Manspreaders - do you call them out?

[Floofydawg]

I've just done a 4.5 hour flight; when I boarded the plane the bloke in the seat next to me had his legs spread such that they took up literally half my seat space. Oh he'll move, I thought to myself as I sat down. Did he fuck move. So I thought I can either sit here seething for the duration of the flight and trying to make myself as small as possible, or I can call him out. So I did. His wife tittered, like I was joking. But he bloody moved his legs.

So I'm posting this to encourage others to have the difficult conversation instead of being embarrassed about claiming your own space that you've bloody well paid for!

I shove my leg against them or if they are spreading before I sit down well then I just sit on their legs.

Unfortunately this was the exact behaviour ( minus the knitting needles) of a fellow male passenger who sat beside my DH on our last flight.

I was getting into my seat on a train when the train jolted and I lurched and trod heavily onto my leading foot. But it didn't hit floor, it hit something which suddenly moved. Turned out the guy in the seat behind had stretched his feet right through into the floor space in front of my seat. I landed heavily in my seat and he got a telling off from the older guy sitting next to him. He didn't complain about being stamped on and I forebore to mention the temporary pain in my ankle.

Id expect him to do what most peiple with long legs do: book an appropriate seat; sit across their seat legs tucked; encroach upon the person they are travelling with not a stranger

I am really passive aggressive and I’m really good at it! So instead of being direct (which would be far too easy..) I tend to stand on his foot several times, spill water on his thigh, basically claim back my space through being petty.
Today I was walking behind a young girl on the street and next to us were three male construction workers on a break. One of them really leered at her and it made her walk a little faster. So, being the child that I am in such situations, I stopped, fully turned to him, looked him slowly up and down while shaking my head. Then I licked my lips, touched my hand to my neck and winked. He went really red and I think I made my point.
I’m menopausal so bring it on!!

I'm not excusing the behaviour, but I also think it's time to reconsider the amount of room on public transport. Space is getting smaller but people are getting bigger.

I do feel a bit sorry for tall people, though. I've a friend who's 6'3", not a man spreader, but spends most of a long journey with knees jammed up against the seat in front.

So, what would you do if you found yourself sitting next to him?

Exactly

”I called him out”

You just asked him to shuffle over to his side a bit. I wouldn’t have thought twice about saying it.

I’d ask him to move his legs over to the other side. Ie completely sharing your leg space @Applestroodle

He should pay for extra leg room then

That’s really weird

Which is everything he would try do first, but occasionally it isn’t possible.

I’m not sure how many planes you have flown on or how tall you are but suggesting somebody who is 6’4” sits across their seat with their legs tucked is laughable. There is barely enough room for me to do that and I am considerably shorter.

If he was travelling with me that is exactly what he would do anyway. We don’t always travel together.

So, again, what would you do?

Why would it be occasionally “not possible”? If he had booked a flight and been unable to get extra leg room AND pay to be seated next to his wife?

It’s obviously an alien concept for some, but we don’t go everywhere together.

So on these instances where he is flying without a companion AND can’t get extra leg room seat AND he’s too much of a tight ass to book an aisle seat…. Then I would sit there thinking “I pity the poor wife of an inconsiderate twat like this”

I've never experienced manspreading. The last big man I sat next to on a flight, held himself in really well. Poor bugger was cross armed with his legs stuck together all of the 1½ hour flight

6’4…. 1 inch taller than my son I’ve just realised.

He basically won’t book a flight unless he get extra leg room. It means being on the ball with booking flights.

I'd tell him to get his legs out of my space. If he didn't, I'd involve the staff.

That will teach him.

And what would you expect the staff to do?

Poor bugger but you won’t sit there thinking “pity his poor wife” which I would with the not so giant husband of 6’4 who simply could not do this. It would be utterly utterly impossible. Apparently

Shift him while you simper.

what else could I do

You are right

Because your selfish twat of a husband didn’t book extra leg travel or in the absence of that even an aisle seat…. I have to endure the revolting touch of his legs against mine for hours 🤢

I wouldn’t be there. If I was he wouldn’t be encroaching on your space.