AITA for telling my adult son that his girlfriend (who happens to be a different race) has terrible body odor ?
The narrator, a 45-year-old white woman, states her belief that body odor from sweating is not exclusive to any single race, noting that she and many other white women she knows also have strong body odor when sweating heavily.
She introduces her son's new girlfriend (26F), who is of Korean descent, mentioning that she perceives the girlfriend to have a constant armpit odor, a point also discussed privately with her husband (48M). The narrator attempted to address this sensitive topic privately with her son (22M).
Following this conversation, the son accused her of being racist, which left the narrator highly confused, as she claims she is unaware of any negative racial stereotypes regarding Koreans smelling bad. She concludes by questioning whether her actions made her the 'asshole' in the situation.
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When the Crowd Speaks, It Echoes Loudly:
What started as a simple post quickly turned into a wildfire of opinions, with users chiming in from all sides.
The central conflict revolves around the narrator's attempt to address a perceived physical issue (body odor) with her son's girlfriend, which resulted in the serious accusation of racism from her son.
The narrator is currently positioned between her subjective sensory experience and the negative social consequence of her communication attempt, leading to self-doubt about her intentions and actions.
The core question for debate is whether the narrator's action of pointing out the perceived odor, regardless of her intent or her belief about racial differences in body odor, constitutes an unacceptable intrusion or if her son's reaction was an overreach.
Readers must weigh the sincerity of her desire to help against the cultural sensitivity and potential impact of her comments.