No matter what kind of public transportation, every passenger should always have the right to feel comfortable in their rides. But sometimes, there are things that people cannot control – which includes whom you are going to be seated next to on a train or a plane ride. One woman decided to share her own experience of not being able to freely move her legs because of the man seated next to her.

In November 2022, a woman named Emily Kauai shared on Reddit a photo of her legs alongside that of a man’s legs widely spread. Apparently, the man spread his legs throughout the four-hour plane ride. Naturally, it made her feel uncomfortable because she didn’t have the chance to move her legs. It was even harder for her because her height is 5’8”, making it more difficult to move on her end. To put it simply, the man was “manspreading,” and people were torn over his action, which many deemed bad etiquette for a traveler.

But what exactly does manspreading means?

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, manspreading is “the act or practice by a man of sitting with the legs spread wide apart (as in a public seating area) in a way that intrudes on the space of others.”

But manspreading only became popular in 2013 after people on the microblogging platform Tumblr started calling out men who take up space in public transport systems because of sitting with their legs apart.

“This was how a four-hour flight went today. I am a 5’8’’ female,” the woman wrote in her post.

For Illustration Purposes Only (With Models) — istockphoto.com/yacobchuk

Kauai said she told the man to move several times. While he would move over his legs each time she told him to, he would return to watching a movie on his phone time and again for four hours.

“A couple of times I mentioned it to him, and he would move over… but his legs would casually return to where they rested during his movie,” she said.

In the photo, the man appeared to have plenty of room where he was seated, which users pointed out in the comments.

Of course, her post generated mixed reactions from the people who came across her post, with a lot of them sharing their personal experiences. Of course, most people sided with her.

“The dude in that photo is a jerk,” one person said. “Unless you’re less than 48 hours out of a vasectomy, there’s no reason to be manspreading like that,” one user wrote.

“As a big guy, I do everything I can to get an aisle seat, and then I spread that way when it’s available,” another user wrote.

Another user shared a trick that works “95% of the time” if a person wants the other person seated next to them to move.

“Cross your legs and put your foot on him until he moves. This works like 95% of the time. I’m female and I either do this or I press my knee over like you would to a sibling. Then say, oh gosh sorry I’m just trying to get comfortable or something,” the user wrote.

There were also those who sympathized with the man and admitted they do experience the same during flights.

For Illustration Purposes Only (With Models) — istockphoto.com/rarrarorro

“Yea, I’m 6’5 and, especially on flights that start and end outside of the US, I feel terrible because I have to either spread like that guy does, jab my knees into the seat in front of me, or pay for a bigger seat,” said another user.

“A lot of people think it’s so disrespectful to do stuff like this, or to be tall in a movie theatre and whatnot, but oftentimes we don’t have a choice. I’m not exactly well-off and I can’t just go buying comfort+ or whatever every time I have a flight,” the user added.

“I’m 5’5” and even I get SO agitated and cramped up after an hour,” another user said. “I usually end up crisscross applesauce if nobody is beside me or with my knees to my chest with my feet on my chair.”

While some might argue the man had poor manners, a spinal neurosurgeon said there is a valid explanation for why a person “manspreads” during a plane. John Sutcliffe told The Independent it could do something with physiology.

“I suspect most men would suggest the reason for adopting the more spread posture in sitting, would be the avoidance of testicular compression from the thigh muscles,” he told The Independent. “The pelvic rotation goes some way to improve compression in both aspects.”

For some, the solution would be government regulations on aircraft seats to avoid inconvenience in the future.

“This is why we need government regulations. If we had a regulation stating ‘aircraft seats must have X inches of leg room’, we would not have to be picked like sardines in a can,” one user said.

For Illustration Purposes Only (With Models) — istockphoto.com/yacobchuk

What can you say about people who manspread on public transportation? Let us know your thoughts, and pass this on to anyone who might find this story interesting!