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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To find her jokes about me offensive

192 replies

isitreallyjoking · 28/03/2017 21:35

Just to lessen any confusion I will say now that DW and I are both women.

DW has a cousin who is also her very close friend. Cousin has a habit of saying things about me which I find offensive but she always says are jokes or sometimes advice. For example she will say oh God why are you wearing that or if you just spent 20 more minutes on your hair it would probably look half decent and lots of jokes about how I'm punching above my weight with DW. She also quite frequently says no offense but ... usually followed by something a bit offensive , like no offense but my granddad would wear those shoes.

I find these quite offensive however DW and her family tell me it's just how she is and she is like that with everyone.
But whilst she may make one or two comments about others at an event she always makes at least 8 or 9 about me. Once or twice DW or I have pulled her up on it but she shrugs it off as she was only joking and I need to learn to take a joke.
We only see her in person about 5 times a year and DW is close to her so I tend to just try and ignore it.

On Sunday we all went out to dinner for DW aunts birthday (cousins mum). Most people were drinking quite a bit including cousin. So cousin had already made her usual comments about my outfit/appearance. Everyone was sat around the table waiting for food including DW and our DCs and a conversation started up about mothers day and how people celebrate. One of the guest said they thought it was commercialised.

Cousin then pointed at me and said I bet you think it's commercialised how did you used to celebrate it with your mum.
My mum died when I was in primary school so I don't really remember celebrating with her.
However people quite do sometimes forget my mum died when I was young so I just assumed cousin had.
I told cousin that I don't remember what I did with my mum.
Cousin said oh my God I can't believe you don't remember what you did with your own mum how could you forget.
Aunt then whispered to cousin I didn't hear but I assume she reminded her that my mum died when I was young.
Cousin then said oh God yes sorry though I guess that explains why you are the manly one. Everyone was completely silent which was really awkward.
Cousin then said come on I was only joking, because she had no mum she never learnt how to be a mum or a women herself that was the joke. See its funny now I've explained it to you. Cousin then sighed and said God you need a sense of humour and walked off laughing to herself.

The food came shortly afterwards and everyone ate and cousin came back and everyone was joking with her and it was forgotten. As soon as we ate I told DW I wanted to leave. She agreed and we didn't speak to cousin again. We said goodbye to everyone else and no one mentioned it.

We got home and I told DW that I was upset about the comments. She agreed they were mean and she messaged cousin to ask her to apologise.

Cousin messaged DW today and said she was sorry if I was upset but she had been drinking and it was just a joke and everyone else didn't think it was a big deal.

DW thinks that she was drinking and has just made a bad joke and its all ok now because she apologised. I think she wants me to just forget about it. But I don't think it was a funny joke and I don't think she meant her apology. I am still a bit upset about it but everyone else seems to think I should just accept it was a joke.

So AIBU to think that her jokes are just offensive or should I just accept that it's a joke and go along with it.

OP posts:
Jayfee · 29/03/2017 22:19

cousin sounds like she could star on jeremy kyle. i would avoid meeting her.
she is a bully.

Jayfee · 29/03/2017 22:24

why would cousin apologise to your wife, not you? you will only be able to handle it in the way which your personality will allow. if you ca. really handle the repeating it back, go for it. if not, avoid the bitch

WhereYouLeftIt · 29/03/2017 22:25

You had me at "DW and her family tell me it's just how she is and she is like that with everyone." What an arsehole.

I would pull her up Every. Fucking. Time. Repeat what she said to you slowwwwwy, as if giving it some thought. Look her straight in the eye. Ask what she means by that. If she claims she was joking, point out that it's only a joke if it's funny. And yes, I'd round out the meeting with "Everybody in your family tells me that the way you speak to me is 'just how you are' and that you're like it with everybody. Is that why you have so few friends?" Fuck it, sometimes the nuclear option is the most appropriate.

pandarific · 29/03/2017 22:28

homophobic arsehole. Sorry that happened to you. Flowers

CheeseQueen · 29/03/2017 23:35

The stuff about the "my Grandad would wear those shoes" I'd laugh off as a joke.
"Yeah, they are a bit Grandad'ish, but then again your hair's got a definite whiff of Grandma about it." Grin
(Well, if you can't take, don't dish...)
Cousin then said oh God yes sorry though I guess that explains why you are the manly one. Everyone was completely silent which was really awkward.
This though?
Cousin then said come on I was only joking, because she had no mum she never learnt how to be a mum or a women herself that was the joke. See its funny now I've explained it to you.
That's just not funny in the slightest whether you've been drinking or not. No wonder you were upset and wanted to leave.

TheRealPooTroll · 30/03/2017 00:04

Definitely come up with some 'jokes' of your own since he's such a fan of them. It might help you bond Grin
If she says 'My grandad would wear those shoes' you could reply 'even my grandad/grandma wouldn't be seen in yours! Hahahah joke get it hahahahh'
If she says 'your hair could look ok if you spent 20 minutes on it' you could reply 'how long did you spend on yours cos it still looks shit hahahahah did you like my joke hahahaha'.
Or you could just simply say 'you're a cunt aren't you hahahah just kidding hahahaha'.

HeartsTrumpDiamonds · 30/03/2017 00:47

I hate people like this. "Oh I just tell it like it is." or "I speak as i find" or "No disrespect but.." Yeah. Fuck right off.

CheeseQueen · 30/03/2017 01:07

If she says 'My grandad would wear those shoes' you could reply 'even my grandad/grandma wouldn't be seen in yours! Hahahah joke get it hahahahh'

That literally is the type of thing I'd do. No joke Grin
Cousin - "My Grandad would wear those shoes."
Me - "My Grandma would wear your hair."
["WTF, why are you getting so stroppy, mine's a joke, man! Just like yours was." ) [grn]

FelixtheMouse · 30/03/2017 01:14

She is one fucking nasty bitch and I'm sorry but I don't think much of your DW for not stepping in.

PenelopeFlintstone · 30/03/2017 01:17

She's a bitch. Sounds not very bright. Very callous to say anything about the death of your mum.
I'd be saying, "No offence, but fuck off", and I don't usually advocate things like that. In front of everyone, get the message across to the lot of them loud and clear. You're entitled to stick up for yourself and you don't owe her any good manners.

MidniteScribbler · 30/03/2017 02:08

Cousin then said come on I was only joking, because she had no mum she never learnt how to be a mum or a women herself that was the joke. See its funny now I've explained it to you.

This is not joking, and it's not telling it like it is. I love a joke, but lost my mum when I was young as well, and "jokes" about deceased parents are off-limits in all situations. You just do NOT do it.

Fishface77 · 30/03/2017 07:18

Wipe the Floor with her op.
Don't let her get away with her shit.

Dragongirl10 · 30/03/2017 07:26

OP..time to bite back... she is very cruel, so give her a taste of her own medicine, make a nasty comment and then say' Oh but l was only joking see l do have a sense of humour'

Repeat frequently

FrancisCrawford · 30/03/2017 07:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

0nTheEdge · 30/03/2017 08:56

I'm sorry you're having to deal with this, it's not nice and it's not fair. I think my stock comeback to the 'no offence' bullshit would be "but that is offensive. You're offensive. Your face is offensive" grin.

Honeypickle · 30/03/2017 09:47

Your wife should absolutely not be asking this woman to stop being an utter bitch, she should be telling her!!

thetemptationofchocolate · 30/03/2017 12:34

This is a very rare thing, a unanimous AIBU thread :)
I'm not going to buck the trend either, I too think she is being appallingly rude. I also think it's time to give some of that back. Who cares about moral high ground, this cousin needs a verbal slap.
I really like some of the suggestions already put in this thread and if I were you OP I'd be taking notes and 'learning my lines' for the next encounter.
Good luck!

Aeroflotgirl · 30/03/2017 18:25

No good after the horse has bolted, she needs to say something when she is being nasty to you op.

NotReallyMeToday · 30/03/2017 18:30

Homophobic bitch. I suspect your DW knows this but is scared,on some level, of calling her nasty cousin on it in case the cousin turns on her but she has to and if I were you I'd be wanting NC. And I never recommend NC on these threads.

NapQueen · 30/03/2017 18:33

Honestly Id refuse to be in the cousins company again. Hurtful shrew.

TheRealPooTroll · 30/03/2017 18:43

I think the problem with responding by telling her that she's being hurtful or showing you are offended is that it would only work if she wasn't aware of/intending to be offensive.
I think the only options are to either join in with her hilarious brand of humour with some comebacks at her expense or to avoid her altogether. She will likely stop if you go for the first option as she won't find it so funny when comments are directed at her but she'll look bad if she's dishing it out and unable to take it back. And obviously option 2 keeps you out of the firing line altogether.

hackmum · 30/03/2017 18:47

You could punch her in the face and then tell her it was just a joke punch.

Failing that, there is something to be said for giving as good as you get. Or for just going along with it and laughing as if you find it really incredibly funny. She says those things precisely because she knows they're hurtful. So if you didn't react in the way she wants she might stop doing it. Possibly.

Hippee · 30/03/2017 21:42

I would write down every nasty thing she has said and show your wife the list - in black and white it really is not possible to explain away. I really hope that your wife steps up - perhap if she does, the rest of the family will stop accepting it too.

magoria · 30/03/2017 21:58

You have a DW problem.

She is willing to sit back and let her cousin be an absolutely vile bitch to you.

If you hadn't pressed the issue she would not be telling her cousin she was unhappy.

BoneyBackJefferson · 30/03/2017 22:13

isitreallyjoking

DW said she didn't know what I wanted her to do but she has already told cousin that she accepts her apology.

Why has she accepted the apology?
Was it made to her or you?

If it was made to you, then she shouldn't have accepted it.

If it was made to her, I would be asking why she hasn't apologised to you.

Although you are not making your DW choose between you and her, it would seem that your DW is making the choice for you.