Have you ever noticed how public bathrooms are labeled? Women’s restrooms are usually labeled either ‘Women’ or ‘Ladies’, and men’s restrooms are usually, well, ‘Men’. Rarely have I seen a men’s restroom labeled ‘Gentlemen’. My point, you ask? It just seems that if you call the female restroom ‘Ladies’, shouldn’t you call their male counterpoint’s baño ‘Gentlemen’? You know … “Laaaadies and gentlemennnnnn” … that whole chestnut? When we leddies excuse ourselves from the table, we say we need to go to the ladies’ room, the little girls’ room, or the powder room. Duh, that’s because our restrooms are extravagant lounges filled with plush couches and the aromas of fresh linens and fields of daisies - we rest. That is why we go in pairs. Silly boys, who wants to go sit by themselves? I’ve never heard a man say “I’m going to the gentleman’s room.” It’s always the men’s room or the little boy’s room (or my personal favorite as my grandpa says, “I have an important meeting to get to.”) because, let’s face it, men do MANLY business in their “rest”rooms, and little boys fill the sinks with water, throw toilet paper, give each other swirlies and have contests to see whose stream can go the farthest. I’m sure by now some of you are wondering how a girl like me knows so much about men’s bathrooms. Well, when you’re a girl at the age of 6 out in public with your dad and your tiny bladder is calling (loudly for the second time since you’ve left the house, and yes, you went before you got in the car), he’s not going to send you into the ladies’ room unsupervised. He takes you with him in the men’s room like any good father would do. (Daddio, I love you to the moon and back, but that was always super awkward and scary. I’m sure it was equally awkward for you, if not more. Thanks for guarding the door.) Anywho, I guess the knights of the roundtable at the Restroom Naming Convention actually knew what they were doing. There is nothing really gentle about the men’s restroom after all.
This is how the Ladies' and Gentlemen's door signs would look.
Here we have a gentleman (marked by his top hat, morning coat, and walking stick) and a lady (marked by the Victorian big booty dress, hat and parasol). They are fit for the Royal Wedding.
This snazzy couple may also be found in the famous painting
"A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" by Georges Seurat.
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Has anyone ever noticed the monkey in this painting? |
P.T.
Do you think Victorian women ever asked their husbands, "Does this dress make my butt look big, dear?" (By the way, I typed that in a Mrs. Doubtfire meets Julia Childs voice.) If so, I hope their suitors looked their ladies in the eyes and replied, "Why, yes, my sweet darling, it makes your butt look rather large!" (And that was Michael Cane's voice you just heard). But instead, I'm afraid the gentleman lied out of respect and said her rear end didn't look big because he didn't want to upset her. Which then leaves me to believe the lady added layer after layer under that blasted dress in hopes he'd say her back side did indeed look big and round. "What about now, darling dear? Does THIS make my tail feather look larger?" Victorians ...
