Men spreading: what it is and how to live with it

What is menspreading?

This time, not just a new word in feminist circles, but a really annoying phenomenon. Drilling with the eyes of men spreading their legs in public transport, you don't even think that this phenomenon has a name.

The term manspreading (reads "menspreading", from the English man - "man" and spread - "spread (s), spread (s)") got into the English dictionary back in 2015. It is not literally translated into Russian and denotes a man's manner of sitting with his legs wide apart.

Is someone positioned in such a way that they embarrass you in the seat? Or you can't even sit down because there is no full-fledged seat? Oh yeah, that's men spreading.

This is rude, because often in this way one person occupies two or even three places in public transport. In addition, it violates the personal space of absolutely strangers to you. Believe me, the overwhelming majority do not care how you sit, stand and walk, if you do not violate someone else's personal space. Few people like to feel the touch of a stranger's feet.

What is the reason?

Women talk about lack of culture, men justify themselves by their dominant nature, and doctors explain this by the peculiarities of anatomy:

The width of the pelvis in women is much greater than in men, and the angle of the femoral neck is sharper. These factors play a role in the fact that men are not as comfortable sitting with their knees as they are for women.

John Sutcliffe neurosurgeon

But on this issue, not all experts agree. Michael Eisenberg, MD at Yale University and an assistant professor of urology at the Stanford School of Medicine, says: “There is no conclusive evidence that sitting with your legs together has a major effect on fertility. Of course, there may be some conditions that make this position uncomfortable for a man. For example, after certain surgical procedures, excessive pressure on the groin area during recovery can be uncomfortable and even harmful. In addition, some diseases associated with fluid accumulation or hernias in the groin can make it difficult to bring the legs together.

Where can you meet?

On public transport around the world. So, now in New York, men spreading is considered an administrative offense. But it all started much earlier.

The first mention of the phenomenon dates back to 1915. Unsurprisingly, men spreading was mentioned not somewhere, but in a PSA dedicated to public transport etiquette.

Flyers in the New York subway in 1953 were directed against several types of uncivilized behavior at once: looking into someone else's newspaper, blocking doors, and even neglecting someone else's clothes. Men spreading here was called Space Hog, which can be translated as "space absorber".

Men spreading: flyers on the New York subway

The term itself began to gain popularity in 2013, when the One Bro, Two Seats blog appeared on the Web. They published photo collages with a man sitting in the subway with his legs wide apart.

Public transport in Madrid also has a public service advertisement against men spreading. The person on the icon sits in such a way that he takes not only his own, but also neighboring places. The sign in a polite manner asks not to fall apart on the seat.

In Tokyo, posters on public transport look very different, but they have the same meaning. A man with wide-spread legs embarrasses the passenger on the right and does not allow the child to sit, who says: “I would also like to sit. There is enough space."

How to live with it?

There are several options here. You can go on the active offensive by joining the men-spreading fighters in Russia. Perhaps it is your actions that will help defeat ignorance throughout the country. Or gain strength and confidence to make "outstretched" comments on public transport (what if they listen?). Or you can completely limit yourself to your comfort zone and not pay attention to who occupies how many seats. In crowded but not mad!

One rule is the same for everyone: be always mutually polite, because you are far from alone in this world, city and bus.