La Trobe University’s Dr Jan Schapper recently completed a study into signage and writing on women’s toilets in Australia. The research, just published in the international journal, “Gender, Place and Culture”, has come under fire from some sections of the media.
Schapper explains the reasons behind her research, and what toilet walls say about our society, our views on gender and on race.
Many European toilets are shared by men and women. Those countries tend to have “toilets”, not “the men’s” or “the ladies'”. In many parts of Asia, Africa, and to some extent in southern Europe, squat toilets are part of the culture, with various toileting practices prescribed by custom and religion.
Australia is now an extremely multicultural nation. We value the tourist dollar and invite international students to join us, creating greater understanding and links between nations of the world – and a substantial boost to the national economy and tax base.
People go to the toilet many times a day, like we go shopping, to the library, cinemas, to school, catch public transport, and so on. Extremely useful knowledge has been gained about activity at all these places over the years, revealing much about the world we live in. Toilets, too, can give us insights into broader social practices, for example those related to organisational, cultural and gender tensions.
For example, my study found much signage in women’s toilets is racist and many foreign students are uncomfortable and confused with how western toilets work. Cultural prejudices that no longer find voice elsewhere can be expressed in our official prescriptions of toilet practices.
Graffiti on toilet walls, while this was not the immediate thrust of my study, has in the past also told us many things about attitudes and responses to the world we live in. Today, with an increasing emphasis on uncluttered and hygienic physical space, much of that comment has moved into social media, such as twitter and face book, and online media comment.
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Comments (7)
Regan Forrest
(logged in via Twitter)
Having now read the original article, I'm curious about some of the assumptions made in this research. It speaks of "faecal superiority" and the way that toilet practices are proscribed, as if this is a purely Western phenomenon. The text implies that a squat toilet is a somehow superior, "natural" state of toilet (if there can be such a thing), and the denial of their provision is an act of Western hegemony. Surely the cultural confusion works both ways?
For someone who has been acculturated…
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Flynn Hill
PhD student (logged in via email @uow.edu.au)
I had a look at the original article and I thought it was an excellent satire. Bravo.
Seán McNally
Market and Social Researcher (logged in via email @amrsydney.com.au)
I hope this is satire, otherwise it flushes down the toilet what could be an interesting study on the changes brought about by having multiple dominate cultural groups in one society.
The need for toilets to be used as were designed isn't racism. People slipping on toilet seats and infection are real where different approaches are used for a device designed to be sat upon.
The notion that because another culture prescribes a practice means we need to increase costs and complexity in other societies (ours) in order for a custom built on needs not present in elsewhere (here), is just flawed logic.
If it is satire. Then it was a funny article. Nothign quite like laughing at others on a site whose goal is to give expert news.
Sam Chafe
Retired scientist (logged in via email @iprimus.com.au)
Well, Flynn Hill, if it's not satire, it reflects the triviality and irrelevance occupying the minds of our academics.
Thomas Marshall
Architectural Assistant (logged in via email @gmail.com)
This article makes claims that it does not support. How is that Academic Rigour, exactly?
The example with the diagrams would probably be helpful, as described by Regan Forrest above. The other examples were probably sourced from passiveagressivenotes.com and that's all they really are. Just people who are anal about clean toilets.
There are actually interesting points to make in the area of toilet wall writing, as graffiti in public toilets is one of the least inhibited forms of public expression, given the anonymity and the situation. Unfortunately, this article just went down the excessively politically correct road. Not impressed.
Troll Bait
Computer Geek (logged in via email @yahoo.com.au)
Thanks Jan, I needed a good laugh today!
Oh wait, I think you may actually be buying into this... O.o
Emma Anderson
Independant Researcher and Artist (logged in via email @gmail.com)
Even if this article is satire I can't help but feel connected to it in some way....and now for some shameless self promotion.
A couple of years back I was part of a group exhibition called Decorating Loos, where the gallery was converted to toilet cubicles (sans toilets) and we were let loose on one stall each to do fun things.
My artwork was called "Teh Interwebz R Serious Bizness" and I turned my stall into a quasi office cubicle, with a drawing of Marcel Marceau on the left wall and Marcel Duchamp on the right. I had three textas (Red, Green, Blue) hanging from string with the computer tower as the cistern and the audience participated by scrawling their Facebook status on the walls.
Well, not everyone wrote their facebook status. People also wrote usual toilet stuff, like "toilet tennis" and a few classic relevant jokes. It was fun.
And that summarises what I think of Facebook....