'AITA for gifting my girlfriend a birthday present she can’t stand?'

The internet has rallied behind a man who faced backlash for buying his girlfriend the wrong vanity set for her birthday, with many feeling his intentions were misunderstood.

The scenario was shared by Original Poster (OP), on Reddit's 'Am I The A**hole' (AITA) forum, where it sparked a debate and garnered thousands of responses.

AITA for gifting my girlfriend a present that didn’t hit the mark?

In the Reddit post titled "AITA for getting my girlfriend a birthday gift she hates?" OP begins by providing some context, "I feel like this is kinda overreacting but maybe I’m just wrong. My girlfriend’s (26F) birthday was coming up and I wanted to get her something really nice. I’ve noticed throughout our whole relationship that she does her makeup on the floor in front of a mirror and it always looks so uncomfortable. She has complained of it several times, so I decided it would be a great idea to get her a vanity set."

He continues, "I did some research and I found a couple she would like, but I knew she was picky and so I asked her if she was planning on buying a vanity set ever. She showed me the vanity set she wanted and I made sure to add that set to my Amazon list. A few months went by and I was ready to buy the set but I come to find out that it was sold out."

OP went on, "I desperately looked at other sites and the manufacturer, but the set would not come for over a month after her birthday (keep in mind that I decided to buy it a month before, so it was not last minute). I still felt bad and so I decided to spend some more time researching what set to buy. I finally came across one that matched the style and color of other furniture that she had purchased and it was more expensive than the one she wanted so I bought it thinking she’d like it even if it was the one she didn’t ask for. I WAS WRONG. My girlfriend’s birthday finally comes around and she goes off to her sisters while I spend 2 hours building this set right after work."

When his girlfriend came home, OP could immediately tell something was wrong. He explained, "When she finally comes home and I show it to her, I could clearly tell something was wrong. She was quiet and didn’t seem too happy. She then started bawling her eyes out saying that she hates it because it wasn’t the one she wanted. I explained to her that I couldn’t get the one she wanted yet but if she didn’t like it that much I could wait for it to come back and buy it and sell the one I just bought it. That only made her even more mad and upset."

OP was left confused and hurt by her reaction. "She then went on a rant about how she hates birthdays and that I shouldn’t have gotten her anything. Again, this vanity set matches everything else she likes and it wasn’t some cheap set. She told me to simply sell the set and keep the money because she does not want anything from me on her birthday. AITA for getting her the wrong set?" he said.

Internet supports OP who bought girlfriend the wrong vanity set for her birthday

The post sparked several reactions from Reddit users, with many supporting OP’s thoughtful gesture. One user wrote, “NTA. Her reaction is ridiculous, rude and so ungrateful. This is not how a mature adult behaves upon receiving a gift they don’t love. I suppose I could understand her feeling disappointed (you know inside her head) that it wasn’t the exact one she wanted but then you offered to get that one and that still was t good enough?? She’s TA here."

Another user added, “Yeah, WTF? An adult woman bawling her eyes out because she didn't get the exact set she wanted? That behavior wouldn't fly with a 10yo, let alone an adult."

The other user wrote, "What I don't get is why she didn't buy herself a vanity set or at least put up some table there. The situation seems to be the going on for at least months and she never tried to change anything for herself but complain. Daily. You don't have to wait for someone to save you from sitting on the floor.

OP is clearly NTA but I simply can't stand the behavior of his girlfriend."

"She hates it because it wasn’t the one she wanted. Run. 26 is too old for this behavior, every day you stay in this relationship is a day of your life you will never get back. NTA," a user shared while another user wrote, "Talk to her and find out if something else is going on. There is more to this z."

Another user wrote, "What gets me is the “I hate birthdays.” Birthdays can bring up past trauma, bad memories, or upsetting feelings about someone’s life and mortality. It can be a very emotional day for some people. If she’s already emotionally on edge I can see this reaction making a lot more sense. Not OP’s fault of course. Hopefully they can talk it out."

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