A female air passenger has responded to her online detractors after she faced criticism for her remarks about ‘manspreading’. Defined as “the practice whereby a man, especially one travelling on public transport, adopts a sitting position with his legs wide apart, in such a way as to encroach on an adjacent seat or seats”, Georgina Cook (@awomancalledgeorge) took to TikTok to share her experience.
She had previously posted on LinkedIn, where she uploaded a photo of what she described as “effectively what it’s like being a woman”. The knee of a male passenger could clearly be seen invading her space, leading her to comment: “This guy on my flight this morning, chose (without asking) to occupy one-third of my space. No conversation beforehand, just sat down, straight into the man-spread. What did I do? Nothing.”
Georgina also said she decided to “make herself even smaller”, and explained why she didn’t react at the time. “This is the day-to-day lived experience of women: making themselves ‘less’, fitting in, not making a fuss,” she wrote. “And this scene plays out in business too: feeling obliged to dumb-down, to be compliant, to not challenge unfairness or inequality.”
Multiple LinkedIn users responded, doubting whether Georgina’s woes were related to gender discrimination. “He’s inconsiderate for sure,” noted one woman, adding, “But it’s not always a gender issue. I’ve seen men manspreading over other men, and I’ve had women dig their elbows into my space. Sit there and say nothing and they’ll do nothing. Politely ask them to move they generally will.”
A male also weighed in, cursing: “This isn’t about being a woman. It’s about allowing him to do it by not speaking up. Women aren’t victims and this narrative is false and frankly, boring.”
After reflecting on all of her post’s feedback, Georgina maintained that the responses actually underscored her initial point. Writing in the caption to her TikTok video, she argued: “Those opinions fell into several core themes – most of which went a long way to actually proving my original point (whether they realised it or not),” Furthermore, addressing her 87,000 followers in the clip, she expressed: “You’d have thought I’d said something absolutely horrendous by the comments that I got to that post.
“It was by far the most engaged with post that I’d had on LinkedIn. I’ve taken some time to read through those comments because for me sharing my experience is very much about receiving feedback and learning about other people’s experiences”.
Georgina disclosed she had subsequently encountered a series of “real themes that stood out”, which deserved further discussion online. When faced with the idea of moving the man’s leg herself, she felt such an act was “too aggressive” and didn’t feel it right to implement, as she noted in response to several like-minded suggestions. “Women are often threatened by men, sometimes with fatal consequences,” she said.
And discussing her reasons for not speaking about the matter directly to the man, Georgina stated she “didn’t feel comfortable” doing so. “I felt intimidated by the way he was sitting,” she admitted. “I don’t know how he’s going to react. We know its not all men, but it might be that man – we just don’t know.”
She then dismissed ideas that the man’s behaviour could have been excused by his height, affirming that wasn’t a factor in her particular situation. Further pointing out, she asserted: “That’s a problem for him. It shouldn’t be a problem for me.”
Concluding her account, Georgina addressed those who judged her actions: “For those suggesting I was wrong for shying away and avoiding confrontation, maybe just pause for a moment – that is actually how I felt – I did not want confrontation and so I backed away. And whether you like it or not, that is very much my experience.”
On TikTok, in contrast to the reactions she received on LinkedIn, users lauded Georgina for her candidness. One commenter hailed her narrative as “an articulate and accurate blow by blow description of an experience women have in many different circumstances”.
Another person concurred: “You were the better person on this. I love your rant as you are so right and I fully accept your frustrations which I also share. Good on you.” Meanwhile, a third individual reflected: “I so agree with you. Why should it be on me to push back. Why can’t men behave politely in the first place? When will they take responsibility?”