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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
Catabogus · 20/05/2021 14:17

How to cross a road while pregnant. Hmm

I was tempted to push him into the traffic.

BikeRunSki · 20/05/2021 14:18

DH and I work in similar fields. He needed a technical report from the organisation I work for. The request came to me, but I passed it on due to conflict of interests. My colleague did the work. DH was very pleased. He was telling me about the report, was t it clever what they could do these days, how the data had been modelled etc. He seemed to have totally overlooked that I analyse this information for a living.

Neonprint · 20/05/2021 14:26

How banners (the outdoor plastic type) move and can wrinkle in the wind.

Possibly the opposite of mansplaining but designed to do the same thing as in prove you don't know what you are talking about. Saying they don't understand or asking for clarification because they think you haven't used the right word.

As an example I suggested a ubiquitous material for a display but not one commonly used. Man replied I'm not sure what you mean by xx material.

So I just sent a link. Does anyone else know what I mean? Like purposeful awkwardness.

Tortillachip · 20/05/2021 14:27

Bottle feeding

Tombero · 20/05/2021 14:29

How the vaccine hubs work and prioritise people. I work in the NHS. He was behind the counter in Mountain Warehouse.
In fairness he also told us some very helpful tips for camping.

AtoZed · 20/05/2021 14:30

How to use the microwave (it's a basic 5 setting with a timer knob)

I've started explaining things that he's doing now.

LaBellina · 20/05/2021 14:32

My ex FIL loved to mansplain the topic that I have a degree in and that he only saw documentaries about to me.
So glad he is ex FIL

JackieTheFart · 20/05/2021 14:33

This was donkeys years ago now, but I was starting work at Costco. Had been on the tills all day and then it came to cashing up, and the person shadowing me said he’d show me how to do it. Fine, I’d done it in my previous job (which he knew as we’d been chatting) but the tills here were different.

He then proceeded to show me how to count money. Did you know ladies, that if you do two 5p pieces at a time then you can count in tens?!

I did. I asked him why he thought I might not know that. He (aged at least 30) asked me (aged 18) why I would be working on the tills in Costco if I was so clever. I told him this was my gap year before starting university and what was his excuse.

Possibly a rude retort but I really didn’t care. He was such an chauvinistic pig, about everything not just the money counting.

Cocolapew · 20/05/2021 14:33

I had a similar petrol pump one. The bloke behind was getting increasingly irate that I wouldn't move forward so he zoomed around me and nearly hit the motorcycle at the pump.
My car is small but he was in a low sports car and couldn't see over mine. He had to drive out and rejoin the queue.

babbaloushka · 20/05/2021 14:33

I'm a female scientist in STEM and get constantly mansplained to by the guy in charge of my business management position. Ridiculous stuff like we could save money if you re-used XYZ equipment. I wonder what part of GCSE biology he missed to have absolutely no understanding of aseptic technique.

babbaloushka · 20/05/2021 14:35

I remember reading something on Twitter in which a man mansplained an area of expertise to a woman, (wrongly) summarising a study. She had written the study!

cookiemonster5 · 20/05/2021 14:36

Just built new decking in our garden and had overestimated the wood needed so I went to return the leftovers. I checked before hand if it would be a credit note or refund. I was told I would get a credit note but not on anything that's been cut.

Erm I'm not planning on using half a post or decking board and wanting a refund of the offcuts. Funnily enough he didn't think to tell my husband the same when he said they would accept the return when he bought the wood

SisterMichael · 20/05/2021 14:43

My brother recently mansplained mansplaining on a Facebook article of women who had experienced mansplaining.

That is commitment to the cause.

QuentinBunbury · 20/05/2021 14:44

My favourite mansplain ever was getting told in detail about exactly what size of penis a vagina can comfortably accommodate, because it's stretchy you see. This was by a random acquaintance not a boyfriend. He was very definitive about it, despite my female friend and I giving him "field evidence".

Recently I got mansplained about how you definitely can't hack a mobile phone Hmm it was extremely patronising and when I said he should Google it and he would see its common he told me he had a degree in comms engineering and I clearly didn't understand.
Went back the next day and spoke to one of his colleagues who said "oh yes, you are the third person today, its quite common. You need to do xyz"

Tombero · 20/05/2021 14:45

I was buying a car. The salesman rang to discuss the merits of it with me etc and why I should go for it.

After I hung up he immediately rang my husband, said he’d talked to me, but wasn’t sure I’d understand it all properly so thought he’d ring him to go through it.

It was a shame for him, because I had been planning to buy it until that happened.

babbaloushka · 20/05/2021 14:46

I did an English Lit short course at Uni and told the guy I was dating that I was studying Dorian Gray and he mansplained the full title 'A Picture of Dorian Gray' to me. I know what it's called you fucking knob, I just shortened it!

TheYellowOfTheEgg · 20/05/2021 14:49

I know "mansplaining" originally meant a man explaining something to a more knowledgable woman, but its use has become more widespread and is now used if a man offers any opinion or explanation.

I think the word "mansplaining" is another example of names being used to silence people. Other examples are "Karen", "Boomer", "Snowflake", "Gammon", "Woke", "TERF".

QuentinBunbury · 20/05/2021 14:49

After I hung up he immediately rang my husband, said he’d talked to me, but wasn’t sure I’d understand it all properly so thought he’d ring him to go through it.
Shock

That's reminded me of the time a mechanic made me take a seized brake caliper home "to show my husband".
Never used that garage again.

SwanShaped · 20/05/2021 14:54

I got told how to drink from a water bottle once. The man actually tried to tell me how a water bottle sports cap worked and how I should use it. To get water out.

BlueLobelia · 20/05/2021 14:54

@babbaloushka

I did an English Lit short course at Uni and told the guy I was dating that I was studying Dorian Gray and he mansplained the full title 'A Picture of Dorian Gray' to me. I know what it's called you fucking knob, I just shortened it!
similar.... Way back in the day when I was a teacher I was explaining to a student about kulaks and the Stolypin reforms. The student teacher shadowing me that term snorted and said ; 'It's pronounced gulags, not kulaks and they are prisons, not people'. Then he rolled his eyes.

That student teacher was very politely reminded that I had a postgrad degree in history, was actually teaching the subject and he might wanted to look at the text book in front of him or the syllabus.

P1ainJanine · 20/05/2021 14:57

@TheYellowOfTheEgg

I know "mansplaining" originally meant a man explaining something to a more knowledgable woman, but its use has become more widespread and is now used if a man offers any opinion or explanation.

I think the word "mansplaining" is another example of names being used to silence people. Other examples are "Karen", "Boomer", "Snowflake", "Gammon", "Woke", "TERF".

Thanks for that - really useful!
MarkRuffaloCrumble · 20/05/2021 14:58

@TheYellowOfTheEgg

I know "mansplaining" originally meant a man explaining something to a more knowledgable woman, but its use has become more widespread and is now used if a man offers any opinion or explanation.

I think the word "mansplaining" is another example of names being used to silence people. Other examples are "Karen", "Boomer", "Snowflake", "Gammon", "Woke", "TERF".

Erm no. It’s being used here in exactly the context it was intended. None of the examples given are just men helpfully enlightening women about things. Confused

Mine is quite tame. But I work as a baker and DP helpfully suggested I try making my items (meringues etc) more evenly sized, by counting as I pipe, so I squeeze out the same amount each time.

No, really DP!? I usually just sling handfuls of it onto a tray and hope for the best.

QueenPaw · 20/05/2021 14:58

I did have one at work the other day that explained to me how car services are minor or major ones. I'm a service advisor. At a car dealership

Fromage · 20/05/2021 15:01

Twit: Yah, yah, I'm in telecommunications* dontcha know. Do you have a job?
Friend: I'm a neurosurgeon.
Twit: Ah. Now that's not just the brain you know. It's actually the entire nervous system, all the nerves and so on.
Friend:
Twit: It's true - of course it is also brains but nerves are just about everywhere in the human body.
Friend:
Twit:
Friend: I don't expect you have much to trouble a brain surgeon with.
Twit: Ha ha. No I'm in the best of health
Friend: I've just insulted you.
Twit: What? Er, no I don't think so.....
Friend: Ask a woman to explain it to you, dear.

*He flogged mobile phone insurance.

summerisler · 20/05/2021 15:01

How to use a car park payment point. It wouldn’t take my £10 note despite saying it would take it. It was explained to me that I could use coins.

I have 3 degrees, 2 kids and a profession. I know a thing or two about a thing or two.

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