Many would love to be surprised with a pair of Christian Louboutins on their birthday—and Cairo Aibangbee's mom is no exception. However, when the birthday girl realized that she wasn't a fan of the shoes her family had picked out, she didn't refrain from speaking her mind.
A video of the scene has gone viral, and viewers are praising her frank response to the gift.
Known for their iconic bright red soles, Christian Louboutins are among the most coveted luxury shoes on the market. A single pair of his stilettos costs somewhere in the $800 range—making them a major investment.
However, when Aibangbee and her family presented their mom with the high-end heels, things appeared to not go quite as planned. Shared by Aibangbee on TikTok, the video of her mom's reaction to the gift, found here, has been viewed nearly 5.9 million times, racking up a million likes and 18,000 comments over the past several days.
"I feel so special, thank you," says Aibangbee's mom as she begins to open the gift wrapping. When she sees that the box inside has a Christian Louboutin logo, she screams in delight. "Oh my god!" she says.
Things take a turn when she opens the box and peers at the shoes for the first time. As she does so, her demeanor changes. "No," she says, picking up one of the shoes. "They're ok, but they're not me."
She goes on to call the shoes "so awful" and adds she is "so sorry" for not liking the pair they had picked out.
Luckily, they had held onto the gift receipt, meaning that Aibangbee's mom would have no trouble exchanging the Louboutins for another pair.
As the video blew up on the platform, viewers were quick to praise Aibangbee's mom's unfiltered response, with many calling to "normalize" being honest about not liking gifts.
"I love this," wrote one commenter. "You can tell how much love and respect [there] is between this family."
"I actually love that she was totally honest with you!" echoed another. "She was so sweet about the whole experience!"
Others added that they'd want the same response if they were in Aibangbee's situation.
"I would always rather someone tell me if they don't like it," explained one viewer. "We can fix that! Let's not waste the money!"
Many more viewers, meanwhile, simply loved the video's hilarious plot-twist ending. "I'm dying," wrote one commenter. "This was such a rollercoaster of emotions."
Despite the snafu, it appears that Aibangbee's mom has successfully exchanged her gift for a different pair of shoes, as per an update video posted a couple of days later.
Showing off her pair of classic, black, Louboutin flats, she explains why these were the perfect pair: "Because I can wear them all the time."
Newsweek has reached out to Aibangbee for additional comment but did not receive a response in time for publication
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