The internet was abuzz with reactions after a woman, known as u/notalaskakidd or Not Alaska, shared her extraordinary story on Reddit’s “Am I the A**hole?” subreddit.
Her post revolved around breaking up with her boyfriend over the Barbie movie, which featured feminist themes.
Not Alaska described how her boyfriend reacted uncomfortably during the movie, expressing offense and stating it was something she should have watched with her girlfriends instead of him. This incident was the tipping point, given his history of making disrespectful comments about women and the LGBT+ community.
The breakup was not without complications, as her boyfriend had been living with her for six months. After the split, Not Alaska asked him to leave, assuming he had somewhere else to go. However, she later discovered he had no place to stay and his location showed he was two states away, leading to feelings of guilt and responsibility.
She said:
“Three days ago my boyfriend and I went to go see the Barbiemovie,”
“I’ve been really excited as I’m a huge Greta Gerwig fan and other than [Ryan Gosling] being in the movie, my boyfriend knew nothing else about it. I, on the other hand, was aware of its feminist themes and was secretly hoping my boyfriend would get the message.”
“Over the duration of the movie, I could tell he was getting more and more uncomfortable and upset, and I was getting really sad (both from the movie and his reaction). I knew we would end up having a conversation about it afterwards.”
“He didn’t talk to me until we got in the car. He then told me that he was really offended by the movie and said that it was the kind of thing I should have watched with my girlfriends and not with him.”
“The complicated part is this: he lived with me. He has been in between serving jobs and since he was my freaking boyfriend, I let him move in with me six months ago.”
“Living with him is a whole other story but I couldn’t take it anymore and [after the breakup] had him leave my apartment the next day. I stayed at my friend’s house while he packed up his stuff. He said he understood and that he ‘didn’t want to live with me another second anyway.'”
“I assumed he had a place to go, but apparently he didn’t; his brother called me a few hours ago saying he’s MIA. His friends are blowing up my phone too, saying the same thing. I feel like this is all my fault. No one has heard from him in 24 hours.”
“I did think it was weird when I came home and all the food in the fridge was gone, all the batteries in our electronics drawer were gone, and he took my phone charger and half the blankets.”
“I know now he did not in fact have anywhere to go — or a car. he had been using mine since his engine busted last month. The worst part is we still have his location and it’s saying he is two states away. I don’t know how he got there. I can’t believe this is all because of the freaking Barbiemovie.”
“He sounds like he was an awful person. It’s a movie, for f—k’s sake. If he was so deeply offended by a movie with feminist themes then that’s his problem, and it shouldn’t be yours.”
“It sounds like he knows someone a couple states away and is trying to make everyone think you made him homeless — a ‘look at what she did to me’ kind of thing. You are ABSOLUTELY not the a**hole. I’m happy you got out of it before his behavior turned even worse for you.”
“He denigrates women, but is completely relying on one for income, shelter, transportation, and sustenance? Lol. If he is a grown man, who is apparently much superior to all of womankind, he can figure out how to get himself back on his feet.”
Not Alaska reponded, adding:
“The way I found out was actually kind of funny. His brother has been keeping me semi-updated on this missing Ken situation… His brother even thanked me for ‘taking care of [him] for as long as [I] did’. [The brother] texted me this morning around 9 a.m. saying that we don’t need to worry anymore because he’s at their cousin’s house in Colorado Springs. Then, around noon I got multiple calls from a friend of his saying that he’d heard from him.”
“He’s telling me stuff like ‘[he] is literally so much happier now that you’ve let him go’ and that ‘[he] just felt bad for me’ and that I was ‘charity work.’ And then he said, ‘now [he’s] with his main for real. [He’s] getting some real p— now…” And literally paused. I asked him to clarify and he gave me that ‘oh shiii’ laughing thing boys do when they say something they weren’t supposed to. Then he said ‘f**k you’ and hung up.”
“The potentially wildest part (that’s been getting to me) is that he definitely is at his cousin’s house. His brother confirmed it. I’ve seen his cousin on his Insta feed before and she’s literally stunning. He said she’s his second cousin and I don’t really know how related they are… [but] if this is real I can’t even comprehend what this means. [Even if] it’s not real…I think it’s the perfect ending to this story.”
Not Alaska’s story sparked a range of emotions among readers, but the consensus remained that she made the right decision in ending the relationship with her disrespectful and unfaithful partner. The lesson to be learned from this extraordinary tale is clear: prioritize self-respect and well-being and don’t hesitate to leave toxic relationships behind.
