I dont remember longer lines at women’s bathrooms, until the 1970’s. Does anyone remember long lines at womens bathrooms in earlier times? 1940’s, 1950’s, 1960’s?
Once we entered the 1970’s, some of the lines at womens bathrooms became ridiculous. Waits could be a half hour or more, lines stretching down the hall, with a hundred women in line.
Yet, I remember none of this in earlier times. This is not something caused by a new archetechural design, since I have been to some very old public places, and for the most part, mens and womens bathrooms were about the same back then.
I think women today, go to the bathroom more often than in the old days, which is one possible reason.
Secondly, todays women also take much more time today in each bathroom visit, pulling down pantyhose and slacks/pants, fooling around with the toilet seat, etc.
I blame plastic. Alot of women seem phobic about anyone hearing them rustle around with their pads or tampons, so they wait for someone to flush & drown out the noise. If they’re all waiting for the same thing, it can take a while.
My sister and mother have both commented that they see a lot of women chatting in the bathroom. This surely slows things down.
I have a female friend who complains about women taking up space in front of the mirrors, fixing their makeup and such, preventing others from washing and getting out.
Um. Well, there are no urinals for women. Stalls take up more room. Fewer spaces to pee into.
Also, the number of spectators at any given event has increased exponentially. Most recently, it is more acceptable for women to be at ball games (baseball, football, basketball, etc.) than it used to be. Women play a more active role in sporting and entertainment events than they used to. I mean, really,Susanann, how many women do you think actually attended boxing matches in the 40’s? But now…I’d go see Oscar de la Joya(hubba hubba).
Well, the first sentence in Sionach’s post made me think the post would be about another widespread women-in-public-restrooms phenomenon: hovering. You know, squatting over the toilet seat so you don’t let your tush touch where other tushes have been. Or, the plastic part: putting those cellophane toilet-bowl-shaped-sheets on the seat before slowly, gingerly sitting down on it. This ordeal, especially in particularly nasty public restrooms, takes me longer than actually relieving myself.
Of course, I have no idea if hovering and plastic toilet seat sheets weren’t around many years ago…but it certainly adds into the time factor.
Women had girdles, or petticoats, or both. Rather than tampons or minipads, they had large sanitary napkins that were held on by belts. And even then, they could fool around with dispensers with those tissue toilet seat covers.
Granted probably not as many women attended sporting events as do now. But in restaurants, department stores, theaters, etc., I’d wager that the wait was actually LONGER than it is now.
Could it simply be that the places you “go” have gradually become larger and more crowded? I’m thinking of multiplexes replacing the local single-screen movie palace, megamalls replacing the downtown department store, and so on.
Maybe we do pee more, too–with a Starbuck’s on every corner and a water bottle in every backback.
I think, actually, that you may have hit upon another reason why lines would have been shorter in that era: I’ll wager most women would opt to just stay home during Aunt Flo’s visit rather than deal with those mattress-sized pads in a public bathroom.
I just asked my mom, who is 70. She says Yes the lines have always been horrible in the ladies room (worse in the 50s than now :eek:) because “Women have to bend and pull and shift and squat, all while keeping her purse safe - when a man only has to unzip and pee”. Yep - she’s real country!
sorry about the freaky smily thing happening… but the reason why the 50s were worse is that most ladies rooms had 2 stalls and a couch. That was REAL practical
Over the years I have noticed that Mrs Legion always complains about the state of the womens toilets, be it in the cinema, resturant, pub or whatever.
She has told me some real horror stories and yet I have never found the gents toilets to be that bad (although you wouldn’t want to eat your dinner off the floor!).
So I guess the queues outside the ladies are caused because of the extra time it take you ladies to piss on the floor, throw your used maxi pads at the mirrors or wrap your used toilet paper around the flush handles.
There’s an article in this month’s Cosmo (or was it Glamour?) that says that women are going to the bathroom more now than ever…thanks to the popularity of on-the-go beverages like bottled water, bottled soda, Starbucks frappuccinos, etc., etc. It’s now acceptable and normal for people to drive around drinking something, to walk around the office drinking something, etc. Serving sizes are getting larger, too. The Big Gulp and all that. 64 oz of pure liquid refreshment. Mmmmm.
If all this is true, it stands to reason that the lines would be longer because we’re all going more often.
Before the 1970’s, no “self-respecting, well brought up girl” would admit she ever had to “use the facilities.” They either held it in or didn’t go out anywhere.
