17-year-old girl ruins sister's $500 dress with nail polish, refuses to pay her back for it: 'My parents are upset with me for ruining the family vibe'

Author image for JR Atkinson
JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Feb 8, 2025 3:00 PM EST

Being attached to clothing items is a real thing. It may not seem reasonable to some of you, but I get it. If you wore a jacket, say, when you first met your now husband, you might feel attached to it. If you stumbled upon a rare vintage skirt at a random thrift shop on your vacation, you might be attached to it. If a certain t-shirt fits you exactly right, you might be attached to it. Clothes are very sentimental items. There are a few things in my closet that I would be absolutely devastated to lose. Not to mention if you spent a lot of money on a certain piece. You might be extra protective of it then.

Accidents happen, though, and nothing in life is permanent. But that doesn't stop you from getting upset at things that could potentially go wrong. Like in this story, when a precious piece of clothing was ruined.

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  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 10464360192
    via Unsplash+ (Karolina Grabowska)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • Not everyone was in agreement about how they should go forward, though. The parents wanted everyone to forgive and forget, and go along keeping the peace on all fronts. The sister, though, had a different idea about how the situation should be rectified. Read on for the story and see what you think. 

  • 02

    AITA for making my younger sister pay for my dream dress after she ruined it?

    Okay, so this is a bit messy. I (22F) have always dreamed of wearing a specific dress for a special event. It's a vintage-style evening gown, pale blue with silver accents, and I saved for months to buy it. The dress was expensive for me-around $500- but it was worth every penny. I was planning to wear it to a formal gala my university hosts every year.
    via u/IvyWhisperss
  • 03
    Here's where my sister (17F), let's call her Emma, comes in. Emma is a typical teenager, loves TikTok trends, always trying new styles. Last weekend, she begged me to try on the dress. I was hesitant but eventually said yes under one condition: she had to stay in my room with no makeup, food, or drinks near it. She agreed, and I thought it would be fine.
    via u/IvyWhisperss
  • 04
    An hour later, I walked into my room to see Emma panicking. She had spilled bright pink nail polish on the front of the dress. She tried scrubbing it off, which only made it worse. I was devastated. I told her she needed to either get it professionally cleaned or pay me back since the dress was now essentially ruined.
    via u/IvyWhisperss
  • 05
    Emma cried and said she didn't have that kind of money. My parents think I'm being too harsh, arguing that she's a kid and it was an accident. They say I should let it go or share the cost of repairs with her. I stood my ground and said that she needs to face the consequences of her carelessness.
    via u/IvyWhisperss
  • 06
    Now Emma's been giving me the silent treatment, and my parents are upset with me for "ruining the family vibe." I'm not rich, and I worked hard to afford that dress. I feel like it's only fair for Emma to take responsibility. But part of me wonders if I'm being too harsh since she is still a teenager. So, AITA for demanding that my sister pay for the damage to my dress?
    via u/IvyWhisperss
  • 07

    Commenters came to the sister's defense and offered advice on how to go forward.

    SugarSprinkless • 10h ago You're not harshh for making her pay the dress she ruined.. it's just holding her accountable, even if your family would rather sweep it under the rug.
    via u/SugarSprinkless
  • 08
    Honey-Halo_12 • 10h ago NTA. She broke your rules, damaged your dress, and should take responsibility. It's not harsh—it's teaching accountability. Maybe set up a payment plan if she can't pay all at once.
    via u/Honey-Halo_12
  • 09
    Turbulent_Ebb5... . • 10h ago NTA. She knew the terms and decided nail polish was a good idea? Was this possibly on purpose?
    via u/Turbulent_Ebb5669
  • 10
    dr-pebbles 9h ago Absolutely. OP was very clear about the conditions for trying on the dress. A 17-year- old is not a little child. She is old enough to know better than to open nail polish anywhere near something that is cherished, expensive, antique, irreplaceable, etc. She is also old enough to be held accountable for her mistakes. She should absolutely reimburse OP
    via u/dr-pebbles
  • 11
    for the dress. Shame on OP's parents for coddling a 17-year-old and teaching her that she is not responsible for her actions. My parents would have required me to repay my sibling. If I couldn't afford to do it all at once, they would have reimbursed my sibling and deducted it from my allowance until they were repaid.
    via u/dr-pebbles
  • 12
    Cheezburger Image 10464360448
    via Unsplash+ (Kateryna Hliznitsova)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 13
    LadyDerri 10h ago Not too harsh in any way. She knew what she was doing. Why would she even have an open bottle of polish anywhere near your dress?
    via u/LadyDerri
  • 14
    Ford Warrier . 10h ago Take it to a cleaners to see if the polish can even be removed or the dress repaired. If it can, Emma needs to pay for it. She was careless, what made her think she should even open up a bottle of nail polish while wearing your dress. Never let Emma try on anything again.
    via u/FordWarrier
  • 15
    U_Wont_Remem... • 10h ago Your sister wanted to wear your dress or tear your dress? Is she the golden child by any chance? Gets whatever she wants and gets away with anything? I bet she doesn't like you having nice things either. What's yours is hers, or what's she's not allowed to have neither are you.
    via u/U_Wont_Remember_Me
  • 16
    cull_berry 10h ago • I agree that you should be reimbursed. What on earth was she doing with nail polish?? At 17 it's important to know, or learn, that actions have consequences. If she had damaged someone else's property, would not her parents be liable? I think as long as you're handling things in a respectful way, you're NTAH.
    via u/cull_berry
  • 17
    sofia_lee12 • 10h ago NTA. Your sister was careless with your valuable and sentimental possession. It's reasonable to expect her to take responsibility for the damage she caused.
    via u/sofia_lee12
  • 18
    One_Yak8698 · 10h ago NTA- I am so sorry, that's absolutely horrible! Your sister and parents are 100% TA!!! How did this even happen?! She definitely did this on purpose or as some online prank trend. Your parents can pay for your dress or she can. The
    via u/One_Yak8698
  • 19
    amount is over the minimum required for small claims. court if you're in the USA. 500$ isn't change, that's something you worked for, something you planned on. Do not let them gaslight you. If she's just a kid- than she can't be trusted with any plates, bowls, or cups that aren't plastic, she can't
    via u/One_Yak8698
  • 20
    drive, she can't be left home alone, she can't use silverware, or be trusted to brush her own teeth or take a bath. There is more to this story than you're getting & your parents are trying to make this your problem so they or she doesn't have to replace/pay for it. Do you have someone not you who
    via u/One_Yak8698
  • 21
    can check your sisters social media pages to see if this was a prank? Or if she posted anything about ruining it on purpose? Is your sister the "favorite"? | can't imagine having a 17 year child do something that reckless and be an "accident". Was she jealous it was yours? Did you guys argue or fight recently?!
    via u/One_Yak8698
  • 22
    Malphas43 9h ago Well, SOMEONE needs to pay to fix/replace the dress. and it should not be you. If not your sister than definitely your parents should be covering the cost or splitting it with emma.
    via u/Malphas43
  • 23
    Artinell 4h ago Ah, gotta love the "they are just a kid" sh just to get out of paying. Like that ever gets rid of any consequences...
    via u/Artinell
  • 24
    Cosmicshimmer • 4h ago If she had done that in the shop, she would have had to pay. She doesn't get to destroy your possessions and just shrug her shoulders, if she can't pay, it should fall on her/your parents. NTA.
    via u/Cosmicshimmer

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aita AITAH sibling rivalry sibling memes siblings money problems reddit story family feud family sibling sister dress reddit thread Reddit money vintage vintage dress entitled people
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