- Woman hits out at favourable treatment given to brother’s girlfriend by her parents since she moved into the family home
- Social media opinion splits, with some saying the aggrieved party should simply move out while others accuse her of being narrow-minded
A tale of jealousy and alleged favouritism within a Hong Kong family has created a humorous debate on the city’s social media thanks to a recent set of posts on the anonymous local forum DiscussHK.
A young woman member of the family recently posted that she wondered if she was adopted because her parents cared too much about her brother’s girlfriend.
The woman’s potential future sister-in-law had recently moved into their home and was “treated like an empress”, the poster said.
Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.
As examples of favouritism, the woman said her brother’s girlfriend was given priority when her parents bought snacks and when she wanted to make pumpkin lanterns the whole family would eat pumpkins together.
The newcomer to the family was also given priority when it came to using the bathroom, so much so that the poster said she would fall asleep waiting her turn without getting washed.
“I wait and wait and get so sleepy that I fall asleep without showering, and the next morning they say I’m dirty because I go to bed without showering,” she said.
The angry woman also said her parents demand she wipe the water off the bathroom floor after showering for fear that their daughter-in-law might slip and fall over.
Most upsetting, she said, was when they went out to eat as a family her parents “sacrificed” her by asking her to share the table with a stranger and give up her seat for her future sister-in-law.
All this made the displaced woman say: “I am your biological child. Why do I feel like an outsider now?”
Opinion on the matter was split among commenters.
Some suggested: “Just move out! Argue with them then move out and do what you like”.
While others speculated: “Are your parents in a hurry to have grandchildren?”
However, some observers thought aggrieved woman was in the wrong: “The fact that you bring up such trivial things proves that you are too narrow-minded.”
More Articles from SCMP
Japanese Wagyu producers hope to beef up exports as locals shy away from red meat
What is face yoga and why do celebrities love it? Gwyneth Paltrow, Meghan Markle, Madonna and millions of Gen Z social media users are fans of the ‘skinimalist’ beauty trend – so does it really work?
Hong Kong hawker, 90, who had chestnut cart confiscated appeals to authorities to change ‘outdated’ legislation governing trade
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.
Copyright (c) 2023. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.