Subtle protest through everyday space
Like I already started to describe in my first blogpost, I’ve started to think more deeply and curious about the concept of space; whether it is physical, visual or social. In many ways, space is not neutral. Who gets to take up space, who is expected to shrink and be small, who is heard, and who goes unnoticed is often shaped by power structures such as gender.
Feminist theorists like Iris Marion Young have written about how women are socialized to “keep their bodies small,” like sitting with crossed legs or just avoiding taking up too much room in daily life. In her essay “Throwing Like a Girl” (1980), she discusses how even the most everyday gestures reveal how we internalize social expectations about gender. While men are encouraged to expand, to stretch, to claim their environment, women (or more precisely, those who are read as female in public) are taught the opposite: to shrink, to protect, to avoid confrontation – and to obey.
This tension between visibility and invisibility, between expansion and restriction, forms the basis for my idea generation and concept. I want to explore moments of subtle protest: Reversing these everyday dynamics that happen not through big slogans or raised fists, but through posture, looks and presence.
Here are some ideas I have thought of for possible (animated) poster scenes:
- Manspreading on public transport
→ A woman confidently spreading out while others adapt around her // I have used this example in my blogpost before and I think it is a concept that is known too many at this point. It describes the way how men often sit or stand while taking up too much/ stealing public space from other people in their surroundings, often people perceived as female (Bertrand, 2018). - On the street, women are the ones who step aside
→ A Woman keeps walking straight while a man has to move // This imbalance of public norms of society where a man does not need to bother, has been known for quite a while as it was already discussed by Iris Marion Young in 1990 where she implies that Women are often physically and socially positioned in such a way that taking up space or asserting physical presence is discouraged. - In restaurants or meetings, people only speak to the men
→ Waiters or colleagues only address the woman, ignoring the men // This is related to the Hepeated concept where men get credit for the work women has done which has happened and shaped history since the beginning of time (Serrano, 2022). For my poster I want to show the subtle signs in daily life where people tend to rather speak with or look at the men than the women. - Men throw their arms over others’ chairs without hesitation
→ A woman doing the same, owning the shared space // This idea has the same origin than the manspreading idea in public transport, just with the arms. - Public spitting or peeing seen as normal for men
→ A woman unapologetically peeing in a public space // Men can pee anywhere and it is socially accepted (Even though many people do not like to see it, it is still okay and not called out when someone does). This is another example of how society controls women by them always having to rely on public restrooms in public spaces (Feminist Fightback, 2020). - Women covering up with a sweater to avoid being looked at
→ Man wearing a crop-top without discomfort or sexualization. - Men standing with hands on hips ; confident stance
→ Women using strong postures unapologetically. - Men taking central space at sports events, yelling and performing
→ A group of women in full control of the moment, loud and unapologetic // This is a reflection of how patriarchal norms encourage male visibility, entitlement, and expressive freedom in public spaces, while discouraging similar behaviors in those read as female (Rail, 2025). - Men sunbathing shirtless in parks
→ A topless woman reading a book casually // This regards to the – for years – ongoing discussion about top nudity and how men can be topless in public and women’s breasts get sexualized and are not allowed to be shown (Equipe Madagascar, 2020). - Mansplaining / Being stared at
→ A woman overexplaining to a man, or staring at him without blinking // This is another situation that focuses on the silencing of women, with specific attention to the concept that some men seemingly believe that no matter what a woman says, a man always knows better (Solnit, 2025). - Being groped in public / catcalled
→ a woman catcalling a group of men, flipping the power.
Next Steps
For now, this is an idea pool I can draw from for the upcoming poster. I plan to choose 4/5 scenes to start with, especially ones that feel both relatable and visually strong. My goal is not to “reverse the roles” just for the sake of it or to encourage women to be egoistic in public spaces but to reveal how strange it suddenly looks when someone perceived as female takes up space without apology (and how strange it is that it even feels strange??) and to show that space (like almost all other things) should be equally distributed.
Maybe existing loudly in a space can be a protest too.
Sources
Bertrand, D. (2018). The rapid rise of online feminism: A symptom of the surfacing of a fourth wave? Réseaux, 208209(2), 232–257. https://shs.cairn.info/journal-reseaux-2018-2-page-232?lang=en
Equipe Madagascar. (2020, December 16). Free the Nipple, a highly controversial feminist movement. Sisters Republic DE. https://sistersrepublic.eu/en/blogs/der-blog-der-sisters/free-the-nipple-eine-hochst-umstrittene-feministische-bewegung
Feminist Fightback. (2020, June). The Political Urgency of the Public Toilet | Feminist Fightback. Feminist Fightback | Anti-Capitalist Feminist Collective. https://www.feministfightback.org.uk/the-political-urgency-of-the-public-toilet/
Rail, G. (2025). Sport and Postmodern Times. Google Books. https://books.google.at/books?hl=de&lr=&id=7KI1a6Z3ouYC&oi=fnd&pg=PA301&dq=men+and+sport+events+problematic&ots=dGpZWCX__A&sig=thPKMS5g5T1Hbt1bbeQE97GexHM#v=onepage&q=men%20and%20sport%20events%20problematic&f=false
Serrano, B. (2022, May 28). Hepeating: When a man takes credit for what a woman already said. EL PAÍS English. https://english.elpais.com/society/2022-05-28/hepeating-when-a-man-takes-credit-for-what-a-woman-already-said.html
Wikipedia Contributors. (2025, April 11). Men Explain Things to Me. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.
Young, I. M. (1980). Throwing like a girl: A phenomenology of feminine body comportment motility and spatiality. Human Studies, 3(2), 137–156. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20008753
Young, I. M. (1990). The People, Place, and Space Reader. Google Books. https://books.google.at/books?hl=de&lr=&id=b9WWAwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA247&dq=Urban+spatial+dominance+(Iris+Marion+Young).&ots=KX_xBJptA7&sig=xHrMLb6NDsm3h250ek5BjFyeOFQ#v=onepage&q&f=false
