Hey men, are you guilty of man-spreading? What has long been a pet peeve to commuters is suddenly gaining international attention after "movements" against "man-spreading" have, well, spread across New York, London, and now Toronto.
What exactly is "man-spreading"? Quite simply, it's when men sit with their legs spread in a V-shape. Though it can happen anywhere, man-spreading is particularly obnoxious on crowded public transit.
That Other Thing that Men Don't Talk About
Well, New Yorkers have had enough.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has created a series of ads aimed at getting men to stop the conscious or unconscious practice of "infringing on the space of their fellow passengers."
"Dude… Stop the spread, please. It’s a space issue" goes one of the MTA's slogans.
The problem isn't unique to New York, though. Man-spreading is an epidemic that has long dogged transit riders in every city in every country.
Why some men feel the need to spread out is a mystery. Is it pride? Is it bravado? Comfort? A subliminal attempt to prove that their junk is just so huge that it needs extra breathing room... In fact, the gesture is quite off-putting to anyone stuck sitting next to spreaders on planes, trains and buses.
Ever since Games of Thrones actor Richard Madden was caught man-spreading, other men are being surreptitiously photographed and playfully shamed on social media.
You tell me: does man-spreading get your goat?
"Manspreading" by Gothamist
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