'Mansplaining' advert outside Australian university sparks backlash
One person described the advert as ‘a symbol of our times’
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Your support makes all the difference.A “mansplaining” advert that appeared outside an Australian university has become the subject of mockery and ridicule on social media.
The advert, which was placed in front of the University of Adelaide’s Royal Adelaide Hospital, depicts a man sitting down at a table seemingly explaining a topic to a group of five women.
The despondent expressions on the women’s faces have led many to describe the photograph as an example of “mansplaining”, a term that refers to a situation in which a man unnecessarily explains something to a woman (or women) in a condescending and patronising manner.
The advert has been shared across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, with many expressing their disbelief over the “tone deaf” nature of the image.
“Are they promoting their new BA in Mansplaining Studies?” one person wrote, while another described the picture as “a symbol of our times”.
The University of Adelaide has clarified that the institution is not affiliated with the advert, as it has been used to promote an urban development company.
“The hoarding in which that image appears belongs to Renewal SA, not the university,” a spokesperson told ABC News.
“Our logo is part of a separate image, which has been cropped out.”
“The photo in question on the Renewal SA hoarding is not a university image. It was not supplied by us. It was not approved by us. The people depicted in that photo are not university people.”
While the university is evidently not directly connected with the image that’s been placed in front of one of its buildings, the advert has still sparked a huge debate on social media.
A number of people have expressed their disagreement over the conclusion that the picture is a typical portrayal of “mansplaining”.
“I love how the men commenting don’t see it as mansplaining – to them it looks totally normal,” one woman wrote on Facebook.
“And therein lies the problem.”
One man ironically attempted to explain that “mansplaining really isn’t a thing” in response to the backlash that the photograph has received, to which a woman replied by saying “Thanks for explaining that”.
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