A woman has caused divided opinions after she criticised a fellow passenger for sitting with her legs apart while sleeping and therefore being squashed into her middle seat during a three-hour flight.
The angry woman described his actions as “reckless” and said that she had barely any legroom left due to his intrusion into her privacy.
However, some on Reddit felt that she might be judging the man too harshly, pointing out that he was probably unaware of his “manspreading” since he was sleeping.
In a detailed post, she said: “My mother was recently allowed to board a flight without any restrictions. I accompanied her to help her with her luggage and to accommodate her. We sat against the bulkhead so she had more space for her splinted knee.
“I sat in the middle seat to provide cushioning and protect her knee. The gentleman to my left took up a third of my seat for over half of a three-hour flight.
“He was sleeping with headphones on and didn’t respond when I tried to wake him up and ask him to move.”
In a message to all men, she urged them to develop better self-confidence and “control their egos”. She explained: “Women do everything they can to make others around them more comfortable and do not take up space, literally or figuratively. They absolutely do not need that extra space.”
Reactions to her story were mixed. One commentator said: “I’ve seen many men and women take up more space on an airplane than they should. Anyone can be inconsiderate. You are not the main character.”
Another said: “Lift up the armrest, lie down in your bed.”
A third user expressed his perspective, saying, “It’s understandable to be upset about this. It’s understandable to ask, expect him to comply, and feel like you don’t need to ask. I’d probably wake him up. But how can he be selfish in his sleep?”
Another chimed in: “Girl, if you don’t start repeatedly and passive-aggressively stepping on his foot and kicking it away.”
