Sex, Gender, and Toilets

Normally, gender construction is based on whether the fact a person is either male or female. This is not because anyone looks down upon transgender people or does not want to include them, it is simply because that is how society is taught to view gender. One key example of this is when a person is asked to fill out a general information form or, maybe, some sort of job application. There is usually, if not always, a section that will ask you for your gender and give you the choice of either male or female. What is one supposed to do if they consider themselves neither at the moment? This controversy is one that is currently not being dealt with as it should be; however, in my own opinion, I believe that a person only has one body part in their pants, so I do not understand how it is so hard to choose a bathroom.


Personally, I do not take offense in bathroom signs; as long as I know where to go, I do not see an issue with what the sign portrays my sexuality to be; however, I can see how a person could find it offensive. Always assuming that a woman is one with large, or in some of the examples, disembodied breasts makes women feel like they have to have a specific image. In contrast, this could also be defined as sexist towards women because it is putting a label of extreme sex appeal on an image of a woman. These arguments could also be taken towards men’s bathroom signs as well. In personal observations, I have noted that not all men are shaped like rectangles, just as not all women are shaped like triangles.

The assumptions of who might be using the bathrooms with the signs upon them of masculine men or “sexy” women is that these labels limit and may confuse different types of people as to where they are supposed to do the simple and normal task of using the bathroom. Not all women wear dresses; therefore, if I am coming from another country and have never seen a bathroom sign as one labeled with a woman in a dress, how would I know what toilet I am supposed to use? I might think that I am not wearing a dress so maybe I need to go to the room with the figure of a person wearing pants because that more matches my attire. In most cases that would not be acceptable. This leaves many questions to men and women of other cultures. The stereotypical view of a man and a woman may be very different depending on the part of the world that a person is coming from. I know that if I were to go to a restroom and find a sign with two different colored apples or fire and a wave, I would have no clue as to where I should go.

I have never come across a confusing bathroom sign; however, I have also never left the country to experience the extremities of the issue. I honestly have no idea what I would do if I was confused as to where to go. I think that the ultimate solution to this is that all bathrooms should be universal sex bathrooms. This would have to eliminate multiple stall bathrooms, but it could solve many cultural differences when trying to decide where to use the bathroom. I do not understand why it should be such a confusing matter. If I have to go, I have to go, and I better have a place to do it.