Man Up

How Not to Be a Reply Guy

According to someone who used to be one.

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About the Show

On Man Up, host Aymann Ismail invites men and women to tell embarrassing, funny, and sometimes disturbing stories about their lives as they try to figure out what they still have to learn—and unlearn—about being a man. They’ll talk relationships, family, sex, and identity, trying to understand their experiences to help listeners make more sense of their own.

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Episode Notes

This week, Aymann talks to several women (and one man) about the phenomenon of “reply guys,” in which men reply to women on social media to pester them, correct them, or just be noticed. First, three Slate writers compare reply guys to gnats and argue that they’re more annoying than threatening. Then Aymann talks to Scott Barolo and Shrew, the two people behind the Twitter account @9replyguys, which calls out reply-guy behavior and sorts offenders into different categories. Scott even admits that he used to be a reply guy—and explains what men are actually trying to do when they provide unsolicited feedback.

Tell us what you think about this and other topics by leaving a voicemail at 805-626-8707 or emailing manup@slate.com. We may feature you on the show. And please tell us what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts.

Podcast production by Cameron Drews and Danielle Hewitt.