Normally I would think this is just another made-up word to bag men with. But in this case you women actually have a point. And yes, I know it’s been around a while, however …
When a video of one woman wedged tightly between two manspreaders on a flight surfaced, the reaction online was a mixture of verbal glares and hubristic rebuttals.
[…] Last month, Canadian model and stylist Erin Rempel posted her TikTok with the overlaid text “female rage”, filming herself squished between two men widely stretching their legs on an hour-and-a-half-long Flair flight from Edmonton to Winnipeg, Canada.
As she edged her legs to the left – demonstrating a need for space and discomfort – the man on her right responded by moving his leg closer to hers.
If you take a look at the video, this isn’t two guys being inconsiderate. It was done on purpose. It was deliberate. You could even call it bullying.
The 17-second video has racked up more than 17 million views and nearly 40,000 comments. The most-liked one: “It’s on purpose, probably to feel you up too. They do it cause you let them, you gotta speak up or they’ll take advantage.”
Defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary as the “act or practice by a man of sitting with the legs spread wide apart (as in a public seating area) in a way that intrudes on the space of others”, the term manspreading became popular after the blog Men Taking Up Too Much Space on the Train was posted on Tumblr in 2013.
[…] In the age of the internet, though, exposing manspreaders on social media has become a popular Thing To Do – particularly in discussions of plane etiquette. On the popular subreddit Two X Chromosomes, one user wrote, “your comfort does not expand into my space or ribcage, f*** you very much.”
[…] But why do manspreaders spread the way they do in the first place?
If you consulted Reddit, it all boils down to the ‘family jewels’.
“Men spread their legs because we have two sensitive and important hanging balls that do uncomfortable things like chafe, sweat and get heat rashes if we don’t,” wrote one user on the subreddit, “Jordan Peterson”.
According to spinal neurosurgeon John Sutcliffe, it has more to do with a man’s physical needs than his ego.
Speaking to the Independent, Sutcliffe said: “The overall width of the pelvis is relatively greater in females and the angle of the femoral neck is more acute. These factors could play a role in making a position of sitting with the knees close together less comfortable in men.”
Which is of course is complete crap. If you really had to sit like that you’d also walk like you were a chimpanzee.
“Manspreading” is something I would often see on the bus when I was taking public transport. Hell, often I would sit next to some guy who would push my knees to the side with his, as if his nuts needed room to breathe. What’s worse is that I can’t stand strangers touching me so, without trying to sound like some beta-male, I can only imagine what it’s like for you women.
So guys, please. Don’t go sitting like you’ve got balls the size of grapefruits. All it does is show the world you’ve got a pair of marbles.
