What's the worst mansplaining you've ever been witness to?

[plantbased]

Some bloke just mansplained my own business to me, a business I built myself, from scratch. I built the company, the website, the lot. Utter cockwomble! Obviously he knows better than my oestrogen addled brain grrr

Not sure if this is mansplaining or just dickheadedness but....

While 35 weeks pregnant and getting more nervous about giving birth I was talking to some female colleagues in the office who were giving me their experiences and how they dealt with the pain. My male boss then entered the room and joined in the conversation (actually cutting off one of the women mid sentence) to say 'for him' labour was actually more of a mental thing and that once you've realised what you are feeling is immense pressure NOT PAIN you are through the mental barrier. I've never seen a man be more oblivious to the daggers been thrown at him in a room.

It was astounding tbh...even more so when he emailed me some articles the next day that had 'helped him get through his daughters labour'

😳😳😳

I've had a number of men define mental health issues for me, despite knowing I am a clinical specialist in mental health. I particularly enjoy it when they suggest mental health disorders aren't real.

Do the people who object to the term mansplaining understand that the reason we have it (and not womansplaining) is because our society is patriarchal? And that most people want to do something about that?

When i was 16 the family gp mansplained that his daughter also gets period pain but as she goes to university she just gets on with it 🤔
I also had a delivery guy call me Princess as he explained how a couch could not be carried up the stairs ( there were 2 of them and I'd made a point of adding it to the delivery notes). Asked him to hold on a sec , I called my cousin ( male) who lived 5 mins away to come and help. Funnily enough after he turned up there seemed to be no problem getting the couch up the stairs. And he didn't get called Princess

My male boss then entered the room and joined in the conversation (actually cutting off one of the women mid sentence) to say 'for him' labour was actually more of a mental thing and that once you've realised what you are feeling is immense pressure NOT PAIN you are through the mental barrier.

Did his name start with a J perchance? Older gay guy, very hippie? Generally lovely but desperately out of touch?

Because, if so: I used to work for him. And he explained to me that my period pains were the result of my not having accepted the full extent of my femininity and would go away once I fully embraced my female body on a deeper level.

My fist nearly got through to his teeth on a deeper level that day.

Oh, had a few over the decades! Why do men insist in doing this? Anyone, one particular one I recall was a much much older man (it's always been "much, much older men" for me, sorry but there you go) cutting across the road specifically to tell me how to use the lawn mower I had been using for the past 5 years to cut grass. He then told me how to cut grass. He then added "but you're doing a really good job!". It's fucking grass. It had been mowed. Seriously, why?

Dontforgetyourbrolly, x-post. Strange, I didn't think J was a qualified medical doctor.

I went on a canal boating holiday last year. It was Mansplain Central on the Llangollen canal!

Loads of men on the hire boats acting like experts and barking orders at their wives/partners. There was one family who we alongside for a while - a DH, DW and their two DDs. They were trying to moor behind us and the man was all patronisingly “No, no, we need to do it like this... if I just slow down and steer like this, blah blah...” then proceeded to crash very hard into the bank. Was so funny.

Even DH succumbed a little: with precisely the same experience and amount of time as me at the helm, he said “Well done, you’re doing really well, but a tiny bit slower may have been better” after I successfully negotiated a narrow bridge.
A swift “Fuck off” brought him back to his senses!

I was once stood at a bar next to a man who was explaining to the barmaid that she'd used the wrong glass for his wife's drink, because she was a Lady, and the barmaid had used a Man's Glass, and his wife couldn't be expected to drink from a Man's Glass because she was a female lady woman. What he thought would happen I have no idea, but his poor wife ended up with a tiny lady glass and half the amount of ice and tonic.

@Takenforslanted omg when I first started to read that I was 😱 because his name does begin with a J but he is married with kids to a woman so I assume not gay unless I have missed something spectacularly 😂 other than that though it does sound like him! He once asked me to go talk to a female client who we were trying to butter up about 'girly things'. I asked if I should start with periods or puppies?

According to my plumber, apparently the dripping tap in my kitchen has been caused by me not knowing how to turn it on and off properly and that has worn it out. Bugger me, I've been doing it wrong for over 50 years!

A white man explaining to a more senior black woman what institutional racism is and why it doesn't exist in our organisation.

I don’t think the term “mansplaining” is worth getting arsey about as it seems fit for purpose and is funny. As Is “mumtitlement”

My teenage DS began explaining the menstrual cycle and how it affects the female body to me. I sighed inwardly but gave him a little bit of leeway as he's a teen. But when DH joined in to mansplain periods to me, I must admit that I saw red...(no pun intended)

Mind you, my mum over explains everything and it drives me mad. Best one was explaining the features of a particular genre of literature to me until I reminded her that I'd studied it for 3 years as part of my degree...

My sister had a male colleague explain to her all about menstrual cups and he was rather insistent that she should use them. She has valid reasons why they aren't suitable for her, but her no I'd rather not, they're not for me wasn't enough for him. He was annoyed with her for saying no!

I've had both a misogynistic client and his accountant mansplain basic book-keeping to me, despite the fact that I was the freelance accounting software person who had been specifically brought in to configure and implement a new system for them (and train them how to use it).

I once had a boss explain to me how to use a paper clip to attach sheets of paper together ... I thought he was joking, and laughed. No - he was quite serious! 😁

Teaching sociology to year 12 students, a 16 year old boy mansplained to me (a 30 year old woman) that I am wrong and women in their 30s have no instinct/desire (biological or social) to have babies. Who knew, the biological clock is not a thing and I do not want babies! If only he had explained to me how to turn mine off...
However, it was the most fun parents evening I've ever had. His poor mum had her head in her hands.

Justwantsleepnow
Did nobody ask him when was the last time he actually gave birth? And if so was it a "natural" birth or c-section?

@Happynow001 yes it was commented on that as he hadn't given birth he didn't have much experience and he said he had been there for the birth of his children and seen his wife go through it all. He also said it was easier for him as a man to take a step back and see it for what it was because he didn't have the emotions attached to actually giving birth (or I guess the absolute horrific pain!)

I quite agree. Mansplaining is just another vile term by the men haters.

Oh look, someone has mansplained mansplaining....

@veeboo

True story- when I was 33 weeks pregnant and very poorly and rather worried about my unborn child's health I had an utter cockwomble go on and on at me that it was a myth childbirth hurt and it was all 'mind over matter' and that women only act like it hurts due to weakness rather than channelling their minds which a man is able to do. I saw red and kneed him very very hard in the nuts and told him to 'channel his mind'. It put my back out but my God it was worth it.

I also asked a man in PC World 'what the difference was between these 2 laptops?' He looked at me quite earnestly and said, 'This one is red and this one is silver.'
I. Kid. You. Not

Popped into Morrisons for some bits on my lunch break. As I stood contemplating the bread aisle with my basket hardly half full a man parked his trolley next to me and informed me with a smile 'You should have got a trolley, it would have been easier.'

Did he think I hadn't heard of them before?!

I am the most senior town planner in our organisation. A man demanded to see me about a triviality because, obviously, he was very important and entitled to my time. He refused any and all offers of perfectly capable and relatively senior individuals meeting him in my place.

On meeting me, he explained very patronisingly what the difference between a hipped roof and a gable roof was. Something my most junior staff would be expected to know. His architect at least had the decency to look embarrassed. My colleague genuinely thought I was going to rip him a new one.

He’s not been back.