Arm rest etiquette

[ArmRest]

I’m sat on train and I’m so fed up of men who think the arm rest between the seats plus the overhang is their space. I’ve already shoved his back once. I don’t want an elbow in my boob Plus wedged my foot against his suitcase moving into my foot space. My younger self put up with this for years my 50 something is now finally fighting back. Why is it so hard for them to realise they buy one seat space not half of mine!

Not to mention manspreading..

I hate this when you’re in the theatre. A man sits down next to you and immediately claims his arm rest. 😡

You could say loudly You are taking up my space, would you kindly move thanks .He might with any luck be shamed into moving.

the suitcase? ask him to put it on the overhead rack or between the seats. Failing that he needs to drape his legs over it.

Armrest? keep pushing back. Point out that it's your breast he's touching.

I fly a lot and guard my territory fiercely. Middle seat on planes, yes you can have both armrests but that stops at the edge of the rest no further and don’t even try to put your foot in my foot space. I am older than you and have no problem in saying “you need to move your arm/leg back into your own space” although I have never had the guts to use my sister’s line “no man is so well endowed that he needs to spread his legs so much”. I am always so much happier when I see a woman in the middle seat (I always book aisle or window).

I had same issue last week from two different men as I got table seat on the train - not through choice. And I asked him to move his feet out of my space and the other every time he “dozed” just put his elbow completely in my space. I asked him once to remove it and then shoved it twice making him huff. In the end I just moved seats as it was a 5hr trip & I’d had enough being squashed from all sides. I’m a petite woman so not taking up more space than I need but it’s just the entitlement that really grates!

Playing Devils Advocate, should it be automatically yours just because you’re a woman? Or shouldn’t it just belong to the person who got there first? Or should neither of you use it?

Personally, I’m in the camp of whoever got there first has first dibs 🤷‍♀️

Now manspreading, that’s a different kettle of fish and isn’t fair. However, there’s also overweight women who take up a lot of room in their neighbour’s seat. I’ve had that ‘pleasure’ before.

There’s always more than one way to look at things.