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Original poster

What's been "mansplained" to you recently?

439 replies

askingrandomsonlinemighthelp · 19/05/2021 23:05

My DP is a mansplainer extraordinaire. We were walking along the coast toward a famous (in these parts) lighthouse.

He told me what a lighthouse was.

OP posts:
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10
SmidgenofaPigeon · 20/05/2021 08:57

I met an old uni friend for lunch on Monday. I’m pregnant and his wife had a baby just last year. I was asking how everything had gone etc (I know from her she had a long drawn out labour but was asking his take on it) joking that I had it all to look forward to etc.

He said ‘all it is really is getting your breathing right. If you can do that then you’ll be fine. It really is about control through your breathing to manage the pain. The problem was that (wife’s name) didn’t get the hang of the breathing part in the early stages and ended up in pain and upset. I was trying to get her to do her breathing but it just wasn’t going in, and that’s why she ended up having an epidural and being in labour for two days. Control the breathing properly and you’ll manage the pain’

I nearly threw my lunch at him while he was saying all that so god knows how his poor wife must as felt at the time.

GreeboIsMySpiritAnimal · 20/05/2021 09:01

My son likes to mansplain driving to me. He's 6.

CMOTDibbler · 20/05/2021 09:04

I drive a new Defender. On Saturday, someone mansplained to DH that I knew a lot about it didn't I, after DH had kept deferring questions to me about it. The week before, a man who had 'watched a programme about it' mansplained to me that 'I just didn't know what I had there' when I very much do and had actually told him previously about the features he was now explaining to me.

Stompythedinosaur · 20/05/2021 09:07

Depression - I am a mental health nurse. Also (apparently) people just need to exercise and get in contact with nature then they won't need medication. Total BS.

And this is only men who say this? You weren't specific..

It was a man. Explaining something to me without any consideration for the fact that I could reasonably be expected to be more of an expert on the topic. And he was wrong and ill-informed.

Hence mansplaining.

Fuckitsstillraining · 20/05/2021 09:41

My husband has become a bloody nightmare with his mansplaining lately, in the last week he has shown me how to vacuum, how the correctly make a bed and how to watch a cloud move to check if we're going to get a shower of rain!! He's at home a lot right now and it's getting to him, he never used to do this to me so I think its because he's feeling a bit useless, I call him on it every time though so I won't let it become a habit.

Thinnerlikeachickendinner · 20/05/2021 09:46

My BIL explained to me how to cut up a banana once.

(I do all the elaborate cooking from scratch in our house and have also worked for years in high end restaurants).

Topseyt · 20/05/2021 10:39

On holiday a couple of years ago in a Spanish apartment complex. You could hire kettle and toaster from reception and would get the deposit back when you returned them at the end of your stay.

On the day we were leaving I was going to return them and DH began explaining to me how to take them to the reception desk and ask for the money back! I asked him if he would like said kettle and toaster shoved up his arse.

Vooga · 20/05/2021 10:43

When I was driving to my parents recently dp started explaining bits of the route to me, 'oh down there is so so' 'this roundabout is for x'. Yes I know, I've been driving on this road at least weekly for two years now.

Octopuscrazy · 20/05/2021 10:45

@queenofthenorthwest

I got told today that I load the dishwasher all wrong.

I'm advertising tickets soon for the hunger games of just him and me and me twatting him.

I got told I load the dishwasher wrong. It's now his job, and I no longer do it...
RaaRaaeee · 20/05/2021 10:54

@SmidgenofaPigeon i think you were very restrained Grin

midgedude · 20/05/2021 10:56

To be fair I am not sure that dishwasher loading is mansplaining

No two people in our extended family agree on the best approach

MiloAndEddie · 20/05/2021 10:56

A (new) site manager at work mansplained a particular brickwork detail to me that he knows about because he used to be a brickie. All I could muster was ‘yes mate, I’ve worked here 10 years, I’m familiar with check reveal.’

AmandaHoldensLips · 20/05/2021 10:58

Asking for pain relief post-op after c-section, male doctor explained to me that a c-section isn't particularly painful afterwards. His casual arrogance was utterly breathtaking.

Telling DH about a specific problem with my car key not working. He of course had to examine said car himself, then came back and repeated to me that my car key was not working.

Szyz2020 · 20/05/2021 10:59

I had Marcus Rashford explained to me by my DNephew the other day. Apparently he’s a footballer and he’s run a campaign about free school meals. Who knew?

Libertybells1 · 20/05/2021 11:16

Again, not recently but a couple of years ago I met a man on a train who I had seen earlier that day in the waiting area for an interview we had both attended. This is relevant because I wasn't in the habit of talking about my PhD qualification with strangers generally (I'm not a complete knob), but in this case he started asking about my work background as we traded stories about the interview and our careers. And I am not joking, once he heard what the topic of my thesis had been, he spent the next hour mansplaining the subject to me! I wouldn't have minded so much if my research had been in a field related to our jobs and he had experience in it too, but I ended up working in an entirely different discipline and he clearly had no clue what he was talking about.

What amazes me is the confidence that these guys deliver it with. No self-consciousness - or even self-awareness - whatsoever Hmm

AlexaTurnItDown · 20/05/2021 11:20

My four and a half year old, who is learning to read, mansplained letters to me.

He told me L, with absolute confidence, which ones I was writing "wrong".

And by wrong, I mean, not upside down, which is how he writes them.

"that's wrong that, Mummy"
"No, it's not"
"errm, I think you'll find it is, Mummy"
"out of the two of us, who has a degree and who is learning phonics?"
"that doesn't matter, you need to do it this way or nobody will know what you're writing"

Bloatstoat · 20/05/2021 11:40

@Somatronic @hangingover Feminism must be a popular one! My delightful brother-in-law mansplained feminism to me a couple of years ago, in the context of how I was such a bad example of it as I work in a low paying job. I work for the NHS, which does indeed pay less than his six figure income as a consultant. He is awful.

nixonten · 20/05/2021 11:51

Confession time, which might add illumination.

When I had depression I used to do it quite a lot. My depression sort of ebbs and flowed over the years.

I have always taken things literally. It seems I have no capacity to recognise a rhetorical question?

So if anybody exclaims why did (something) happen? I always explain not noticing that everybody understood.
Cure: Tell Them in no uncertain terms, Make them realise, sighs and rolling of eyes will not be noticed.

This post might even be an example. I think I will do a name change

CornedBeef451 · 20/05/2021 12:05

My colleague who doesn't own a car and can't drive recently explained to me the concept of part exchange when buying a new car.

As if, as someone older than him and who has been driving for almost 30 years and has owned several cars, I would never have come across this before.

He has previously tried to give me driving directions between two places he is unfamiliar with using only bus routes. He is seemingly unaware of other roads that might exist despite not being on a bus route. And I hadn't asked, and I have Satnav.

It's quite hard not to tell him to fuck off quite often. He also didn't understand sarcasm. Other than that he's fairly pleasant.

Somatronic · 20/05/2021 12:06

@Bloatstoat Yikes. You win!

Newestname001 · 20/05/2021 12:32

@sashh

I'm not sure this counts as mansplaining.

I showed my cousin's little boy my polaroid camera and he then explained to his grandma that, "first it's white, then you have to wait"

They start so young... 🌹
HappyWipings · 20/05/2021 12:41

Not recent , but I once had Impressionism mansplained to me on a first (and only) date. I have a degree in art history and he knew this. He was so very wrong on every point he made.

Prick.

alloalloallo · 20/05/2021 12:46

My DD2 has Tourette’s.

My boss mansplained Tourette’s to me a little while ago. Told me I shouldn’t be offended when she was abusive (tics) as it was completely random and she didn’t mean it.

Also, teensplaining - DD1 returned from uni as an expert in every-fucking-thing. Told me I was doing the washing wrong and I should do it her way. I signed over all laundry responsibilities to her Grin

SJMACC · 20/05/2021 12:46

BreastfeedingConfusedHmm

Nietzschethehiker · 20/05/2021 12:48

My ds2 attempted to boysplain brushing his teeth Grin

See Mummy you need to...

DS2 yes love I know who do you think taught you how to do it ?

thinks hard for a second the lady who gave me a free toothbrush at school

No Ds2 you were brushing your teeth well before that love ,I taught you how to {recognising at this point I'm arguing with a 5 year old and can't seem to stop}

No Mummy see you have to go up and down and side to side

Yes DS2 I know I told you that (wondering why in hell I don't just shut up and smile)

Yes but it doesn't count because you don't really know

Erm excuse me?

Well you didn't give me a free toothbrush

I give up at this point , retrieve alcohol and decide the only person who loses arguing with a 5 year old is me

Definitely early mansplainer tendencies!