Some men have an almost compulsion-like need to explain the most basic things to women, even when it’s mind-numbingly obvious. The more common term for this effect is “mansplaining,“ and if you’ve never had this happen to you, strap in, you’re in for a ride.
We’ve gathered the worst, most infuriating stories of women dealing with rampant mansplaining from across the internet. So get comfortable as you scroll through, prepare to roll your eyes in disbelief, upvote your favorites and be sure to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section down below.
#1
My own job. I am an attending physician in the ER of a busy academic trauma center. I am board-certified in emergency medicine and emergency medical services. I was a paramedic before I went to medical school, and have kept that certification current (for twenty years). I am an operational medical director, meaning that I actually go on calls with the EMS agencies I oversee. So I know a little bit about EMS. I had a medical student who was also an EMT try to mansplain EMS medical direction to me on his first shift in the ER.
I didn’t even have time to start dismantling him before the nearby female paramedic who overheard the whole thing ate him alive. Rumour has it he’s on his third or fourth trip around the world frantically backpedaling.
I didn’t even have time to start dismantling him before the nearby female paramedic who overheard the whole thing ate him alive. Rumour has it he’s on his third or fourth trip around the world frantically backpedaling.
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82points
#2
My period.
I was in bed with flu and a kidney infection, and then I got my period. Due to me being floored in bed, I hadn’t had chance to do my usual shopping and only had one tampon left. My ex called on his way home from work and asked if I needed anything picking up. I said yes, tampons please. He huffed and puffed, and said it was gross and suggested other options (he could pick me up and drive me to the supermarket so I could buy them myself. He gave up when I explained blood and gravity).
He called me from the tampon aisle and whispered, “I’m here. Which ones do you need?”. I explained and he was about to put them in the basket. He was like, “hmm there’s orange ones here” so I asked what orange ones are. He said, “super plus plus”. I said, “nope too much. Just regular and super please”. Then he said, “babe I dunno if you know but there is a *lot* of blood”. I know my flow ffs! I had to stay calm and polite though because he’d just leave without buying any if I kicked off. I said no thanks, just the ones I asked for.
He came home with the orange ones. “Trust me, these will be better for you”. I had no other choice but to use them. When I tell you it was like pulling a London bus from my v****a every time I changed one, I’m not exaggerating. And he wonders why he’s my ex.
I was in bed with flu and a kidney infection, and then I got my period. Due to me being floored in bed, I hadn’t had chance to do my usual shopping and only had one tampon left. My ex called on his way home from work and asked if I needed anything picking up. I said yes, tampons please. He huffed and puffed, and said it was gross and suggested other options (he could pick me up and drive me to the supermarket so I could buy them myself. He gave up when I explained blood and gravity).
He called me from the tampon aisle and whispered, “I’m here. Which ones do you need?”. I explained and he was about to put them in the basket. He was like, “hmm there’s orange ones here” so I asked what orange ones are. He said, “super plus plus”. I said, “nope too much. Just regular and super please”. Then he said, “babe I dunno if you know but there is a *lot* of blood”. I know my flow ffs! I had to stay calm and polite though because he’d just leave without buying any if I kicked off. I said no thanks, just the ones I asked for.
He came home with the orange ones. “Trust me, these will be better for you”. I had no other choice but to use them. When I tell you it was like pulling a London bus from my v****a every time I changed one, I’m not exaggerating. And he wonders why he’s my ex.
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79points
#3
An ex tried to tell me that I should just squeeze my period out all at once so I could be done with it and we could have s*x.
Dude, if I could, *I WOULD*. I don’t bleed for a week straight because I *like* it.
Dude, if I could, *I WOULD*. I don’t bleed for a week straight because I *like* it.
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73points
#4
How to drive a manual
As he sat passenger in my manual truck
Which I had driven my manual car down to pick up
He needed a ride due to having neither a vehicle nor a license
I have driven stick my whole life. I also happen to be a heavy equipment operator. I happen to know a thing or two about driving ***my own d**n vehicle***
... I offered to let him walk home.
As he sat passenger in my manual truck
Which I had driven my manual car down to pick up
He needed a ride due to having neither a vehicle nor a license
I have driven stick my whole life. I also happen to be a heavy equipment operator. I happen to know a thing or two about driving ***my own d**n vehicle***
... I offered to let him walk home.
66points
#5
I have a a3 TDI and nearly every time I go to get diesel I get a guy telling me I’m putting the wrong fuel in. So I just go into detail about what TDI means and they always get offended like if you knew what it was why did you run up to me in a huff to “save me from ruining my car”. I have started to go “oh no!! S**t!! I’m putting diesel into a diesel car!!!”.
65points
#6
Where my house is.
Background info: Where we used to live there was a train station, on one side of the station was a row of small shops- bakery, butcher, florist- just one of those little strips, on the other side an Irish pub, a burger place and an Indian restaurant. We lived behind the shops, then a little further down from us was a school.
When my daughter was at daycare she made friends with this little boy, his mum invited us over for a playdate, we went, had a lovely afternoon. Then her husband came home from work, we were chatting and he asks where abouts we live. I go "just behind the shops near (train station)" he gives me this look then says "OH YOU MEAN THE RESTAURANTS ON (road the restaurants connect to)" I say no, the other side, behind the shops. He says no, I can't live there, there's a school there. I say yes there is a school there, but there are a couple of streets in between the shops and the school and we are in between there. He says no, I must be confusing the shops and the restaurants, what I must mean is either the restaurants, OR the next train station along on the line where there is a large supermarket- because there are houses behind there.
We just kept going back and forth until I went home, to my house, which apparently wasn't located where I thought it was, despite me going to and from it every day for 4 years.
Background info: Where we used to live there was a train station, on one side of the station was a row of small shops- bakery, butcher, florist- just one of those little strips, on the other side an Irish pub, a burger place and an Indian restaurant. We lived behind the shops, then a little further down from us was a school.
When my daughter was at daycare she made friends with this little boy, his mum invited us over for a playdate, we went, had a lovely afternoon. Then her husband came home from work, we were chatting and he asks where abouts we live. I go "just behind the shops near (train station)" he gives me this look then says "OH YOU MEAN THE RESTAURANTS ON (road the restaurants connect to)" I say no, the other side, behind the shops. He says no, I can't live there, there's a school there. I say yes there is a school there, but there are a couple of streets in between the shops and the school and we are in between there. He says no, I must be confusing the shops and the restaurants, what I must mean is either the restaurants, OR the next train station along on the line where there is a large supermarket- because there are houses behind there.
We just kept going back and forth until I went home, to my house, which apparently wasn't located where I thought it was, despite me going to and from it every day for 4 years.
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64points
#7
Urgh, this one is the worst. My husband tried to tell me that PMS wasn't an actual thing. It was just made up by the patriarchy to oppress women and used for comedy effect in misogynistic movies and TV shows. I think he thought he was being super supportive to the cause.
I was like, wtf are you talking about?? Haven't you noticed that I have an explosive mood swings the same three days out of every month. He tried to tell me that was just me and that's my personality. He's lucky it wasn't the wrong time of the month.
I was like, wtf are you talking about?? Haven't you noticed that I have an explosive mood swings the same three days out of every month. He tried to tell me that was just me and that's my personality. He's lucky it wasn't the wrong time of the month.
60points
#8
Had a man mansplain to me what it’s like to live in Asia.
He is white and has not stayed in an Asian country for more than 2 weeks.
I grew up in a small island in South East Asia for most of my life. My ethnicity is Chinese and I grew up around the chinese culture along with the nuances of the culture in different locations. My family was low income.
His experience was that of a tourist. And he learned mandarin for 6 months. I speak mandarin and the 3 different dialects of it (my first language is still English though).
He was the general manager of my workplace. I totally snapped at him and said “Are you seriously mansplaining the Asian/Chinese culture to an American Chinese who grew up in Asia?!?”
He was at least embarrassed.
He is white and has not stayed in an Asian country for more than 2 weeks.
I grew up in a small island in South East Asia for most of my life. My ethnicity is Chinese and I grew up around the chinese culture along with the nuances of the culture in different locations. My family was low income.
His experience was that of a tourist. And he learned mandarin for 6 months. I speak mandarin and the 3 different dialects of it (my first language is still English though).
He was the general manager of my workplace. I totally snapped at him and said “Are you seriously mansplaining the Asian/Chinese culture to an American Chinese who grew up in Asia?!?”
He was at least embarrassed.
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59points
#9
Not a specific example,, just my life in general. I am an economist, I have a bachelors and masters in economics and have been an economic researcher and consultant for a few years now.
Anytime I tell a guy that is my job, he will explain economics to me. They often try to explain the current economic state through the stock markets (not accurate, only 1 variable of a million variable equation), they usually tell me that things such as buying power, household expenditure data, and under/over employment trends don't speak to the big picture and don't really matter in economic health.
I've stopped telling people I'm an economist and instead say that I'm a linguist (my side passion), because no one knows anything about the subject and therefore can't "teach me" based off Wikipedia and Joe Rogan podcasts.
Anytime I tell a guy that is my job, he will explain economics to me. They often try to explain the current economic state through the stock markets (not accurate, only 1 variable of a million variable equation), they usually tell me that things such as buying power, household expenditure data, and under/over employment trends don't speak to the big picture and don't really matter in economic health.
I've stopped telling people I'm an economist and instead say that I'm a linguist (my side passion), because no one knows anything about the subject and therefore can't "teach me" based off Wikipedia and Joe Rogan podcasts.
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51points
#10
A guy from my physics class shared his solution to a problem in our semesters whatsapp group. I told him he'd made an error (he had) forgetting the lower bound of the integration. He proceded to mansplain how integration works to me until he realized that I was actually correct.
49points
#11
Recently my roommate locked her keys in her car, while getting gas. I drive over and she is at the 1st pump, a guy is parked behind her at another pump and I park behind him. I get out with her keys. She has keyless entry and shouldn't be able to lock her keys inside the car.
So I ask, "How did you even do that?" The guy behind her immediately replies, "just push the one that has the unlock button on it."
I looked at him and said, "Yeah, I know. I'm asking her how she locked her keys in the car. Not how to use the clicker." Seriously, did he just try to mansplain to me how to unlock a door?
So I ask, "How did you even do that?" The guy behind her immediately replies, "just push the one that has the unlock button on it."
I looked at him and said, "Yeah, I know. I'm asking her how she locked her keys in the car. Not how to use the clicker." Seriously, did he just try to mansplain to me how to unlock a door?
48points
#12
Most recently I had a guy try to explain to me that postpartum depression was caused by the mother's natural instinct to know the baby has issues. Like in nature where animals will neglect a sickly offspring. I don't think he actually knew what postpartum was.
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48points
#13
What yoga is. I've been teaching yoga for 18 years, training teachers for 12. He went to a class once.
47points
#14
I had a man explain to me that I’ve never been to India. I’ve spent 6 months of my life in India.
I met this guy in a bar and we found a mutual love of travel, so I mentioned I loved my time in India and he told me NO woman could possibly enjoy traveling there, therefore I’ve never been. And any attempt to convince him (relaying my past itineraries for example) was just me "trying to impress him". His friends apologized to me later.
I met this guy in a bar and we found a mutual love of travel, so I mentioned I loved my time in India and he told me NO woman could possibly enjoy traveling there, therefore I’ve never been. And any attempt to convince him (relaying my past itineraries for example) was just me "trying to impress him". His friends apologized to me later.
46points
#15
Boyfriend mansplained that on a heavy day when I was changing a tampon every hour this was too often and I could wear them for up to 8 hours (he was annoyed when we were out that I had to keep looking for a toilet). He was all like just put one in and forget about it till we get back home tonight.
*because thats what it says on the box*.
*because thats what it says on the box*.
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44points
#16
Clothing manufacturing, after I had explained why bras are so expensive (he'd asked this question about a FOURTEEN DOLLAR bra his girlfriend got), and mentioned that I sew. He kept ranting on about "so little cloth shouldn't be that much" and how the quality of a $3 pair of briefs is good enough for him, so bras should cost that much, too. OK, buddy, you go price all the materials, spend the time doing trial and error to design a bra that is comfortable and doesn't result in weird pointy or even square b***s, then assemble it, and then come back and tell me how much that whole process should cost.
38points
#17
My boyfriend showed me a video of a girl jumping on a trampoline and she peed her pants. I commented how she must have really had to go and then he went into a long thing of “oh you don’t know? Women accidentally pee all the time” I said “yeah maybe after they have a kid but most women don’t just pee their pants all the time” and he told me I was wrong.
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38points
#18
I dunno if it counts, but my father once tried to explain to me, how I should apply my lipstick. I was 21 then. I just asked him, if he ever used lipstick himself. He said "no, but I know better".
37points
#19
A guy tried to explain how wreaths worked to me, pointing out the hook on the back was for ease of hanging.
35points
#20
Pregnancy. I have had SO MANY MEN tell me what to expect, how it’s only going to get worse, etc etc. just based off knowing pregnant women (not even being with/living with a pregnant woman). It makes me ragey.
34points