‘Mansplaining’ ad removed from university site after online complaints

A billboard that sparked heated debate after some labelled it sexist has been taken down and replaced. 

The ad, which was erected at the site of the old Royal Adelaide Hospital, showed a group of five women gathered around a man who appeared to be explaining something to them.

After a photo of the sign was posted to social media, many accused the image of promoting ‘mansplaining’ and the photo quickly went viral. 

The sign was taken down and replaced as of Tuesday, with the new sign opting to forego any potentially controversial images of people in favour of plain text. 

A billboard that sparked heated debate after some labelled it sexist has been taken down and replaced (pictured is the new sign)

The original advertisement was placed on hoardings outside the Old Royal Adelaide Hospital 

A spokesperson for Renewal SA, who were responsible for the ad, told the ABC that the photo was not staged but was taken of real university students at a workshop.

‘In recognition of the personal impact of the social media speculation for the individuals in the image, the image was replaced with details about the upcoming open day, on Wednesday 11 July,’ the spokesperson said.

‘The images on the hoarding boundary are expected to change over the evolution of the project to reflect our continuous engagement with stakeholders, community and on site activation experiences.’

The advertisement gained lots of criticism online for the apparent mansplaining

The University of Adelaide, which was satirically accused of promoting a ‘Masters of Mansplaining’ distanced itself from the sign saying their logo belonged to an adjacent ad. 

The ad was actually for Renewal SA, a government department responsible for managing major infrastructure projects.  

‘The photo of the hoarding has been deliberately angled and cropped to suggest that the image is directly related to the University, which it is not,’ a spokesperson for the University said.

‘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.’  

The image was posted to Instagram with the caption: ‘Adelaide’s innovative education precinct is now offering a Master of Mansplaining’.

The term ‘mansplaining’ refers to when a man comments on or explains something to a woman in an oversimplified way that could be condescending and patronising.

Social media users were divided over whether the advert was a case of mansplaining or simply an everyday scenario that pundits were reading too much into.

‘I’ve been walking past this poster for months and wondering what the hell the marketing people responsible for this were thinking,’ one user commented. 

Many tried to make a joke out of the image, saying that the university is offering a new Bachelor in ‘Mansplaining Studies’

‘To be fair, all of the women are looking at him like they think he is an utter be**end,’ wrote another.

Others were quick to throw their weight behind the image, slamming those for criticising it. 

‘Bet if it was five males and one female in same scenario no one would bat an eyelid,’ one person said. 

Another user was bewildered that the image gained any attention at all: ‘My god. this world. So no one can explain then? I guess we can’t have a women explaining then either. Or do we need both?’

Some people were angry with the fact that the advertisement was being criticised

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk