After giving birth to their son, a woman noticed her husband making hurtful “observations” about her postpartum body. He never outright insulted her, but his comments cut deep: “That top used to look good on you but not anymore,” or “Wow, didn’t know your waist could get this wide!” She tried to brush it off until he started doing it in front of others.

At Christmas dinner, after his sister complimented her floral dress, he added smugly: “It looks nice… though I have to admit your waist could get smaller than this.” The room fell silent. Humiliated and furious, she snapped, standing up and shouting, “SHUT UP ABOUT MY BODY!” The dinner ended abruptly. Her husband stormed off and later sent a nasty text accusing her of embarrassing him over an “observation.”

Distraught, she turned to Reddit for advice. Fellow users quickly reassured her: she wasn’t overreacting her husband was body-shaming her and undermining her joy. One commenter put it bluntly: “These aren’t observations. They’re body-shaming. Stop letting him disguise cruelty as honesty.” Others pointed out he owed not just her, but his entire family, an apology for ruining the holiday.

As one user noted: “Dude tried to rob her of a compliment. He’s withholding joy so she ‘learns.’” For new mothers, postpartum recovery is already filled with physical and emotional challenges. Instead of criticism, women need support, love, and understanding especially from the person who vowed to stand by their side.