation further, the subReddit recommended getting other people involved, whether it was the OP’s parents or her boyfriend’s, not to mention the possibility of pressing charges for possible damages.
For this guy, this might be the prank that keeps taking away.