Every time you let someone talk down to you, you’re teaching a lesson called “this is allowed.”

People work out what they can do with you from what happened last time, not from what you believe about yourself. Silence reads as agreement whether you meant it that way or not, and the behaviour gets more comfortable each round. That is not your fault and it is not a lesson about being tougher. It is just how patterns set, without anyone deciding.

You do not need a confrontation. One flat sentence works: say you did not like how that was said, then stop talking. If that feels impossible right now, tell one person you trust, because nobody has to handle this alone.