The close yet complicated relationship between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law, along with demands from in-laws, are topics that always spark heated debate online. Recently, two pieces of news concerning daughters-in-law—breaking simultaneously in online communities and the entertainment industry—have stirred up both frustration and bitterness. From deeply realistic family conflicts to witch hunts against innocent celebrity families, the complex societal gaze hidden behind the label of 'daughter-in-law' has been laid bare.

The spark was first lit by a story posted on an online community. A wife of two years expressed her frustration, revealing that her husband had asked her to hold ancestral rites for his stepmother’s parents. In essence, he was asking his wife to prepare a memorial table for the relatives of his stepmother—people with whom she shares no blood relation. Netizens strongly criticized the husband's excessive demand, noting that even rites for one's own parents are being simplified these days, and calling this request far out of line. It is a bitter testament to the fact that archaic perspectives—which demand one-sided sacrifices from daughters-in-law under the guise of family duty—still persist.

Another controversy took a somewhat absurd turn. After YouTuber Park We faced recent criticism over a debacle involving a safety guard, some netizens began taking out their misplaced anger on his family. They targeted a heartwarming story mentioned by Park We's wife, singer Song Ji-eun, during her past appearance on the MBC variety show 'Radio Star' regarding a clothing gift from her mother-in-law. At the time, Song Ji-eun had shared how touched she was that her mother-in-law had gifted her a cherished piece of clothing, but some malicious commenters twisted this, baselessly attacking it as an attempt by the mother-in-law to assert dominance by giving her daughter-in-law 'used clothes'.

There is a strange contrast between the realistic struggle of a daughter-in-law facing unreasonable demands within her family, and the twisted public discourse that distorts even heartwarming anecdotes between celebrity in-laws into weapons of attack. Ultimately, both incidents clearly demonstrate how sensitively the position of a 'daughter-in-law' is consumed in our society, and how easily the public becomes emotionally invested in this topic.

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