"I’ll Give You a 10 Million Won Designer Handbag, but Don’t Carry It When You Visit Your Parents"—Mother-in-Law’s Bizarre Condition [What Do You Think?]

[Financial News] An online controversy has erupted over the story of a daughter-in-law who felt offended after receiving a luxury designer handbag worth more than 10 million won as a birthday gift from her mother-in-law, with the condition that she not carry it when visiting her own parents.
News 1 reported on the first that a post titled "My mother-in-law gave me a 10 million won handbag and says I must never carry it when visiting my parents" was recently uploaded to an online community.
The writer, identified as Ms. A, said she had been married for two years. For her recent birthday, she received a limited-edition handbag from a luxury brand worth well over 10 million won from her mother-in-law. Although she was aware that her in-laws were financially well-off, Ms. A said the unexpectedly lavish gift moved her to tears at first.
However, her mother-in-law attached an unexpected condition when handing over the gift. She told her, "Only carry it to family events or when going out with us, and never carry it when you visit your parents."
When Ms. A asked why, her mother-in-law cited consideration for her parents. She said, "If your parents see a bag like this given their financial circumstances, they might feel uncomfortable or think there was no point in raising a child," adding, "They might also worry that we bought it beyond our means, don’t you think?" Her husband, who was there, also sided with his mother, saying, "Mom was only trying to be considerate, so why do you look so upset?"
Ms. A later confessed that she was overcome by deep disillusionment. She said, "Whenever I look at the gift, I think of my parents and feel weighed down. I feel as if I’ve become a doll being managed to match my in-laws’ status," and asked for advice, adding, "I don’t know whether this is meant to draw a line by disregarding my parents’ financial situation or whether it is truly consideration. It clearly feels like gaslighting."
Reactions from internet users who read the story were sharply divided.
Some criticized the in-laws and the husband, saying, "It’s an arrogant attitude that openly looks down on her parents and treats the daughter-in-law like a puppet," "Telling her to carry it only at the in-laws’ events is itself gaslighting and a display of vanity," and "The bigger problem is that even her husband fails to empathize with her."
Others offered a different view, saying, "The wording was somewhat blunt, but it could have been practical advice that took the economic gap between the two families into account," and "It was an expensive gift given with good intentions, so there’s no need to interpret it in an excessively negative way."
[email protected] Moon Young-jin Reporter