‘Bagspreading’ is the latest complaint on public transport which is annoying men accused of ‘manspreading’
MALE commuters and public transport users have hit back against being blamed for ‘manspreading’ and claim ‘bagspreading’ is just as bad. Travellers have accused female passengers of the rude practice which is when a woman places her handbag on the seat next to her to deter anyone from sitting in it. Images of ‘bagspreading’ behaviour […]
MALE commuters and public transport users have hit back against being blamed for ‘manspreading’ and claim ‘bagspreading’ is just as bad.
Travellers have accused female passengers of the rude practice which is when a woman places her handbag on the seat next to her to deter anyone from sitting in it.
Images of ‘bagspreading’ behaviour have been surfacing online, posted by angry men.
One such image was shared by a user called Rory, who said: “This c**p happens way too much when women want a physical barrier between them and others in public settings.
“I see way more purses on chairs than I do purses hanging off of hooks under the bar (look for them, they are often there for this purpose alone) or on the back of the owner’s chair.”
In the photo Rory shared, the woman appears to have her bag on the seat next to her while all other seats in the busy train carriage are taken, which would mean someone would have to ask her to remove it in order to sit down.
Rory added: “It is totally an offensive move. She has created an environment there for herself that she is actively barricading.
“Seats are for asses, not purses.”
The term manspreading was coined to describe the way men, particularly on public transport, take up more space than they should — often at the expense of women sitting next to them.
It was first used in 2013, when social media website Tumblr began an anti-manspreading campaign called “Men Taking Up Too Much Space on the Train”.
In the campaign, men on trains and buses were photographed while extending their legs out beyond what is socially acceptable.
In 2014, the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority rolled out an ad campaign reminding men to “mind the gap” and keep knees closer together when seated on public transport, while Madrid followed suit in 2017.
But many travellers have been complaining that they see far more incidents of bagspreading than manspreading on public transport.
One person called Pumpkin said: “As someone who rides the bus twice a day, five days a week, I can assure you that women taking up multiple seats with bags is significantly more common than ‘manspreading.'”
Another regular traveller added: “It makes me more inclined to sit there.
“Because f*** them for being inconsiderate, the considerate people can keep there space a little longer.”
Social media users also slammed the practice, with one saying they were “sick of the hypocrisy”.
But some came to the woman’s defence, like one who argued: “What if she’s just sitting there and has no agenda, or isn’t even thinking about how she’s sitting?”
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Last year, a man hit back after saying women were just as bad as manspreaders with rude behaviour such as doing make-up on trains.
However, a woman was caught pouring a mixture of water and bleach on men’s crotches who had their legs spread too far open.
Twenty-year-old campaigner Anna Dovgalyuk said the bleach strips clothing of colour, making it an “identification spot” for manspreaders.