# A somewhat crude question about overweight people. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 11, 2009, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-somewhat-crude-question-about-overweight-people/506024 "2009-08-11T02:48:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-somewhat-crude-question-about-overweight-people/506024/61 "2009-08-13T07:39:07Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > Duh. That’s why women wipe from front to back. How is that in conflict with anything I said? Because you asked how else you would do it besides wiping reaching between your legs. If you are reaching between you legs then you are wiping from back to front. IOW your very question is in direct conflict with your claim that women should wipe from front to back. There’s really only two options here: wipe from front to back, or reach between the legs. By asking how else you should do it besides reaching between your legs you implied that you thought this was acceptable or normal. Now I have no idea what your point is or what your question actually meant. I doubt anyone else does either. ---
**Author:** ![madrabbitwoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c37758/32.png) [@madrabbitwoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madrabbitwoman)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-somewhat-crude-question-about-overweight-people/506024/62 "2009-08-13T08:05:35Z")
I wipe from \*\*front to back \*\*reaching between my legs (when I’m having back problems) It is not difficult at all and I have not given myself any nasty infections at all. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-somewhat-crude-question-about-overweight-people/506024/63 "2009-08-13T08:13:05Z")
> [@Blake](#): > > Because you asked how else you would do it besides wiping reaching between your legs. If you are reaching between you legs then you are wiping from back to front. IOW your very question is in direct conflict with your claim that women should wipe from front to back. > > There’s really only two options here: wipe from front to back, or reach between the legs. By asking how else you should do it besides reaching between your legs you implied that you thought this was acceptable or normal. > > Now I have no idea what your point is or what your question actually meant. I doubt anyone else does either. I guess you can reach between and push, instead of reaching behind and pulling. No mystery. Still wiping from front to back. (Seems awkward to me, but then I’m not plumbed that way.) ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-somewhat-crude-question-about-overweight-people/506024/64 "2009-08-13T13:25:46Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > I apologize. My newly gained obesity has me a bit sensitive. > It isn’t menopause, but my generation. I was taught that bowel habits were _never_ discussed in polite society. You should join my family for dinner some time. We’ll cure you of that right quick. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-somewhat-crude-question-about-overweight-people/506024/65 "2009-08-13T14:30:52Z")
> [@Blake](#): > > Because you asked how else you would do it besides wiping reaching between your legs. If you are reaching between you legs then you are wiping from back to front. Wrong. I take it you’re a guy? ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-somewhat-crude-question-about-overweight-people/506024/66 "2009-08-13T14:32:49Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > I guess you can reach between and push, instead of reaching behind and pulling. No mystery. Still wiping from front to back. Exactly. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-somewhat-crude-question-about-overweight-people/506024/67 "2009-08-13T16:10:58Z")
Holy sh!t. Did I actually manage to fight a little ignorance here? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-somewhat-crude-question-about-overweight-people/506024/68 "2009-08-13T16:15:10Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > I apologize. My newly gained obesity has me a bit sensitive. > It isn’t menopause, but my generation. I was taught that bowel habits were _never_ discussed in polite society. Guess you missed the pan-fried semen thread. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Minnie\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Minnie\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Minnie_Luna)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-somewhat-crude-question-about-overweight-people/506024/69 "2009-08-13T17:11:00Z")
Alrighty then, back to amputees (arm/hand). When I had hand surgery a couple of years ago, there were a large number of things that I found very difficult to do one-handed. I would imagine that over time you learn to compensate very well with one hand or you learn to use any prostheses that are given to you. In the case of bathroom activities, I didn’t have a problem wiping one-handed, but the mechanics of pulling down ones clothing with one hand did present a bit of a challenge at first (if you don’t believe me, go ahead and try that next time you use the john). ---
**Author:** ![Dripping](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d2c977/32.png) [@Dripping](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dripping)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-somewhat-crude-question-about-overweight-people/506024/70 "2009-08-13T17:12:05Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > I apologize. My newly gained obesity has me a bit sensitive. > It isn’t menopause, but my generation. I was taught that bowel habits were _never_ discussed in polite society. > > My family has a tale that my great-great grandmother, upon seeing the first [hobbleskirts](http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://edwardianpromenade.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/hobbleskirtpostcard.jpg&imgrefurl=http://edwardianpromenade.com/%3Fp%3D769&h=600&w=387&sz=64&tbnid=wCFcgIt-cqBkfM:&tbnh=135&tbnw=87&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhobbleskirt&hl=en&usg=__T55RBR93CRX44C5FB9VKc1a1N6w=&ei=8DWDStGhKsft-AbKn-yHAg&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=4&ct=image) that showed a bit of ankle, closed her shades and never went outside again. > > I don’t want to be as closed-minded as my ancestor, so I am sorry. Um…what do skirts and your grandmother have to do with you being nasty to another doper? :dubious: And what do “your generation” and menopause have to do with your obesity? Eat fewer calories than you burn each day and you can fix that problem. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-somewhat-crude-question-about-overweight-people/506024/71 "2009-08-13T18:15:25Z")
> [@Savannah](#): > > [http://www.amplestuff.com/](http://www.amplestuff.com/) ? I never understand “link posts” that have no explanation to go along with them. What product specifically there are you referring to? > [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Guess you missed the pan-fried semen thread. 😃 By the way, this is the thread I thought of when I thought of more unusual/crude topics than this. And, for those who are unaware of it: [What would happen if I pan-fried semen?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=198659&highlight=semen) ---
**Author:** ![supergoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@supergoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/supergoose)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-somewhat-crude-question-about-overweight-people/506024/72 "2009-08-13T18:24:29Z")
> [@Dripping](#): > > Um…what do skirts and your grandmother have to do with you being nasty to another doper? :dubious: And what do “your generation” and menopause have to do with your obesity? Eat fewer calories than you burn each day and you can fix that problem. 1. skirts and Grandma: she was referring to the close-mindedness of refusing to have anything to do with people who are, in your estimation, a bit offensive or crude (like showing a bit of ankle instead of covering it up, which was considered inappropriate/offensive in her Grandmother’s day) compared to what you were taught growing up instead of changing your view point on what is rude/offensive. 2. your generation: the belief that it is rude/offensive to discuss dealing with one’s bowels; apparently she was taught that this was not done when she was growing up and is characterizing her generation as universally holding that belief. 3. menopause: a poster earlier in the thread joked that her original angry response might be the result of menopause. She was not stating that her \*obesity \*has something to do with menopause. 4. I think it was very classy of her to come back and apologize, and perhaps more so for her to take the menopause joke so well. 5. Your username in the context of this thread is quite unfortunate. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-somewhat-crude-question-about-overweight-people/506024/73 "2009-08-13T18:32:52Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > … I was taught that bowel habits were _never_ discussed in polite society. Welcome to the SDMB! ---
**Author:** ![whatami](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/85f322/32.png) [@whatami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whatami)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-somewhat-crude-question-about-overweight-people/506024/74 "2009-08-13T18:41:59Z")
I’ve spent many a night trying to figure out a better way to clean after a bowel movement. I’m not sure if I’m trying to invent the three shells, or if it’s something else entirely. I just feel like with the advancements we’ve seen in some other areas of body care and science, there HAS to be a better way! ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-somewhat-crude-question-about-overweight-people/506024/75 "2009-08-13T19:04:27Z")
How complicated ARE your bowel movements? You either wipe with paper or if you don’t feel clean enough that way, with a moist wipe. What needs to be done a better way? ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-somewhat-crude-question-about-overweight-people/506024/76 "2009-08-13T19:05:25Z")
> [@whatami](#): > > I’ve spent many a night trying to figure out a better way to clean after a bowel movement. I’m not sure if I’m trying to invent the three shells, or if it’s something else entirely. > > I just feel like with the advancements we’ve seen in some other areas of body care and science, there HAS to be a better way! Yeah, it’s called a shower. Or a bidet. I wipe when I have no option but if I’m at home I often choose to just use water. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-somewhat-crude-question-about-overweight-people/506024/77 "2009-08-13T19:33:03Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > I guess you can reach between and push, instead of reaching behind and pulling. No mystery. Still wiping from front to back. (Seems awkward to me, but then I’m not plumbed that way.) This exactly. As a woman who “wipes from behind” I’ll say I’m a little leery of getting an arm/sleeve dripped on from the “wipe from the front” method if you have to head to the back end of things, but it should work out just fine. (I can’t say I recall what method I used when I broke my dominant arm a couple years ago, but it probably involved a combination of both tactics, using my other arm.) And I don’t know about other women, but it’s not so much “wiping from behind” for me as it is lifting one leg off the toilet a bit and sticking your arm in from the side, under the thigh. Perhaps the OP thought this balancing act and fiddling around underneath would be tough to handle for someone extremely obese; I might guess that if I had to think about it. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-somewhat-crude-question-about-overweight-people/506024/78 "2009-08-13T22:36:58Z")
> [@Dripping](#): > > Um…what do skirts and your grandmother have to do with you being nasty to another doper? :dubious: And what do “your generation” and menopause have to do with your obesity? Eat fewer calories than you burn each day and you can fix that problem. [Moderating] I don’t think this kind of remark is particularly useful, especially following **picunurse’s** apology. Let’s stick to the subject of the OP. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-somewhat-crude-question-about-overweight-people/506024/79 "2009-08-13T23:33:33Z")
nevermind. The mod already covered it. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-somewhat-crude-question-about-overweight-people/506024/80 "2009-08-14T01:34:17Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I never understand “link posts” that have no explanation to go along with them. What product specifically there are you referring to? Sorry. [http://www.amplestuff.com/ample-sponges.aspx](http://www.amplestuff.com/ample-sponges.aspx) is an example from a website that sells products to assist the morbidly obese. They have reaching aids. The OP wondered, “How do they/you wipe? It seems like it would be rather difficult. Is it?” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-somewhat-crude-question-about-overweight-people/506024.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-somewhat-crude-question-about-overweight-people/506024.md?page=5)