Women candidly reveal the 10 'dumbest things' that have been mansplained to them

The only problem is mansplaining.

Mansplaining is a term that refers to the time when some men condescendingly explain things to women in a way that assumes women lack any knowledge about certain topics. What makes it even worse, is when men start speaking about things that a woman might be very well-versed in. This behavior can happen in many settings, such as workplaces, social gatherings, or even in personal relationships. u/cooked-carrot asked women on the site, "What is the dumbest thing that has been mansplained to you?" Here are 10 of the most interesting answers that women had to share. 

1. Pain of childbirth 

My brother-in-law tried explaining to me how the pain of being kicked in the balls is way worse than childbirth or any other pain a woman could go through. His mom told him to shut the f*** up. u/rsvp_as_pending629. I worked in a urology clinic where we’d do prostate biopsies which they get local anesthetic for. One of the pts told my supervisor and me that we women are “lucky” not to have to go through that. My supervisor told him he’s lucky he doesn’t have to go through childbirth, bc he wouldn’t be able to handle it, then walked out. Hah. u/yodigolqmdlg. Lol, I had a man tell me their kidney stone passed at home was worse than birth. I asked if they too passed a 10 lb kidney stone after carrying it around for 42 weeks. u/Far-Brother3882

2. Buying tampons 

I sent an ex to the store to buy me tampons and I sent him a photo of the exact ones I needed. He did not buy the right ones but it was “ok” according to him because “All tampons are the same and do the exact same thing.” For context I wanted U by Kotex Click REGULAR and he got me the OB Applicator Free SUPER PLUS. u/Starlight_City45.

3. What it was like to be broke

BIL tried explaining to me that I didn’t know what it was like to be poor. The man has never been really poor. Even when he was unemployed, his father sent him money so he didn’t have to change his lifestyle. I hit him back with, “Yeah, I know what it’s like to be poor. I was living out of my car in 2013.” He then proceeded to explain why I have poor financial literacy. u/spicybabie. 

4. Fearing men was sexist 

My dad tried to explain to me that my fear of men is sexist and I shouldn't have been worried. I was 16 and had been followed on the street, catcalled, chased, had creeps on my Instagram and there were weird teachers at school. Also tried to tell me that my period pain couldn't have been as bad as it was because he knew about them. I've been having them for 6 years and have a condition. Reddit. 

5. The concept of feminism 

A male friend once tried to mansplain feminism to me. Let's say he didn't try that again because my laughter was very hurtful to his ego. Reddit. A female friend tried to explain to me how feminism and liberalism are destroying familial values and will lead to the collapse of society. Had to lose a brain cell trying to explain to her how it is a reaction to ages of male societal domination and patriarchal oppression women went through. This friend is a woman, belonging to a religious minority (which is often the target of our politicians) and lives in the most liberal part of the country. Even going to lengths about how men nowadays need a good "father figure" in their lives and men need to embrace masculinity and calling out toxic masculinity is affecting men in a bad way. Told me how divorce is bad and women should marry young and when I asked why hasn't she married yet, well, you could say she only cherry-picks the bits of feminism that only benefit her. Reddit

6. Drugs during childbirth

My ex-husband tried to explain to me that pain in childbirth was something modern medicine invented to get women to take drugs and get them and their children addicted. According to him, childbirth isn't actually painful but medical professionals convince women it is. Women used to be able to give birth and then carry on with their day without having to rest for days or weeks afterward. u/MotherofJackals. 

7. How to pump gas in her car

One time I was looking at my phone while standing near a gas pump about to put gas in my car because I was transferring money over in my bank account. This random guy walked up to me and started explaining to me how to put gas in my car. He was rightfully embarrassed when I was like, "I'm just transferring money to my checking account..." I was 24. I swear I don't look SO young that it would be reasonable to assume I don't know how to put gas in my car. I also know I didn't have a 'confused' expression or anything. It was honestly too funny for me to even feel insulted. u/worldprincess13

8. Instructions to hold a pack of beer 

I bought a six-pack of beer one night from the liquor store and the man at the checkout explained to me in great detail how I needed to hold the pack from underneath to stop the bottles falling out. Complete with instructional hand gestures. Thanks, Newton, I know how gravity works. u/No-Tangerine5799. I got a beer recently and a man tried to explain how to carry it. u/la_ca_para. I bought a phone and when I didn’t buy the store’s $30 case to go with it the salesman reminded me to “be careful.” I’m 45. Reddit.

9. About the female reproductive system

The hymen. We had a guy living with us for a while, he used to be a friend, but after living with him, I would realize what a mistake that was lol. Anyway, we were watching the movie Taken, and spoiler alert: the main character's daughter gets kidnapped and sold into a sex slavery operation. At the very end, the guy who purchased her because she was 'pure' is taken out by the dad. Dude who lived with me said, out loud, "Ironic, her being a virgin saved her life!" When I tell you I threw him shade! He was genuinely confused. I told him there was no way to prove virginity, and that virginity itself is a construct. "The hymen is real!" I had to explain to a man, in his thirties, that hymens come in all different shapes, sizes, and thicknesses. I had to explain to him that it doesn't cover the vaginal opening totally because, if it did, how would we lose our menstrual blood. Again, to an adult man, that a hymen can rupture for many many reasons. u/Verlonica

10. Different types of coffee

I was told what the differences were in styles of coffee,( Latte, cappuccino, brave, etc) after he asked me to explain them, then waited for me to start talking only to cut me off. He was completely wrong. I was eating lunch at a cafe when I was told I shouldn't be eating salad because when you're pregnant you do not have an immune system and that it could kill me. He was a doctor. And no, when I asked if he meant to warn me about food-borne illness he laughed and said no, it was the ranch dressing bacteria. He also tried to explain to me what pregnancy felt like. u/mostlikelynotasnail