No doubt you’ve all seen this by now –
Cathy de la Cruz @SadDiego
A friend spotted this in Texas: #Mansplaining The Statue.
But look closely if you haven’t already. It’s not just that he’s looming, it’s not just that he has her pinned, it’s not just that he’s talking and she’s gazing upward wondering why he won’t stop – it’s that she’s radically out of proportion to him. She’s from another species, or rather, a different set of dolls. You know how when you were a kid you had dolls that were different sizes? And sometimes when you wanted to have a large cast you would make them interact despite the size disparity? It’s like that. She is weirdly, grotesquely smaller than he is.
Never mind. I’m sure their children will be fine.
On the plus side, she has a book, so she knows how to read. The man just knows how to put his feet on furniture (and probably belch — as a man, I can tell you the two go together).
I can’t claim to see grotesqueness in the relative proportions.
FWIW my first thought was that they’ve made it quite awkward for people to use that bench.
Judging by the buildings in the distance, I think that there may be some lens distortion towards the edges of the image that is making the male figure appear wider.
One interesting thing that came out from this: the original sculptor, Paul Tadlock, apparently had never heard of “mansplaining,” (and of course denies that it was the original intent of the statue) but when the concept was explained to him, he pretty much said “Oh, yeah, that happens all the time.” His exact words about it were still a little clueless, but it’s cool to see a guy who’s apparently not been exposed to much feminist discourse so easily acknowledge that it’s a thing.
“…; and the elasticated waist and crotch provides superb comfort, ease of movement and flexibility as you can see!”
The mansplainer has also clearly interrupted the woman’s reading, completely disregarding the nonverbal cue “sitting alone and doing a solitary activity”, which means, roughly, “go away; can’t you see I’m actively engaged in something that doesn’t and cannot possibly involve you?”
You can read a lot into a statue like that but I know what it’s like to loom over most women because I’m 6’3″ and my wife is 4’10’. I have to work consciously at not seeming threatening to most other women because of my height difference. I wouldn’t pose like that unless intimacy was already well advanced though.
It appears as if (wearing those sensible shoes), her knee reaches at least the same height as his.
Unless (as seems quite possible) her legs have been made disproportionately long, the two figures may be reasonably well-matched.
Though the longer I look at it, the more I suspect his left leg is longer than his right.
And the whole ensemble looks like irresistible parkour bait.