Man flu
As we all know, language is an interesting creature, with words bending and shaping their meanings and pronunciations over the years. New words and phrases that have developed in your own lifetime can be particularly interesting.
Like ‘man flu’.
To me, these two words combined indicate a condition where someone (‘a man’) claims to have, or behaves like they have, a severe form of influenza (‘the flu’) when in reality they’re just overreacting to a plain old cold (‘man flu‘). In its feeding of clichés about men being pathetic seekers of sympathy for trivial illnesses and women being able to handle pain better, I had always assumed that the expression was obviously pejorative, disparaging and dismissive towards men, albeit in a non-malicious way.
Over the past year though, I have noticed an increasing number of men using the term to describe themselves. For example, just last week someone explained to me, with a straight face, that they had been absent from work because they had ‘man flu’.
Now either men are reclaiming ‘man flu’ in the same way that gay people have reclaimed ‘queer’ and African Americans use the ‘n’ word, or there are a lot of people missing the point. Or perhaps I am.
Tags: language matters
December 15th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
I found this on the always excellent Newsbiscuit – last week
Pandemic fear after woman catches Man Flu
A woman from Stroud has caught Man Flu, prompting fears that women may have become susceptible to a new strain of the disease for the first time. Thirty-five-year-old Andrea Jennings complained of a sore throat and feeling ‘a bit bunged up’ and then instead of just struggling on regardless announced she was going to take the day off work and endlessly complain about how ill she was to her partner. It was at this point that government scientists confirmed Andrea was suffering from Man Flu.
‘I’ve had colds before and in many ways this very feels similar,’ said Andrea. ‘But since I realised it was Man Flu I’ve struggled to do anything more strenuous than lying the sofa watching Match of the Day DVDs and reruns of Top Gear on Dave. It’s been awful.’ Concerned that she might actually be dying caused Andrea to visit to the doctor who gave her a patronizing chuckle and informed her that she just has a bit of a virus and advised her to take paracetamol and drink plenty of fluids. Scientists say that a rare mutation has caused the Man Flu virus to spread to women for the first time, although there have already been instances of Man Flu being passed to birds. In the Far East, millions of chickens were destroyed when farmers noticed them lying in bed all day, showing signs of headaches, dry mouths and other symptoms quite similar to those of a hang-over.
Although police have cordoned off the area around Stroud, experts say there are now real fears that a Man Flu pandemic infecting millions of women may follow. Andrea is currently being cared for by her husband, Roland, and is thought to have originally caught Man Flu from him. ‘Andrea’s symptoms are quite similar to what I had a few weeks ago, although when I had it, it was much worse.’
December 15th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
I must admit I find the whole thing annoying, partiuclary as I have cold today and am feeling rotten but have had my illness dismissed as “man flu”, so I took all that neurofen because I’m a maligerer then; and of course no woman has ever taken sicky in their lives. I think “manflu” is couples thing like going to ikea and being invited to dinner parties.
December 15th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
PM – Aha! Very good and very timely. Although if watching Jeremy Clarkson is a symptom of Man flu then I will never be a victim!
BLTP, I am as indignant about your presumption that being in a couple means going to IKEA, as you are about being dismissed as having man flu! I spent many happy hours at IKEA when I was single… It’s all just a kind of institutionalised sexism isn’t it? Like pretending that men don’t know how to hoover properly and women will only buy razors if they’re pink.
December 16th, 2008 at 2:33 am
I seriously wish more people would take days off with thier ‘man-flu’. It might mean I stand a better chance of not catching it off people at work and feeling like shite for two days, usually around Christmas.
As for Jeremy Clarkson, there’s no known cure or vaccination.
December 16th, 2008 at 3:32 am
I have actually never heard this term at all before. You’ve opened me up to something new. Is that term a Brit thing or what?
December 16th, 2008 at 11:00 am
Ill Man, I am not a superstitious type but even I am beginning to touch wood repeatedly at the moment – about two thirds of the office have been sick over the past month. And it’s not ‘man flu’ either from what I can tell; it’s people who have been too sick to even watch X Factor. Oh no!
Keith, I’ve no idea. Maybe it is a British thing. It wouldn’t suprise me. Maybe the term is related to the high propensity of British people getting colds and flu each winter. I’ve never been so sick in my life since I moved here!
December 16th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
It gives us one more thing to moan about, though. “Oh he’s not really ill, it’s just man-flu”.
I’m fascinated by the ‘Winter Vomiting Bug’ which first popped up a year ago and seems to have returned for a second outing this year too. Are we going to get it every year now? I DID actually get it last year, mind you, and it was rotten.
December 17th, 2008 at 10:48 am
‘Winter vomiting bug’? Lovely. Lets not shy away from the sordid details shall we? What next? ‘Spring you’ll-need-a-bucket-beside-the-bed Bug’?
December 17th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
I’ve become a man!
That’s not a real newsflash by the way.
More that I’ve got more dribblesome and sorry for myself and demanding of attention as I get older. I positively demand in-bed round the clock care, in the most diva-ish way possible. Mr RE on the other hand doesn’t get ill and when he does, I don’t really take much notice of him. I’m not good around ill people. I just don’t know what to do.
December 17th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
What to do around ill people – offer to buy them lemons, honey and drugs, fill their hot water bottle, don’t let them succomb to Jeremy Clarkson and stay out of the way. Don’t tell them they’ve got man flu.
I think you are very lucky that Mr RE is so generous. I’d get short shrift!
May 12th, 2009 at 10:15 pm
Loved it, thanks.