Men sitting in public places with their legs open are accused of sexism.
The act, which is supposed to result from a “patriarchal society,” already has a name: manspreading.
The term appeared in 2013 on the social network Tumblr but gained strength four years later in Spain, where an awareness campaign against open legs on buses and subways was created.
In Brazil, the subject became the subject of debate on social networks after O Globo published a report on the subject.
The newspaper heard from women uncomfortable with the practice.
“Sometimes I ask permission, and they continue the same way,” reported one interviewee.
“We never know how they will react.”
“I’ve had so much of this situation that I avoid traveling with men,” said a female student.
According to a gender specialist consulted by the newspaper, “massive publicity actions” are an alternative to deal with this.
The professor cited the feminist campaigns “Não é não!” (No is no!), and “Chega de fiu fiu” (Enough with whistling), as important initiatives in Brazil to curb “abusive male attitudes.”
In discussions on the internet, people have mentioned the existence of men who have discomfort in their genitals and, in some cases, can’t close their legs that much.
Although he disagrees with this thesis, a doctor interviewed by O Globo doesn’t speak of Machism but of “lack of education”.
With information from Revista Oeste