Manspreading: the physical invasion of men on public transport
If you are a woman and you usually take public transport, it will have happened at least once in your life to sit down (when you are lucky enough to find a free seat) and feel deprived of your living space by your neighbor, usually a man, sitting comfortably with your legs apart. Today this - let's call it that - situation has a name and is better known all over the world under the term "manspreading". In this article, you will find all the insights you need to fully understand this phenomenon and thus also be able to explain it to all the men you know, making sure that in the future they learn to assume a more inclusive and respectful posture of the presence of others.
Since manspreading has been included among the various battles of feminism, watch this video and discover the main gender discrimination that women are subjected to every day in Italy.
What is manspreading?
With the term "manspreading", which we could literally translate as "human expansion", we mean the way men sit, especially on public transport, with their legs open. This posture is problematic as it leaves very little space for the people sitting next to them. This is the definition given by the Oxford Dictionary, after the neologism made its appearance in the aforementioned dictionary in August 2015. In reality, we have been talking about this all-male physical encumbrance since 2013, when it was inaugurated. a first anti-manspreading campaign on the Tumblr platform.
See also
However, it is only in 2015 that the question arrogantly enters the center of public debate. It is this year, in fact, that some women in Madrid begin to protest against this practice, urging the municipality to take serious measures with which to stem the phenomenon of manspreading. An online petition is thus launched by a group of Madrid activists, known as "Mujeres en lucha y madres estresada", or "women in struggle and stressed mothers", whose only mission is: "not to let men invade your space: neither in the metro, nor in life ". To support the initiative, a hashtag was even launched on Twitter, #madridsinmanspreading, which immediately entered the trend topic. The campaign had such an echo that the EMT, the company that deals with the public transport service in Madrid, was forced to proceed concretely, covering the media with information signs making the ban on manspreading official. The images shown on the posters are clear: next to the man sitting with his legs wide open there is a huge red cross, as if to indicate an error to be avoided in the most absolute way. Similar initiatives have also been taken in other cities such as London and New York. Also in this case, the companies that manage public transport have resorted to awareness campaigns, in which men are urged to sit correctly and respectfully of the space of others on trains, subways and buses.
Controversies and controversies
As often happens in these situations, the fight against manspreading has aroused quite a few controversies. Some have declared themselves openly against the methods used by detractors to denounce the phenomenon. These, in fact, usually upload photos on social networks in which men are portrayed sitting, in fact, with their legs open. According to many, it would be a clear violation of privacy, as the protagonists of the shots, although their faces are darkened, are still easily recognizable and, therefore, exposed to a possible media pillory. Feminist journalist Cathy Young, on the other hand, "sins" of benaltrism and labels the issue as "pseudo feminism", as she is busy worrying about trivial issues like manspreading rather than problems that seriously afflict women.
There are also those who, like the journalist specialized in fitness Lou Schuler, believe that manspreading is a natural and involuntary phenomenon, due to the physical structure of men who, to be really comfortable, can not help but sit in this way, especially considering the “extra” presence they have between their legs. This justification has certainly not appeased the controversy, on the contrary, there are those who have decided to respond, pointing out that women also have a "burden" on the body, that is the breasts, but they do not go around with their arms. open wide. For the researcher Tanya Vacharkulksemsuk, however, it would be a question of a social nature, as the legs apart would be synonymous with virility, therefore, on the contrary, if men sat with their legs crossed, a position usually taken by women, they would be pointed out. as "effeminate".
A gender problem
From whatever perspective you look at it, it is clear that this is not simply a matter of convenience, but a full-fledged gender problem. In fact, manspreading has a deeper meaning as a metaphor for the condition of women in the world. In fact, men are given much more space, not only on buses but also in society, than their female counterparts. Just think of politics, or company boards of directors, where women are still mere white flies. Therefore, counteracting manspreading means for many of us conquering an - albeit minimal - extra space and finally seeing our presence recognized, rather than crushed. Furthermore, if we consider how much time of our life we spend on public transport, we understand that the desire to travel comfortably is far from irrelevant.
