to not want my six year old daughter described as "sultry"?

[DrSeuss]

I got her one of those mermaid tails to wear to play in the pool on holiday. They had lots of pretty, sparkly ones but she wanted Nemo. I took some pictures of her laid on the pool side with her head resting on her hand and the tail spread out. She's six and knows nothing about how to be anything other than a normal, cute six year old. Put the pictures on FB which I always do as the in laws live a very long way away and hardly get to see the grandchildren. MIL just described my daughter as "very sultry"! She's six!

I was pretty sure I knew the meaning of that word but checked and the Cambridge dictionary defines it as "attractive in a way that suggests sexual desire" while Merriam-Webster says it means 'exciting or capable of exciting strong sexual desire"!

I have posted underneath this comment that a)she's pretending to be a Disney character who is actually a clown fish and b) she's SIX! She hasn't seen what I wrote yet. I am torn between wanting the word removed and wanting her to understand why I am not impressed. Also, I want various family members who leap to her defence overtime she says something offensive to see it and judge for themselves.

AIBU to think this comment is outrageous?

Oh, and given MIL's level of education, there is very little chance that she doesn't know the meaning of the word either.

Honestly, I would just delete the comment

I would hope she doesn't know what it means. Yanbu to be outraged

It doesn't seem like an appropriate word given what you described. I don't get what's "sultry" about a 6 year old wearing a big fish tail.

Weird. Sultry should never be used to describe a child!

I would find it disturbing, but is it possible MIL doesn't fully understand the meaning of the word and is using it slightly differently?
Loads of people misuse words, IMHO, with no kind of malicious intent.
Can you gently and privately say to her that you don't feel it's a good word to use to describe a six-year-old? Then remove the comment - although the FB thing will move on pretty quickly and probably no-one will notice it like you have?
But YANBU.

Sorry, cross-posted!

For the record, my MIL is a graduate of a very well known university, speaks three foreign languages, reads two ancient languages and has post grad qualifications. Unlikely that she doesn't know the meaning of this word!

cringe

Leave it up for a few days and then delete. Chances are your daughter will look through these pictures one day and you don't want her to see that Grandma referred to her as 'sultry' at six.

Distasteful to say the least. YANBU OP.

If you're sure your MIL knows the exact meaning of the word then she is showing disapproval of the costume and the pose IMHO.

Could be, Vivien. Although how a small child acting out her favourite Disney character could offend is beyond me. Several friends have now liked the photo AND my disapproval, which suggests that others think it's cute, not sexy!

Agree with Vivienne..sounds like it was disapproving comment.

It sounds like a very cute, completely sweet picture but maybe she saw it another way.

I'd just delete both her comment and yours, to be honest and think nothing more of it

Any chance it's an autocorrect? If not then I agree with the poster who says that she thinks the pose is inapporpriate and is pointing it out to you.

Absolutely disgusting thing to say about a child.

Just because she has all those qualifications, doesn't mean she knows the meaning of that word though. Could you ask her if she meant to say 'sultry'?

Maybe your MIL is just stupid?

Aaaand, that's why I send photos via whatsapp

Ttbb, that could also be true!

Penhacked, the in laws struggle with FB. I truly cannot face getting them hooked up with anything else!

Can't you just delete the comment? That simple...

Generally in my experience the more highly educated the person, the more thoughtless/stupid comments they make!

My immediate thought is autocorrect too. My parents are totally rubbish with social media although they do have Facebook accounts to follow pictures we post of family stuff. I have had very odd comments written in the past.... Also once posted, the parents have no idea how to remove what they've written, and also no idea that it can be seen not only by me, but by my FB friends too.

I can and will delete the comment. What troubles me is that my child's grandparent thinks that's OK. The comment can be deleted in a second, the attitude not so much.

I felt icky just reading your title! Yanbu.

Clearly MIL disapproves

This is one of those things where you'll know better than us what she is likely to have meant. Does it seem from what you know of her that's it's more likely that she is misusing the word or that she is saying yopur sic year old looks like she's "capable of exciting string sexual desire"?