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Original poster

"Mansplaining"

67 replies

Squishedpickle · 06/03/2021 14:12

Hi all

Following an argument with my husband last night, we realised we have different understandings of the word mansplaining and how this ties in to feminist approaches.

Please could you tell me what mansplaining means to you, whether you would use it as a word, and if you align to a particular type of feminism?

Thanks

OP posts:
XDownwiththissortofthingX · 06/03/2021 14:57

I've never used the term, as it doesn't do anything that informing someone they are being a condescending arse does.

Biscuitsanddoombar · 06/03/2021 14:54

It can be both Squished. Both denying and/over riding

My favourite is still the guy on twitter mansplaining astronauting to an actual female astronaut 😆

Regularsizedrudy · 06/03/2021 14:53

Congratulations you’ve married an idiot.

PurpleHoodie · 06/03/2021 14:50

Men mansplaining the experience of ovulation and periods.

Is your husband happy to be put in that type of category of men.

Women - and other men - have words for those types of men. I wont type them here because - I'm laughing too hard - and reasons.

Original poster
Squishedpickle · 06/03/2021 14:42

Another question - do you think mansplaining involves the man actively denying the woman's experience or just ignoring/overriding?

OP posts:
Original poster
Squishedpickle · 06/03/2021 14:41

Good point @MrGHardy. In this case it was just him and me.

OP posts:
Original poster
Squishedpickle · 06/03/2021 14:39

@Spiegelx @Biscuitsanddoombar

Grin GrinGrinStar

OP posts:
MrGHardy · 06/03/2021 14:39

I have one issue with this - what if the man in question explains to everyone, not just women?

A part of the definition needs to be that he does this only to women, not other men.

Ereshkigalangcleg · 06/03/2021 14:34

Spiegel Grin

Biscuitsanddoombar · 06/03/2021 14:32

Ah Squished.....I assume your DH doesn’t understand or believe in patriarchy then

Spiegelx · 06/03/2021 14:29

Sounds like your husband might be mansplaining the term mansplaining ;-)

Original poster
Squishedpickle · 06/03/2021 14:26

Thanks both. That was my interpretation too. He thinks that it's an unacceptable term because it doesn't promote equality or you wouldn't say someone was womansplaining. My view was that's because it's vastly more common phenomena from men to women and that is the way the power dynamic sits

OP posts:
MichelleofzeResistance · 06/03/2021 14:24

I love the graphic. Grin

I have encountered reverse mansplaining, although as a social phenomena rather than any known feminist thing. Which is where some members of a department can appear to only trust in and comprehend information when it has been disseminated by a male member of the leadership team. In that work place it became such a source of amazement and frustration that more than once one of the male leaders intentionally copied and pasted the same email word for word that a female leader had sent out, and the person who had complained that she couldn't get it and couldn't understand from the female manager voiced her gratitude for the better explanation. For some reason seeing a male name in the 'from' column made a big difference.

StrictlyAFemaleFemale · 06/03/2021 14:22

Oh well done biscuits I couldnt get my diagram to upload!

StrictlyAFemaleFemale · 06/03/2021 14:21

Mansplaining is a useful term to describe the subtle yes consistent underestimation of womens abilities on a micro level. I dont align it with any particular form of feminism.

Biscuitsanddoombar · 06/03/2021 14:17

This pretty much sums it up

"Mansplaining"
StillWeRise · 06/03/2021 14:16

Mansplaining= a man explaining something to a woman or telling her something which she already knows.
Especially if she has more experience and expertise in the field than he does.
Sometimes made worse if the man ignores the woman's responses, such as - 'yes, I'm familiar with that, in fact it was the topic of my PhD'
I'm not sure it aligns with a particular type of feminism.