Proving once again that the personal is very political, Time magazine posted an article on Monday headlined “The Everyday Sexism of Women Waiting in Public Toilet Lines: Long lines for women's restrooms are the result of a history that favors men’s bodies.”
Feminist genius Soraya Chemaly found that long lines at women’s restrooms aren’t merely a reality. They’re a conscious conspiracy against the sit-down set:
Women aren’t standing in lines because we bond over toilet paper pattern or because we’re narcissistic and vain. We’re standing in line because our bodies, like those of trans and queer people, have been historically shamed, ignored, and deemed unworthy of care and acknowledgement. We shouldn’t have to wait or postpone having these needs fairly met in public space.
To overcome the intolerable “male-centeredness of our restroom standards,” the bathroom sphere of society must be re-engineereed: “Single-stall designs that can be used by everyone, such as airplane bathrooms and family/handicapped facilities are the most space and time efficient, and least discriminatory. They are also philosophically palatable to a broad spectrum, as they represent not so much a contested segregations or de-gendering of restroom spaces, as much as a rethinking of privacy and the uses of public space.”
When asked “How on [G]od’s green earth did you arrive at the conclusion that this was sexist?,” she replied:
Let me count the ways.
Women need to use bathrooms more often and for longer periods of time because: we sit to urinate (urinals effectively double the space in men’s rooms), we menstruate, we are responsible for reproducing the species (which makes us pee more), we continue to have greater responsibility for children (who have to use bathrooms with us), and we breastfeed (frequently in grotty bathroom stalls). Additionally, women tend to wear more binding and cumbersome clothes, whereas men’s clothing provides significantly speedier access. But in a classic example of the difference between surface “equality” and genuine equity, many public restrooms continue to be facilities that are equal in physical space, while favoring men’s bodies, experiences, and needs.
On Twitter, Chemaly retweeted a tweet with the hashtags "#misogyny" and "bodyshaming".
The Huffington Post found this entire crusade enthralling enough to repeat it on Huff Post Live television on Wednesday. As they explained “unisex toilets are the wave of the future” as we overcome the "androcentric model of what is considered normal," Chemaly repeated her thesis:
Whose bodies are worthy of prioritization? Whose bodies need to be recognized as legitimate? I mean, those are really fundamental issues in society, and they come together in super interesting ways in public space and in public toilets. And so when you see a line, as I did last week, of 50 women standing waiting patiently and quietly, while men breeze in and out of the restroom, it's really not just this minor irritation. It's reflective of much deeper issues about bodies, embodiment -- people don't really like talking about elimination [excretion?] -- elimination and social justice. I also think it's just one aspect on a very broad spectrum of how important bodily needs and sanitation are to people's equal rights.
