Family dynamics can be tricky, especially when different generations clash over personal choices.

In this story, a woman finds herself at odds with her sister over a seemingly simple issue: shaving her legs.

It can be a touchy subject for some!

Read on…

AITA for “influencing” my niece into “bad habits”?

I (30f) am currently staying with my sister (32F), her husband (35M) and their two daughters “Amber” (11) and “Rosie” (7) as my company put me on a temporary secondment near where they live.

I consider myself to be a “feminine” woman. I love dresses, makeup, high heels etc.

However, I do not shave my legs.

Not for any particular reason. I don’t do it to make a statement or to “fight the patriarchy” or anything like that.

So far, nothing too controversial, right?

My sister and I have thick, dark leg hair (dad’s side of the family is Arabic) so our mother (who is white english) insisted we start shaving as soon as the hair started growing.

But it always felt like something I “had” to do rather than wanted to do, so I stopped when I was about 16-17.

Amber and I have bonded over fashion. She loves my dresses, tries on my heels and I’m teaching her my more creative makeup styles.

Sounds like a great aunt/niece relationship.

I’m seeing someone at the moment and went for dinner with him last night. It’s warm here so I wore a dress with my legs bare.

Amber always comes to look at my outfits before I go out. She knows I don’t shave but has never brought it up before.

However, she’s recently started shaving herself.

When she came she asked me why I do my hair and makeup and dress up but don’t shave. She said she thought shaving was part of the whole dress-up/get ready routine for girls.

I just shrugged and said there’s more than one way to be a girly girl.

My date went well, but when I got home my sister was waiting for me.

She said I’ve been “putting ideas in her daughter’s head” and that now Amber is asking if it’s OK if she stops shaving.

She warned me that if I try to “influence” her daughter I would be kicked out.

Wait. What?

I don’t think I did anything wrong. I didn’t even say that Amber shouldn’t shave.

All I said was that it’s a person’s individual choice whether they do or not, and that it wouldn’t make her any more or less feminine.

AITA?

Accused of corrupting her niece over leg hair? That’s a family drama for the books.

Reddit had a lot to say about this hairy situation…

This person thinks the mom is totally coo-coo.

This commenter thinks there could be something deeper.

And this person thinks Sis is a little hypocritical.

Sometimes, a little leg hair can lead to a lot of family friction.

It seems there is more than one issue with this story.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a daughter who invited herself to her parents’ 40th anniversary vacation for all the wrong reasons.