The way partners speak about each other in public is a mirror of the emotional foundation in private. Public teasing isn’t just a social moment; people often don’t realise they’re breaching their partner’s boundaries, or they think it’s acceptable. Neha Dhupia recently made waves by calling out jokes about wives, marriages, and women’s appearances that are often normalised at family and social gatherings. Speaking on Off The Fame by Bollywood Bubble, she said such comments are usually dismissed as “fun” or “dark humour” even when they make women uncomfortable.“Cracking wife jokes, marriage jokes, sitting in a social setting..Like,’ yaar shaadi karke phas gaye’ — these are not jokes. If you are doing this just because your wife is sitting, and you think you’re being cool, you’re being funny — you’re not. The woman also doesn’t have a choice. She’s also laughing. I have seen myself snap at that uncle, that distant relative. Somewhere, you need to break that chain.”Drisha Dey, a consultant psychologist, said that sometimes people put their partners down to feel better about themselves, a behaviour more common in insecure individuals.“When someone becomes the punchline in a group, their nervous system reads it as exposure and social threat. The body registers subtle shame and fear long before the mind rationalises it. And when such moments are repeated without acknowledgement or repair, the brain begins to associate public settings with a lack of safety,” she explained.According to the expert, over time, partners start to withdraw emotionally — by laughing less, sharing less, and trusting less.“It’s important to note the intent behind these jokes, as the negative connotations can be sensed even if they’re not easily identifiable,” said Srishti Vatsa, counselling psychologist. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Brief India (@thebrief.in)Drawing the lineVatsa believes it is necessary to understand your audience. Biting humor has a fine line between being funny and being disrespectful, while Dey added that when it comes to making jokes about one’s partner in a public setting, one should ensure not to touch upon the conventional areas that might hurt their partner. “Avoid bringing up their height and weight, or soci0-economic background,” she suggested.Once such a mistake is made, knowingly or unknowingly, partners tend to lose trust and feel disconnected. “Apology and accountability are crucial in rectifying such situations,” said Vatsa. She advised showing genuine remorse through actions and promising never to repeat the behavior.Story continues below this adALSO READ | ‘Mere friends bohot chale gaye’: Neha Dhupia reflects on life after motherhood, expert explains emotional impact of changing relationships“Even in healthy couples, making offensive jokes in social settings can lead partners to question each other and lose respect,” noted the psychologist, calling it a form of disloyalty in a relationship, characterised by not having a partner’s back when they are supposed to work as a team.Offer a sincere apology without excuses. “There’s no point in trying to justify why you did what you did as you cannot go back in time and prevent the situation from unfolding. Ensure you ask your partner to specify their boundaries so that you do not repeat the same mistake,” concluded Vatsa.DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to.