If not, Laila Laurel has designed just the chair for you. If you are a man and are guilty of manspreading then she has the cure; if you are a woman and are guilty of not womanspreading then she has a chair for that as well.
Don’t laugh – she picked up a top award for the design. This is clearly an exciting solution to one of humankind’s greatest problems.
Laila Laurel, 23, says she was inspired to create the chair, which makes use of two cleverly positioned bits of wood, following her own experiences of ‘manspreading’.
If you’re unaware, ‘manspreading’ is the term used to describe when some fellas sit with their legs wide apart in public places, with a disregard for other people’s personal space. It became a talked-about phenomenon back in 2013 and has since even been added to the Oxford English Dictionary.
Laurel, who is set to graduate with a degree in 3D Design and Craft from the University of Brighton later this month, said: “It came both from my own experiences of men infringing on my space in public, and also from ‘The Everyday Sexism Project’, a website founded by Laura Bates in which women self-testify about sexism they experience.
“With my chair set I hoped to draw awareness to the act of sitting for men and women and inspire discussion around this.”
Her work has been awarded the Belmond Award for emerging talent, with a judging panel saying Laurel’s chair was ‘a bold, purpose-driven design that explores the important role of design in informing space, a person’s behaviour and society issues of today‘.
I presume it will also solve climate change, but that was not explicitly mentioned in the judges’ citation.
The award looks for designs that show ‘imaginative and cleverly presented ideas with a considered overall look and feel along with the quality of work displayed’.
Laurel, who is from Norwich, said: “I am completely shocked but very happy and honoured to have won the Belmond Award – and I am looking forward to designing with them this year.” […]
Laurel hasn’t stopped there with her chair designs either. She’s created a second seat intended for women, which encourages them to sit with their legs a little wider apart.
Ladbible
There is a whole lot more beauty and functionality in the drainpipe than either of those ugly monstrosities.