25 Of The Funniest “Mansplaining” Examples

Mansplaining comes off as being just an excuse for some men to sound intelligent without having to put too much effort into formulating a unique contribution to a conversation. It's also one of the most irritating experiences for a woman that is still far too common. Why men think they need to reiterate in different words what a woman has said mere seconds ago is a baffling notion to anyone with half a brain. Clearly, the average mansplainer is a wretched bore, or they would have been more self-aware. But in the name of educating the masses, we've shared a few prime examples of annoying encounters that should hopefully clear up any confusion on what constitutes as "mansplaining" in the gallery below. More info: Reddit 1 | Reddit 2

#1

Image source: catladyondeck, nomadsoul1 / freepik I had a Lowe's (hardware store in the US) employee tell me he was "trying to find a way to compare it to cooking or cleaning" when I asked him for advice about putting up drywall on a partition wall in my garage.

#2

Image source: daganfish, senivpetro / freepik One guy mansplained seasons to me because I tried to tell him that HVAC needs in a museum are very different from other county buildings. He literally started by saying, "You see, there are four seasons in a year, and you have to change the temperature in each season" and then went on for another 20 minutes

#3

Image source: bexxyboo, dotshock / freepik I've been in a call with a company client where we did introductions, I'm the laboratory analyst and was the one working with the stuff they were sending to us. We ran through normal procedure, and I suggested some ways to move forward with their stuff to get the results they wanted. "That's great but what does the man working on our stuff think? (Directed at my boss)" Boss: "the man not working on your stuff thinks the woman working on your stuff is right." Oh the client wasn't happy, but it felt wonderful and big props to my boss for being a legend.

#4

Image source: anon, yanalya / freepik I was training a new employee (male) and part of the training was sitting in with me when I met with clients. First day, first meeting, I explained to the client that I was training new employee and new employee would be sitting in but not participating in conversation, just listening and learning. Within 30 seconds the client was directing all questions to new employee and ignoring my answers. Finally, I asked new employee to step out of the room. I asked client if he had a problem with me and would prefer to talk to my boss? Client mansplained to me how males are better at my job because the male brain is better at business because they think without emotion. He asked for the new employee and I told him new employee has been on the job for 2 hours, the only thingbhe knows so far is where the bathroom is and where the breakroom is. Client finally accepted I would be the one helping him and appointment continued. After he said - wow you really know your stuff. Of course I know my stuff! I've been in my industry for over 10 years!

#5

Image source: matroeskas, pressmaster / freepik When I (F, late thirties) first met my SIL's new boyfriend, he asked what I was doing for a living (I work in academia). He then proceeded to explain my own PhD thesis to me, you know, the one I have written and defended years ago, and the one he hadn't even heard of before we were introduced... ? Also, I am assistant professor now and whenever I show up for class with my teaching assistant (M, early twenties) for the first time, people often automatically assume he is the Dr. in the room. When I mentioned this on one of the academic subs around here, the most upvoted comment was (I wish I was kidding): "What were you wearing?" ??

#6

Image source: YaIlneedscience, freepik I was on the clinical dev team for the phase 3 moderna vaccine. Countless people, almost always men, would explain how the vaccine does/doesn’t work after I’ve explained my line of work. Bonus: I now like to call mansplaining “correctile dysfunction”

#7

Image source: kruom10, Bizon / freepik I always had really painful, irregular periods. Was diagnosed with PCOS at 14, and had to fight for an endometriosis diagnosis for a decade. I was probably 21, and saw a military gynecologist, on base. I didn't get to pick the doc, so it was a man. We proceed with the appointment, he asks about my pain, so I explain how it's pretty constant, not just during my period. Then he asks how I know I have PCOS. Well.. I was diagnosed thanks to labs and ultrasounds and symptoms. He doesn't believe me and orders new tests. THEN he tells me I obviously need to work out more, because my pain is muscular. He says that my pain just "doesnt make sense", then proceeds to explain the whole menstrual cycle to me like I am a child, even after I tried to stop him. It was as if I'd never had a period and didn't understand hormones and cramps. 3 years later I was diagnosed with stage 3 endo on every pelvic organ. Thankfully I found a fantastic excision surgeon who never tries to mansplain.

#8

Image source: unicornsneezes, gpointstudio / freepik I work in marketing. At the time I was working for a beer company and was the only female in the room in a planning meeting to come up with campaign ideas for the following year. I was there as the retail marketer, as I worked closely with the sales team to execute campaigns in-store. They came up with an idea they thought was hilarious and became an echo chamber. After a bit I spoke up and said it was a really fun idea, and we should definitely do a social media campaign about it, but it wouldn’t work in retail. Keep in mind that before we got started the CMO gave a big speech about how any idea we presented to the President needed to work in all spaces. So he didn’t like that I said it didn’t work. He legit said these words after I made that comment, “You see unicornsneezes, how marketing works is that xyz.” I had been in the industry for over 15 years and had more actual marketing and advertising experience than a lot of other people in the room. I just shut my mouth. The next day he presented the idea to the President of the company. Guess what he said. “Cool idea, but there’s no way it’s going to work in retail.”

#9

Image source: Mamma__Rengoku, Helena Lopes / freepik Not sure if it counts, but a guy trying to explain to me how to get blood off your clothes... And he refused to simply believe I've been washing blood off since I was 11

#10

Image source: JessTheTwilek, jet-po / freepik I had a man mansplain mansplaining ? Apparently, it’s when a man wins an argument and a woman doesn’t have anything else to say to win, so they accuse him of mansplaining.

#11

Image source: CabaiBurung, RDNE Stock project / pexels I was a gas turbine engineer in the Navy. I had a friend ask me to teach some of her new guys the propulsion part of the surface warfare pin exam. I took them to the engineroom and one guy started a whole spiel on a ballasting system that we did not have on our ship. He actually dismissed me when I started explaining the seawater compensation system that we used onboard instead. He also insisted we only used diesel engines and went on to explain how I am confusing gas turbine with diesel engines. We did not use diesel engines. I am a gas turbine engineer, stationed onboard this particular ship because it is powered by gas turbine engines. I also write the exam questions for my section of his exam. He did not pass.

#12

Image source: anon, grustock / freepik I have big boobs and the number of times I’ve had guys try to explain bra sizes to *me,* or act like DD/DDD is the “biggest they can get naturally”… That, and “why are you showing them off, just wear looser clothing”… when I was in a T-SHIRT. Not my fault you can’t control your eyes hon

#13

Image source: littleyellowbike, freepik I'm an electrician (when I still worked in the field I mostly did commercial and industrial work; I teach at our training center now). One day I was installing electrical boxes in stud walls. The brackets I was using to mount the boxes were an expandable type, adjustable to fit different stud spacings. A carpenter walked up out of nowhere, took the bracket I was adjusting *out of my hands,* and showed me how he'd seen other electricians adjust the brackets, "because you see how the studs are only attached at the top and bottom? They're flexible, so if your bracket is too wide it's going to bow the studs out and the drywallers won't have a straight line to hang their boards with." I lowered my chin and just stared at him until he got uncomfortable and went away. I've been told I have a "scary" resting face and it comes in handy all the time on jobsites (and occasionally in the classroom).

#14

Image source: kaikaibean, senivpetro / freepik I used to work at a coffee shop and a man ordered an americano from me and I went over to the espresso machine to make it and this m**********r leans his grubby elbows onto this $15,000 machine to say “yeah so an americano is like espresso and water.” YOU DONT SAY?? Thank god you’re here to teach the BARISTA how to make coffee !! Enjoy your decaf

#15

Image source: anon, Racool_studio / freepik I was working out on a public path. A guy is staring at me. When I pause he announces "Men don't like women who are too into fitness." I laughed a bit and said I was ok with that and tried to go back to working out. But now he is in front of me, all puffed up and red, "No, you need to listen to me, I am telling you something you need to know!" I decided it was time to start my run.

#16

Image source: bikex4, freepik A male acquaintance of mine was trying to tell me how he took Tri-Cyclen (oral contraceptive pill) for acne when he was a teenager. I asked him if he meant to say tetracycline (an antibiotic used to treat acne) but he condescendingly responded that it was Tri-Cyclen. He had no healthcare background. I’m a pharmacist.

#17

Image source: aphenae, freepik I was born and raised in South East Asia, and learned how to use chopsticks from my South East Asian grandparents (who both came from wealthy, snobby families) and parents. My American born non-Asian ex tried to explain to me how to use chopsticks because he learned how to do it differently through YouTube.

#18

Image source: schmagz, benzoix / freepik During a training class for a new job, I had a guy mansplain how to close an internet page. And yes this was in the last 5 years. You click the X If anyone is wondering! ?

#19

Image source: Aretta_Conagher, aimenda123 / freepik I'm doing my PhD in soil chemistry and am experimenting with biochar in forest soils. A random dude with no background in the area started telling me that adding biochar to forests is a fire hazard and that I must stop immediately. Biochar has huge water retention potential and can be incredibly beneficial in preventing forest fires, but who am I to explain stuff to internet experts...

#20

Image source: Riisiichan, prostooleh / freepik Was explaining to my sister that there are 4 different types of IP addresses while on a hay ride. Guy sitting with his wife starts saying, “No.” After every one of my sentences. So, I pulled out my phone like, “Hey sis, let me show you on google the different types of IPs. Public, Private, Static, and Dynamic! Yep, some people think there’s only ONE, but those people only work on ONE so I understand their confusion!” He didn’t interrupt for the rest of the ride.

#21

Image source: mydogisLeroy, freepik My BIL asked me if I was sure I understood crime rates after I corrected him on violent crime rates in major US cities. I’ve been a crime analyst for 5 years and have a Master of Science in criminal justice/criminology. He has a GED and has never worked in the field, just gets all his information from Fox news.

#22

Image source: NickieSteph, freepik To preface, I'm an electrical engineer and have been at my current job for over a year. I was in a meeting with all of my coworkers (who are male). For about an hour, one of them is reading and explaining a program in depth specifically TO ME. I let him talk the program up and don't say a word. The design is going to be used on all of the systems in the company starting this year. He talks about how the director is really excited about it and how it'll up our production. He said I could really benefit from reviewing the code and learning from it. I ask him to look at the revision information. It says "author: u/NickieSteph" Face crack lol

#23

Image source: tabicat1874, KamranAydinov / freepik A coworker mansplaining our job which I've been doing over a year, with incorrect information. I straight up told him, "That is incorrect, and in fact the process is exactly the opposite of what you just said. I assure you, the client does NOT want 10 identical data sets, but 10 unique ones for analysis. Since I've been here a year longer than you have, they would most certainly have corrected any mistakes by now." So I pulled rank, seniority, and y'all...HE APOLOGIZED.

#24

Image source: thefuzzybunny1, nastyaofly / freepik I was in the middle of donating platelets, which is a 2-hour process. I was trying to read a book during it, so when the nurse asked if I was comfortable, I asked for a pillow to prop the book up. (It's hard to hold and turn pages one-handed while not accidentally moving the arm with the needle in it.) The man next to me started trying to tell me that I should've asked them to tilt the bed at a different angle for better neck support. The nurse interrupted him to say, "you don't have to tell fuzzybunny how to donate blood. She's here every 2 weeks." And pointed to the "Blood drive ambassador" T-shirt I was wearing, which I got for volunteering to raise awareness about the need for donor blood. That shut the old man up.

#25

Image source: Meneketre, arutaimages / freepik I have a BA in psychology. When I was in my junior year of college I had a guy who I randomly happened to bump into often while smoking in between classes. He asked me if I knew the difference between a sociopath and a psychopath. I told him that neither were in the DSM 5 and they never had been. I let him know that the correct diagnosis was antisocial personality disorder. He, this guy who was in his first quarter of college, proceeded to lecture me about the difference. Like dude, I’m majoring in this and have been for three years. You started college a few months ago and are majoring in business. But sure, I needed a man to tell me about my chosen field of study. I’m sure all those professors who have masters degrees and PhD’s in the field were just waiting for you to come along and correct their decades of experience.