Uh Oh, Redditor Says Her Boyfriend Won’t Stop Calling Her ‘Tony Pizza’ and She Hates It

Hopefully, you’re lucky enough to have someone in your life who calls you by a nickname you love. Maybe that nickname is Petal, or Princess, or Itty Bitty Baby Bear, or Shmoopykins. What’s important is that you like it, right?

Or maybe you have someone in your life who calls you by a nickname you hate, and they won’t stop doing it now matter how much you beg. Maybe that person is your boyfriend. Maybe that nickname is “Tony Pizza.”

That’s exactly what’s happening in this Reddit thread.

Here’s the usual Reddit disclaimer: who knows if these stories are true, people make up Reddit stuff all the time to get attention, Tony Pizza and her BF might be utter fabrications of someone’s revved-up imagination, etc., etc. Yes, we know it might be fake. Don’t harsh our vibe. Let’s move on.

The writer explains that she’s been dating her boyfriend for four months, and in that time, he’s come up with several nicknames for her, including “Little Stubbster” and “Sour Meat.” Now he’s started calling her “Tony Pizza,” uses that nickname more often than her real name, and refuses to stop even after multiple conversations.

Before we get into what your partner’s pet name says about them (and trust me, I’ve got Stuff To Say about that), let’s take a second to just scream into the void about the fact that he’s calling this person TONY PIZZA. There has to be a story behind this nickname. There HAS TO BE. I mean, was she eating pizza?? Did she mention liking pizza at some point? Did he walk in on her posing in front of her mirror going, “It’s me, Tony Pizza! Have some pepperoni, kids!” Why is he telling her that he “just can’t think of anything better?” Why is she resigned to being Tony Pizza at the end? WHAT IS THIS REDDIT POST NOT SAYING?!?

Ahem. On a (slightly) more serious note, embedded in this truly weird situation is some good life advice. If you feel compelled to give someone a nickname, ask them how they feel about it first. If they don’t like it, then don’t call them that, and also ask yourself why you felt the need to give them that nickname in the first place! Especially if it’s something obviously insulting, like “Little Stubbster!” It could be that you’re a big jerk!

Conversely, if you’re in a relationship with someone who’s giving you unwanted nicknames, or who insists on calling you a nickname that you hate, then kick that big jerk to the curb! If they refuse to call you by your name, and instead cling to some cartoonish version of you that makes you feel bad about yourself, then that means they don’t really see you as a human being. At the very least, they lack the empathy to understand or care that they’re making you unhappy.

So, Reddit poster, if you’re real and you’re out there reading this: it is time to dump your boyfriend. Be free, my friend. Be free.

(featured image: Cartoon Network)