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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

What's the funniest experience of mansplaining you have experienced

494 replies

bjjgirl · 09/06/2021 14:50

Please to help me keep my sanity and give me some light relief can you tell me the best examples of mansplaining you have experienced?

I have had a long day of this at work and it's just exhausting

OP posts:
crispsinasandwich · 09/06/2021 22:05

I am a chartered tax adviser. People often ask me tax questions - which my dh proceeds to answer - he is a lawyer - corporate finance not tax - but apparently he knows more about tax than me.

I refused to help him when he needed information about off shore trust tax.

ghostyslovesheets · 09/06/2021 22:07

without being too outing I have a lot of experience with men - not trained in my skill set informing me of things in my skill set in meetings like they thought of it - so lets say I'm asked to look at local supermarkets - I start by saying 'I've looked at Tesco and Sainsburys in the next town..' only to be interrupted by a smug 'what about Morrisons in the town next to that?' so I have to grit my teeth and say 'I was coming to that!

It's just they way they interrupt and try and second guess me - we do a similar role but mine is more specialist and better paid - hence why they do it (trying to prove it's piss easy)

The best was one explaining after I had gone through options that in HIS opinion X company that he was surprised I hadn't mentioned would be the one he would use and why hadn't I looked at it - I death stared him and informed him it had very publicly gone under 5 months before and no longer existed

Shannith · 09/06/2021 22:16

@HeyDemonsItsYaGirl

I don't want to give my real job title but let's say I'm Head of Hedgehogs. I chaired a meeting about a hedgehog. A man who works in the Salmon department began by telling me that a hedgehog is a mammal, with the air of somebody magnanimously imparting great wisdom.
Oh god you've just reminded me.

I was a Director of (say) Badgers. Very well known in the badger industry and spoke at conferences, chaired the Badger Association etc. I knew my badger shit and was possibly one of the best known women in my (very niche).

I was in the market for a complex bit of technology which in a previous job I had run a project to build from scratch and was doing a beauty parade of suppliers.

In the meetings were various male directors and heads of dept - who all reported to me. I was the decision maker.

One sales guy not only directed his entire pitch to the men, when he did design to include me he did so to explain why the business model of my business was a good one. As if to a child.

Like he was bestowing some great gift, along the lines of "shannith, you see, the reason why badgers are so important are....lists some absolute basic facts about badgers.

My team knew me well and I could see them exchanging gleeful looks, willing me to rip him apart.

Meh. I raise your mansplaining with my magnificent passive aggressiveness.

I listened with arched eyebrows for a looong time until he mansplained himself to standstill before standing up and saying something along the lines of, thank you, that has saved us a lot of time.

He got all excited so I said something along the lines of because I only work with suppliers where there is a good cultural fit and it's very clear that your company is not it.

Thanked him for his time, asked one of the men to finish up the meeting and left.

There was great disappointment from my team - they all thought I would (verbally) lamp him.

I was tempted but it was almost beyond parador and not worth the effort.

UselessCat · 09/06/2021 22:18

I'm a GP. A surprising number of patients have explained to me what diabetes is- 'it's all about the sugar you realise'. One of them even drew me an (incorrect) diagram of a pancreas.

I have to just smile and nod and be professional while screaming internally. And yes, they have all been men.

HibouMilou · 09/06/2021 22:22

[quote HappySwordMaker]@HibouMilou

I’ve got 4 degrees, but live in Scotland (so apparently know nothing)

Ugh you should try being a Kiwi in a workplace full of Brits & Europeans. I had no idea I was thick, but thank goodness I do now. And I feel blessed to finally know that my accent is “wrong”, my education is crap and my kids are feral and shoeless (actually the shoeless part is correct 😂).

Again, not exactly mansplaining but just as entertaining (and depressing when it comes to more serious matters).[/quote]
Total empathy! If it wasn’t seriously wrong, it’d be funny. Some people have no idea!

Rubbishatchoosingusernames · 09/06/2021 22:24

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

00100001 · 09/06/2021 22:27

I was helping at a guide camp which was a random mix of Leaders from various units. I was in charge of making a vat of squash for c. 50 girls. One leader decided she needed to show men how to make the squash... Apparently I needed to add the squash to the dispenser, then...put dispenser under tap and then turn on the tap ... be careful not to over fill it now Binary. And maybe you should try a sample to make sure it's not too strong or weak...

No shit Sherlock.

So, I just wandered off and let her make the squash.

Hugoslavia · 09/06/2021 22:27

@GentlemanJackie

I loved that mansplaining cockeral. Nearly as much as I loved Gannet whacking the other hen on the head!

upaladderagain · 09/06/2021 22:35

The handbrake on my car jammed, so I phoned the breakdown company. I was asked if I knew how to release it. Well yes, I've been driving it for 3 years.
Eventually they agreed to send someone out. Pompous, arrogant little man arrived and told me, without even looking at the car, that there was no problem I just wasn't strong enough, and did I realise that you were supposed to hold in the button on the end of the handbrake whilst releasing it. Again well yes, I've been driving it for 3 years.
So off he strutted to the car, leaned in and. Nothing. He kept trying, looking smugly over his shoulder at me as though to say "This is how you do it, silly woman" But it just wouldn't budge. It was raining torrentially and by this time strutting man was soaked to the skin. He had to call for a trailer, jack it up and take it away, getting more and more drenched and red faced.

MouseholeCat · 09/06/2021 22:44

My husband tried to explain menstrual cycles to me when we started trying to conceive. He was so far off in his understanding that I literally just started laughing. I don't know why he thought it was a good idea, I don't think he's ever mansplained anything to me before and certainly hasn't since.

MostTacticalNameChange · 09/06/2021 22:45

Rushed in for an EMCS. Had the anaesthetic and the surgeon pinched me then asked if I could feel it - yes, I replied. He rolled his eyes and waited 3 minutes, pinched again asked if I could feel it, I said yes. He told me that was impossible and he made a start - i screamed and cried at every cut - could feel it all - the anaesthetist panicked and offered to put me under (could not stop the surgery obviously), I said no because I thought baby might die so wanted to meet them. Honestly felt every single thing - passed out during stitch up. The surgeon came round after and I told him the truth - he told me I was "wild" and no one would believe me because women don't know themselves in labour. So I took in no further.

Never seen a male doctor ever since.

ArabellaScott · 09/06/2021 22:48

Christ, MostTactical. Sad

MostTacticalNameChange · 09/06/2021 22:51

@BrilliantBetty

My neighbour (ageing 'gent') upon seeing new petrol lawn mower delivered on Saturday morning advised me that I oughtn't to use my new mower like I would a vaccum cleaner. He doesn't let his wife touch his mower because it's far too powerful he said (she drives a 4x4 though). He knows a man that does lawn mowing on the side, £15 a time, if I can't manage it with no husband at home.
I ran my own gardening business for 10 years - men were SHOCKED to see a woman operating a mower, especially a petrol one. Some would physically wrench MY machine out of my hands to "show me". I was only in my 20s so I did the smile sweetly giggly shit and act all grateful. If only I could go back now and stick up for myself... but the greatest trick the patriarchy ever played was convincing young women it didn't exist!
NoIdontwanttoseeyourknob · 09/06/2021 22:53

This always makes me laugh. Or cry...

What's the funniest experience of mansplaining you have experienced
m0therofdragons · 09/06/2021 22:55

I was in a car accident (not my fault) and insurance provided a car but the hire company didn’t have much available with 5 seats (we really needed 7 but 5 was better than 4). I was given a very high end BMW and it was an automatic. The hire company guy kept trying to explain how to drive an automatic (I’d just come back from Canada where I’d spent 3 weeks driving an automatic in the Rockies) and how to handle a high end car. I was polite to a point but did end up saying “if it was my husband collecting the car would you still be this patronising?”

I drove it and honestly it drove the same as any other car. Turbo kicked in at junctions and it had power but I kept to speed limits Hmm

Summerdayshaze · 09/06/2021 23:03

I was drawing a mural on my front window, with window chalk, for International Women’s Day, and a man walked past and said it would wash off if it rained. I said I know, I’ll be using this as the stencil so it’s easier to write backwards on the inside, then I’ll rub this off.

Like, duh.

MostTacticalNameChange · 09/06/2021 23:06

@ArabellaScott

Christ, MostTactical. Sad
We both survived so happy ending. But absolutely no one accepts I could feel it all (except XH who was there and knew me). Surgeons, nurses, midwives, family, baby group etc. all think I was exaggerating or being hysterical/attention seeking.

Looking back, though, the anaesthetist knew which is why he tried to put me under and the surgeon knew which is why he came around to tell me everything I experienced was normal and labouring mums do not know what is what. Misleading twat.

Rosewood017 · 09/06/2021 23:08

I was put on a work project because of my Excel skills. DH's friend asked if I'm any good with PowerPoint. I said that no I'm rubbish. He said 'you see, PowerPoint is slide-based for use in presentations. Excel is formula-driven'.

Thank goodness he cleared that up for me.

SadFace1983 · 09/06/2021 23:17

My colleague mansplained the basics of sound in preparation for a year 5 science lesson where I'd be supporting as a TA. He must have forgotten that I am a qualified physics teacher and was teaching GCSE just 5 years ago.

waterproofed · 09/06/2021 23:22

In my first career, I used to be an academic. After my first book was published, my BIL proceeded to explain its topic to me. He had never even been to the country I wrote the book about, but why should that have stopped him?

Countless students patronised me through the years too. Men regularly assuming that I am in need of their wisdom and advice fucks me off.

Ireallymustgetup · 09/06/2021 23:23

XH helpfully explained to me at the weekend that DDs issue with a girl at school isn’t actually an issue because a boy in her class had explained to him why DD was upset about the situation. He hadn’t thought to ask DD about it himself.

mrstt89 · 09/06/2021 23:24

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

eeek88 · 09/06/2021 23:35

My car’s clutch had gone. My partner had arrived with his 4x4 to tow me home and we were busily attaching the two cars together with straps and chains. Man walks past. ‘Broken down have you?’ he astutely observed.
‘Yes,’ I said, ‘Clutch has gone.’
‘Hmmm. Have you tried putting it in first gear and then lifting your foot off the clutch? That usually does the trick.’
‘I used to do that. Before the clutch went.’

Did he think I was getting towed for the fun of it?

deathbypostitnote · 09/06/2021 23:36

A man explained to me how a special cloth can be used to remove dust from electrical items. Turned out he was describing a duster.

6rainbow · 09/06/2021 23:37

Another car garage one.

I don't drive, however I earn more than my other, work in finance and generally sort out financial things / decisions.

We knew what car we wanted but our baby was asleep in the car so I went to talk to the salesman to talk me through the different finance options for the two models we had narrowed it down to. He absolutely refused to give me any information and directed me to look at their website. However he was happy to explain it to my husband when he came in.

We didn't buy a car in that garage!