‘Tera banda ameer hai’: Bengaluru woman’s new iPhone sparks debate on women’s financial independence

What made the comment sting more was their long friendship. She pointed out that he knew her habits well — including the fact that she often picked up the bill when they went out because he was unemployed at the time. He also knew she was uncomfortable accepting costly presents. “I just kept on staring at him, horrified about the way he thinks,” she wrote.

Shaken, Anu later spoke to another close friend, who admitted she had faced similar assumptions in her own life. That conversation prompted Anu to reflect on a broader pattern.

“Why, as a woman, are our achievements blurred out once a man is involved?” she asked in her post, adding that she knows many women who have independently bought homes, cars, funded travel, and supported their families. “When are we going to leave this mindset behind?”

Check out the post:

We both were dating when I bought my first iPhone. I met a friend two days after and his first statement was “Sahi hai bhai, bande ne phone dila diya”

I looked at him curiously and asked that why did he think it’s a gift from my guy and not something I have brought. His reply… pic.twitter.com/w4XjBGFhOQ

— Anu (@Escapeplace__) February 23, 2026

Her thread quickly gained traction, with many women echoing her experience. Several users described feeling pressured to avoid expensive gifts or insist on splitting bills to avoid being judged.

One user wrote, “The reason I never accept any expensive gifts from man, or try to pay bills on dates bcoz moment they start paying these thoughts start hovering my brain ….I feel so much pressure then to be judged for something I’m not.”

Others agreed the bias remains common. “I agree absolutely and similar things have happened to me as well. Friends spl male friends saying such things,” one person commented, while another added, “Omg this is so true. I personally have experienced it so many times. And today only i was talking to this friend and was telling him that i am facing some issue with my phone. His first reply was, date a guy and he will buy you a new one.”