A recent social concept discussed in feminist/womanist communities is involved around this notion of “taking up space”. This idea stems from centuries-old trends in female behavior: dieting, eating disorders, apologizing for asking questions, shrinking ourselves in public spaces. Now a senior at Wesleyan University, Lily Myers’ poetic approach earned her viral internet standing and acclamation from women and men alike:

The issue presented predominantly focuses on the context of male entitlement to public space, particularly in public transport. Blogs like Men Taking Up Too Much Space on the Train and Move the F*ck Over, Bro are getting buzz – highlighting that in a patriarchal society, men will assert their privilege (possibly subconsciously) by sprawling out in trains, buses, and metros.

According to Feminist critique, this is a power move enacted by men in our society to assert dominance. But do you think “man-spreading” is an issue on the over-crowded trains in Bangladesh or Japan?

 

The answer is no. We in the West are privileged to make it inside the train; As a society, we place high value on personal space that just will not be realistic as population numbers begin to rise. Japanese subways are infamous for uniformed personnel shoving people inside – ensuring that each car is packed, not if every seat is filled.

And no, we are not dismissing the feminist critique of men’s behavior in public spaces. Physical assertion of perceived dominance is rampant, and definitely something that should, and will be discussed. Women should never feel threatened by existing, so any measures to empower, we support.

If population continues to grow, we won’t have the luxury to complain about “man-spreading”. As always with today’s social issues, intersectionality is important in this issue, especially voices of foreign perspectives.