AITA for blocking my SIL’s camera when she tried to film me at my own birthday dinner?

I told my influencer SIL not to film me at my birthday dinner. She agreed — then shoved her camera in my face anyway during the cake reveal, and I covered the lens. Now she says I “humiliated” her and ruined her job.

My husband and I set up a small birthday dinner at a nice but normal restaurant — just him, his sister Lina, his mom, and two friends. Lina is an “influencer,” which basically means she is constantly filming. Forks, plates, people chewing, breathing — all of it ends up in her content. Because she has filmed me before without permission, and even posted me against my will, I sent a clear message in our family group chat three days beforehand: please do not film my face. Film the food, the room, whatever else — just not me. She replied, “got u.” We sat down, and within minutes her phone was up. I quietly reminded her: “please don’t point it at me.” She brushed it off with “you look great, it’s just vibes,” but my husband backed me and said, “she said no.” Lina rolled her eyes but lowered the phone — for all of two minutes. Then the staff brought out the cake with sparklers and the birthday song. Lina jumped up, aimed her phone directly at my face, and announced, “birthday girl reveal!” I quickly put my hand over the lens and said “stop.” I didn’t touch her, just blocked the camera for a second.

I set a boundary in writing — she ignored it, then blamed me for “ruining her shot” at my own birthday dinner.

Lina snapped that I “ruined her shot” and that this was her “job.” My MIL chimed in and told me to “let it go for one night,” and all I could say was, “It’s my night — actually.” It got awkward fast. The server was right there, and Lina kept muttering about how she had to “scrap everything.” I ended up paying for my own dessert and we wrapped up early. The next morning, Lina texted saying I “humiliated” her and made her look unprofessional. My MIL told me I should’ve just moved seats if I didn’t want to be filmed. Even my husband said the boundary was fair but that maybe I “made a scene” by blocking the lens when attention was already on me during the song.

"You look great — it's just vibes."

I’ve asked Lina in the past to blur or remove videos she posted of me, and it always turns into drama. That’s why I set the boundary clearly beforehand: no filming my face. I know it was a public place and yes, I physically blocked her shot, but I don’t want to be online without consent — especially not on my own birthday. Still, I’m wondering if the timing of it makes me the AH.

🏠 The Aftermath

Lina is furious and claiming I embarrassed her professionally. MIL has chosen her side, saying I should have accommodated the filming since it was a “special occasion.” My husband is stuck in the middle — he agrees my boundary is reasonable but thinks I could have handled the moment differently.

At their house: resentment, dramatic texts, and accusations of “ruining her content.” At mine: just me wondering how defending my own privacy somehow became a crime. I didn’t scream, didn’t grab the phone, didn’t make a scene — I just covered a camera lens.

The fallout has strained my relationship with Lina and made future family events feel like a minefield. Now everything feels tense over a simple, reasonable request: don’t film me without my consent.

"It’s my birthday. I get to decide who films my face."

The irony is that if Lina had respected the boundary the first time, none of this would’ve happened. But she didn’t — because to her, content comes before people.

💭 Emotional Reflection

This wasn’t about one video — it was about consent. Lina decided her content was more important than your comfort, your privacy, and your clearly stated boundary. When someone warns you ahead of time, politely repeats it at dinner, and you still ignore them, that’s on the filmer — not the person who protected themselves.

Could the moment have been less awkward? Sure, but awkward doesn’t mean wrong. Blocking a camera is the mildest, calmest way to enforce a boundary when someone pushes it after multiple reminders. The real issue is that Lina thinks having a phone in her hand gives her ownership over other people's faces.

Reasonable people will see this as a classic consent vs. entitlement conflict — not a birthday meltdown. And ultimately, no one is obligated to become content for someone else’s personal brand.

Here’s how the community might see it:

“You set a boundary in writing. She ignored it. You enforced it calmly. That’s not humiliation — that’s self-respect.”

“Influencers don’t own the people around them. Consent matters, even during birthdays.”

“MIL saying *you* should move seats so her daughter can film is wild.”

Most responses will likely land on the side of bodily autonomy, reasonable boundaries, and the difference between being inconvenient and being wrong.

🌱 Final Thoughts

You asked politely. You reiterated your boundary in person. She ignored it because it didn’t suit her content needs. Covering the lens was a minimal, non-confrontational action. Her embarrassment didn’t come from you — it came from her entitlement.

No one should feel obligated to become footage. Especially not on their own birthday. Especially not after saying no.

What do you think?
Is blocking a camera “making a scene,” or was it the only way to enforce a boundary that was already ignored twice? Share your thoughts below 👇