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76 Times Guys Mansplained Something To Women With Peak Confidence And Zero Accuracy
I’m a big fan of photography. I’ve been doing it for years, and I know my way around a camera. But I can’t even count how many times, mostly when I was younger, a random man—always a man—stopped me mid-shot on the street to “correct” me and offer completely unsolicited tips.
That’s the thing about mansplaining: it shows up when you’re least asking for it, usually delivered with a confidence that doesn’t match the facts. And it’s rarely limited to cameras. Women on Reddit shared the most bizarre, patronizing “lectures” they’ve gotten from men, and some of them are so ridiculous you can’t help but laugh. Scroll down to read their stories.
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#1
Someone mansplained my area of expertise, and then posted a link to a paper to prove his point.
I wrote the paper.
*chef kiss*.
RELATED:
#2
It was my partner, but he sent me some stats about toxic shock syndrome and reminded me to change my tampon.
I was like dude, I have been getting my period for 32 years.
Lukas (he/him, it/its) 1 hour ago
I'd like to see this one as something sweet- like he just found out and was worried so he sent it to them out of genuine, if misguided, concern
#3
One time, I went with my brother to buy a new pair of composite toe boots for work. I was trying on two different pairs of boots when a guy who worked there came up and asked if my brother needed assistance. My brother redirected the guy to me since I was the actual customer. The guy looked at me and told me that those boots were too big for me without actually having seen my feet. I explained that they are the correct size and that I go up a half size so that I have the option of adding an additional layer of thick wool socks. The guy then proceeded to tell me that I shouldn't wear wool socks because cheap cotton ones from Walmart work just fine. I patiently explained that wool socks are, in fact, more durable, antimicrobial, and still insulate when wet.
He then told me that I didn't need anything heavy duty for working in the garden and definitely didn't need composite toe boots. I was so livid at that point but I remained calm and explained that my job involves working outside and surveying steep terrain in awful weather conditions. So, I need the heavy duty boots and wool socks. The guy still tried to tell me my boot size was wrong. I then turned to my brother and said that we should leave and that I would not be spending money at that establishment. His mansplaining lost him a $300 sale.
#4
I had an ex mansplain how mortgages work which doesn't sound too weird except that I was a mortgage banker and he was essentially financially illiterate.
#5
I had an ex tell me that women always know immediately when they are pregnant. I tried to explain it is not that simple because women (like myself) can have irregular periods and not know for sure if they miss one or two periods. But no, he told me all women know ASAP. So therefore there is no reason for abortions (not his exact words but basically that was the point he was trying to make).
Kate Johnson 22 minutes ago
This is a good example of why men should not get a vote on abortion.
#6
My period is because I’m unhealthy and healthy women only have a dot of blood that’s why it’s called a period…..
WindySwede 1 hour ago
🩸 (this is why education are crucial! To get away from bigotred teachings)
#7
I was a wildlife biologist for a logging company. Hired because I can identify over 300 species of birds via sight and sound. One staff member described a fox sparrow to me, let him know what he saw. Another man told me how that’s not possible and it was some other type of sparrow. I asked how he knew and if he had birding experience, no he worked with wolves and no birds. He just didn’t like that I knew birds and he didn’t lmao.
#8
Pregnancy. Prolifer dude explained to me that a healthy pregnancy places no physical burden on and poses no risks to the pregnant person.
WindySwede 1 hour ago
Homeschooling by indoctrinaters or just listened to some bigoted man for guidance?
#9
That it was worse for him to have had a catheter than when I did.
Because his went into his urethra and mine went into my V, according to him.
He is not the only man I've been with who thinks [like this].
Kate Johnson 16 minutes ago
What are the chances that man this biologically ignorant has any skills in the bedroom?
#10
My absolute favorite (in the worst way) was a know-it-all who was sure that the Ivy League University I went to did not offer my degree.
I told him the subject of my MFA and he expressed his doubts that it existed in the curriculum of my university.
I assured him that as someone who Holds That Degree from That University I was certain that it does indeed exist.
Tf?
A few weeks later he cheerfully let me know that he had researched it and confirmed that -- sure enough, my degree really is offered by that university!
It was as if he was proudly breaking good news of this discovery to me.
#11
How to wash blood out of clothing.
Sir, I have been washing blood out of clothing since I was 11 years old. GRRRRR…..
#12
I was working as an art instructor. He told me that "Real Artists" mix their own white paint by combining all the colors on their palette. I said "Oh really, I'd never heard that before." His assertion was false. That gets you brown/black. But I didn't correct him, because I knew one day, someone else would, and he'd think back to what he told me, and think "Man she must've thought I was an idiot," cuz yes, yes I did, and still do.
#13
When my youngest was 9 years old, the guy I was talking to told me that HIS therapist told him that MY anxiety/depression was caused by Post Partum Hormones.
#14
I was working on a cross stitch project on an overnight shift work to fill the time and he told me I was doing it wrong. I asked if he did this craft. No, no he did not. He didn’t do any crafts and had never in fact ever cross stitched or even held a needle. He just thought I was doing it wrong.
Kate Johnson 17 minutes ago
"So you're just an obnoxious moron wasting my time with your drooling idiocy?"
#15
Bra size. He was convinced that the sizes were only lemons, apples, melons. (I am assuming small lemons?)
I had to pull out a whiteboard and draw out bodies to explain band size, cup size and breast shape.
#16
When my husband and I first started dating (way back in high school) I mentioned wanting to take a hot bath because of my cramps. He told me I should be taking a cold bath instead because heat is bad for cramps.
I told him I’d see him after my hot bath.
#17
What city I lived in. I lived in a major metro so people refer to various areas by their neighborhood name like normal. He insisted I did not live in the city. I did.
#18
How to do the job I am literally getting paid to teach them how to do, on their very first day of training. This has happened more than once.
#19
My own height. I’m 5’6” (~168cm). Supposedly his shoulder was 5’4”, and I came up to his shoulder; therefore I could not possibly be taller than 5’4”.
#21
My balding male partner was telling me the best technique for cutting curly hair. I have had long curly hair for over 40 years. Just for funsies: he goes to a guy who one time trimmed only one of his eyebrows so one was trimmed and one was Gandalf looking until his next cut!
#22
My husband told me I was wrong about where my hometown—where he had only been once—was located on a map.
#23
My brother in law told me all about dogs and their behaviors. Complete with why they do what they do, how it relates to their wild ancestors, and how to interpret their body language. When I tried to tell him some of his “facts” were incorrect, he went on to talk over me and explain why *I* was wrong.
I’ve been a veterinary technician for 24 years. He knows this. But please, go on. Tell me *ALL* about dogs and why they do what they do.
#24
Why abortion is wrong (he thought women get their first period at the average age of 20).
Kate Johnson 13 minutes ago
Another example of why men should not even be involved in the abortion question.
#25
I'm an accountant with a degree in business management and my dad once mansplained the difference between profit and revenue for a whole hour long car ride.
#26
I used to occasionally write for a news satire site. I shared a piece *I* wrote on Facebook with a quote. A man I know commented explaining to me that the piece was satire and that I had missed the joke, telling me what the author's true intention was.
#27
I had a guy I was planning a date with tell me I wanted to have at least one kid.
Note in my profile I was clear that I was firmly child free.
Second I have had complications due to PCOS and am all but certainly sterile.
There was no date. Conveniently the next week a different man slipped into my DMs and we've been together for three years and share three cats.
#28
Once I said that I didn’t like the name of our college improv group. I thought it was pretentious. One of the other members explained to me what it meant.
#29
My favorite is always, “that’s not what mansplaining is. Mansplaining is this: …”.
#30
I was the lone woman in a doctoral seminar on I don't even remember what it was now, but some pimply-faced 21 year-old kid tried to mansplain to me about the shortcomings of 2nd wave feminism. *Junior, I* ***was there.***.
#32
Pre- and post-increment. I had 4 years C++ and another 4 of Java by this stage. He got it wrong.
#33
This is more of a general habit I’ve noticed but a lot of men will explain my own jokes to me.
Like I’ll say something sarcastically, and they’ll be like “that doesn’t make sense, that’s not how that works, etc.”
Like yea, that’s the joke.
I realized after a while that they just think no woman is smart enough to make a joke, so I must genuinely believe what I said.
So now they need to explain it to me.
#34
My dart team wanted to get shirts with the team name on it. I said I was concerned for my personal safety walking in/out of bars with that written on my shirt due to the double entrendre. I then had 3 guys explaining to me how it's a "legitimate dart question" and I'm overreacting....
One, Do not recite the deep magic to me, boy. I was already playing at home and running match results at tournaments in 1980 - when I was FIVE.
Two, the team name was "Is It In?" *slow blink*.
#35
We were both engineers. We went to a dinner where the service was ok. I was mentally calculating a 15 and a 20% tip in my head because it wasn’t horrible service, but I didn’t want to leave 20%. I guess he noticed I was taking a little longer than he thought appropriate and tried to mansplain how to calculate a 20% tip.
I called him out on it by saying “are you seriously manslpaining math to me?!?!” The whole table found it hilarious. He laughed, but you could tell he wasn’t happy. Our lead was doubled over laughing though.
#36
I went on a tour of this historic house a couple of years back. There was a little piece of folk art depicting a woman who had just given birth to her 7th child rigging up a flag to signal to her neighbors that she had the kid. I chuckled and made a joke along the lines of hey, maybe her husband or one of the half dozen other kids should do that for her. The tour guide didn’t skip a beat when he said “actually, childbirth is really hard.”
I’m a woman.
I was on the tour with my then-husband, who saw my face and burst out laughing. We’re both clearly cisgendered. So is the tour guide, he made a point of telling us so when he told us later on about a train sim game he loves. I happen to also be a woman who really digs trains too so the whole tour ended on a relatively good note. But still, wow.
That was both a highly weird but also super hilarious example. At least I got a kick out of it.
#37
I once had a man, who was not Australian, explain to me, an Australian, all about koalas. So I was mansplained AND koalasplained to.
#38
A random guy tried to explain the history behind MY LAST NAME. The best part was that he was totally incorrect in his assumption about the meaning of the name and where my family originated from.
Several random men (who were not doctors) have tried explaining to me how MY OWN DISABILITIES work. Everything they said was laughably incorrect.
#39
Weirdest ever has got to be when a guy mansplained how marrying him would solve all my problems.
He knew it was weird to keep bringing this up, but he had to explain again how marrying him was the clear answer: I’d have health insurance through him, he could pay for half of my monthly mortgage (and thus somehow equally own my home), etc, etc.
This man was living at home with his mother for free, and didn’t earn enough to be able to afford to pay for half of my monthly mortgage.
Also, we weren’t dating. 🙃.
#40
I work in IT, basically the master of all for the company I work for. I was trying to fix a computer tied to our AV entertainment system one day. This guy, who is one of our facilities folks, is notorious for trying to do IT related things because "you don't need a degree in computer science for this" (he told this to my best friend who is one of the other facilities people), started telling me that maybe I should try to see if it's X and not Z. He launches into this whole spiel about changing to use gold tipped HDMI cables over the silver tipped cables. That wasn't even the problem. So I started at him in the eye sockets of his soul, unplug one of the gold tipped HDMI cables from the system just to show him and plugged it back in. Surprise, that wasn't the problem.
I've learned to always stare at him without blinking if he mansplains. I've really perfected my dry humor and sarcasm, so it makes him extra uncomfortable.
#41
Math. I have a bachelor's in mathematics and work in a STEM field. He had a high school diploma and worked in a blue collar job but thought he needed to explain to me that if 10% of people do something, that means 10 out of every 100 people do this thing.
#42
I was once dealing with an extreme depression and was crying talking to my mother and I said "I feel like my body is just an empty vessel just going through the motions" and her boyfriend at the time scoffed and said "Actually, a vessel is a boat."
#43
When I was in college I went home on break and met up with some of the people from high school, and we were talking about what we were studying, and I showed them all a website I'd made in one of my classes. And of the guys - who was a chemistry major, not a computer scientist - started mansplaining to me and everyone else how my website worked. The website I built. And worse, pretty much everything he said was wrong.
He didn't seem happy when I told him that.
#44
My father in law was trying to explain evolution to me. I have a degree in archaeology with specialization in early hominid evolution. When I reminded him of this, he said, “Oh I thought you studied dinosaurs.”
#45
My former landlord was in our house fixing something and saw vinegar by the washer. We said we use it for laundry, and he then proceeded to explain that all women should douce with vinegar. Looked dubious when we said women shouldn't douce at all and never with vinegar.
#46
I had a man once explain to me, that women like myself, needed to stay away from horses during our periods or the horse will smell our pheromones and want to mate.
#47
My own taste in music. He tried to explain to me that I don’t actually like the music that I do because all women have the same taste in music. He was convinced that every woman on earth likes Buckcherry. I do not. I’d bet money that most women do not.
TonjaLasagne 1 hour ago
I never even heard of Buckcherry and had to look them up. A rock band. And no, I didn't listen.
#48
My own dad once went on a tangent about the differences between coffee drinks like what makes a latte different from a capacino after he told me a fun fact about coffee I genuinely didn't know all because he went on vacation to Italy and learned about it, I have been a barista since I was 17 lol.
#49
My dad tried to tell me he could make a better turkey than him for thanksgiving. I was a sous chef at the time. He thought it was best to try two birds that year if I was so confident. In the morning, while I was making every single other dish for the meal, he smugly asked what time he should have his bird ready. I told him 5pm. His was done at 3. And it was dry. Mine was perfectly rested at 5, with a pan gravy, stuffing, homemade bread, salad, homemade cranberry sauce, stuffing, mashed potatoes, roasted brussel sprouts, as well as multiple desserts. It was moist as [hell] and he never tried to make a bird when I was home again.
#50
I’m a 53yr old woman. I had a dinner meeting with a potential client and my 24yr old male coworker took it upon himself to explain to me how I should dress and how to subtly flirt with the prospect to get the deal done. He was wrong btw. That’s not how I do business and yes I did get the deal closed.
#51
What a movie prop is because he's "in the industry". Dude worked at blockbuster. I was (still am) a union theatre tech with a theatre design degree. But thanks?
#52
Why I shouldn’t receive epidural while giving birth 🙄.
Kate Johnson 5 minutes ago
Men need not have any opinion on this subject whatsoever. It doesn't concern them.
#53
That a still menstruating woman in her late 30s/early 40s cannot possibly get pregnant cuz they’re too old.
#54
I tweeted that a certain politician was "no Jack Kennedy". (This was a reference to a classic vice-presidential debate moment when Lloyd Bentsen told Dan Quayle: "I served with Jack Kennedy.
I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy.")
A mansplainer presumed to advise me that JFK's name was John and no one ever called him "Jack".
I replied that Lloyd Bentsen must not have known JFK as well as he'd claimed to.
A third person posted video of the debate moment, describing it as very famous.
To the vast surprise of no one with two X chromosomes, the mansplainer never apologized.
#55
Just the other day actually a man mansplained to me what women want in media representation. And the best part was that he couldn’t have possibly been more wrong or sexist about it. But he sure was confident.
Seriously what is wrong with these men?
#57
A male friend and I were going to a movie. We wanted to grab a bite first, but we were a little short on time, so we decided to stop at Wendy's. My friend told me his order, dropped me at the door to the Wendy's, and went to park the car.
When the order came, he unwrapped his burger. The conversation went as follows:
Him: Ew. Ick.
Me: Is there something wrong with your burger?
Him: This is the part where you say, "I didn't know what you wanted, so I told them [pickles and onions]." (I actually don't recall at this point precisely what the offending fix-ins were.)
Me: I didn't tell them that.
Him: What did you say when they asked you?
Me: They didn't ask me.
Him: Wendy's always asks.
Me: No, clearly they don't, because they didn't ask me.
Him: But Wendy's always asks.
Me: Do you want me to get you another burger?
Him: No, I'll just scrape it off.
20 minutes later, back in the car, on the way to the movie:
Him: Did you tell them to put that stuff on my burger?
Me: No! I told you that!
Him: I thought you misunderstood.
#58
Had a guy explain "float" to me (the financial term). After he finished I told him I worked in financial technology for 20 years. He just kinda nodded. 😆
#60
I was working at a retail store in my 20s. Our payment system was down so I was doing people's bills on paper. A man told me how much sales tax was and how to calculate it. I was a math major in university at the time.
#61
Counting... and mopping.
A male coworker saw me mopping the floors and proceeded to tell me how it’s easier to break the area into sections. I told him thanks, but no thanks. I’ve been mopping these floors for years and know what I’m doing. He wouldn’t let up, and instead proceeded to repeat himself, seeming to think I didn’t understand the concept of breaking down a kitchen floor into sections, showing me how I can use nearby objects to line up and cut off sections and my fingers to count the spaces. Literally showed me his hand and how he raises a finger for each number ffs.
Which, side note, the way he wanted me to mop was wrong anyway lol. I thought it was common sense to start at one end and finish at the other so you didn’t walk over the clean floors but apparently it’s not.
#62
A guy in college asked me if I could be immortal, would I choose that. I thought about it for like 30 second and was like, No, it sounds lonely, and that youd get bitter and it would be pointless to be without family and friends. (It was a only you in all the world.) He proceeded to tell me of course I would choose to be immortal, and to forget all that stupid emotional stuff.
He was a weird pale creepy guy. Maybe he was a vampire. Or had a vampire obsession.
WindySwede 30 minutes ago
Get back to me in 1200000000000000000000000 years and see how you fell about it?
#64
Women's safety. Happens so often I go out of my way to avoid the topic even coming up. They are the experts and women are hysterical and anything bad that happens to any woman anywhere is a black swan and certainly never due to any kind of structural or individual blindness or bias.
#65
When I was 16, I waited tables and a guy mansplained to me the proper way to fill a glass with half sweet, half unsweet tea. I couldn’t tell you which I did first, but he wanted me to know that you have to put unsweet first and then sweet because of density. Like just stir it with your spoon omfg.
#66
I had been working in the software industry making software talk to each other for 20 years. He explained to me what an API was. I told him that I'd been doing this a while and he didn't need to explain that. He kept explaining. 20 years prior when I started working in this area of IT, this man was a literal child.
#67
I used to work overnight from 12am-8am
12am is the start of the next day. So it would be like Wednesday then 12am hits and it's now Thursday
My very much older male coworker tried to tell me what days of the week I worked not realizing 12am is a new day.
He argued hardcore with me on it. Like dude I know what days I work.
He also argued with me once that packages aren't mail.
When FedEx or UPS came we would say the mail came and doing the mail as we had to sort it and make copies of the slips.
His face turned red and as he screamed at me that it wasn't mail and he tried telling me what mail is and isn't.
#68
An IT geek, upon hearing that I was a primary caregiver for a family member with cancer, decided to explain cancer caregiving to me.
#69
Just had a man speak to our whole company about how women don't get ignored or gaslit at physician visits, just hospitals. This is so incorrect.
Kate Johnson 1 minute ago
Men have no clue whatsoever what women go through and therefore have nothing worth listening to to say on the subject.
#70
A guy at work tried to explain to me what solitaire game I was playing on my phone. He basically walked by me on break and I was playing freecell on my phone and he saw the cards asked if I was playing spider solitaire, I let him know that I wasn't, I was playing freecell. He then proceeded to tell me that I was wrong about what game I was playing and started explaining what freecell is. I was like I know, it's the game I currently playing. And just to add to it once he finally admitted that I was playing freecell, he started going off about how I should try spider solitaire because it's fun (just to be clear, by this point I had explained the difference between the two games enough that any reasonable human would realize that I was very familiar with both games.).
#71
I was once mansplained about white stereotyping of Asian people and how "most white people picturing an Asian woman are gonna think of like a K-Pop star" to me, an Asian afab person.
#72
I made a post about this before, but I had a guy mansplain what a lighter was to me, when I was inquiring about a lighter-log. I forget what they are actually called, but all of our wood was wet that night and we were planning a bonfire so I needed a lighter log to help the damp wood catch a flame. He asked me (SO SMUGGLY OMG) if I "know what a lighter is?" and I explained that I needed the log because our wood was too wet for just a lighter to catch. He got quiet while we just stared at eachother and then came back with "Well, you ever tried using a bigger lighter?" Mind you, this guy wasn't even the employee who was helping me, he was just some guuuyyyyyy lol. I walked down the aisle to where the employee directed me and found what I was looking for, and I hear this man shout out behind me "SO YOU DO KNOW WHAT A LIGHTER IS THEN!".
#73
I once phoned someone at work to confirm a small detail (should be a 30-60s call). He decided to explain basically 50% of my job to me for about 5 minutes
Also this wasn't a random member of the public it was a clerk I often spoke to a few times a week.
#74
How to break up a bag of ice
"So what you're gonna wanna do is drop it and then pick it up and drop it again".
#75
Lolita fashion. Lolita can be worn by anyone of any gender but it def skews feminine. I had worn it for 20 years at this point.
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