Beauty Pageants and Toilet Seats

[bini_bini]

Toilet seats first. I've grown up in a majority female household so up until embarrassingly recently, I thought the seat argument was all about whether or not people paid the courtesy of lowering the LID. I've always thought lowering the lid was a bit like making your bed or ironing tea towels...not strictly necessary but a nice touch. More

Comments

[resuna]

As a man, I would say that your arguement for lowering the seat... "then raising and lowering the seat (or even seat and lid in one action) should require no greater effort"... cuts both ways. That's also the reason that men do NOT lower the seat when finished. It's trivial (to them). Now, personally I lower the seat AND the lid when done because I just don't like to look at a big bowl of waste receiving water when it's not in use. But that's just me

[bini_bini]

You see, I agree with all your arguments that put pageants in the superficial, negative objectification basket. But at the same time I am increasingly questioning all my previous hardline black and whites. Why is it that judging someone on their outward appearance and frankly their 'shaggability' according to a certain sector of the audience, worse than judging and ranking people on any other basis? Its genetic - well some would say that physical ability, intellect and even resilience and empathy have genetic and environmental inheritance. It encourages women to harm their bodies - competitive sport encourages steroid use, academic competition demoralises many children. It casts women as sexual objects - isn't that only a bad thing if women have no power over their sexuality.

Ok, I'm playing devil's advocate but I'm a debater from way back - won an interstate competition arguing that 'the world does need more barbies' and cast barbie as a feminist role model / go-getter :).

[resuna]

Judging women (or men, or any group of people) based solely on their physical appearance is no different than judging them based on their music preferences, sexual orientation, or books on their shelves. But I think that's the point - that you cannot judge anyone by one or two criteria. If these "beauty" pageants had sections on the SAT's, their ethics, their contributions to their communities, and so on (all together) then I would not feel so bad

[bushwalker]

I don't lower the seat because I want to ensure that the flushing did it's job. Plus it concentrates certain fumes... But men should lower the seat because they need the seat down some of the time and we need it down all of the time so on balance we win. To convince men of this however...sigh

[bini_bini]

I agree with you but the pragmatist in me knows that the system will never be fair. Shouldwe denounce something we find reprehensible on grounds of principle when in some cases it does provide good opportunities for women?

And is it only about male desire? I'm not familiar with mags marketed for men but it seems on the basis of women's mags that the female population also admires beauty and physical appeal as our culture currently dictates.

I'll stick with the dunny seat

[geraden]

well I'll pass the pageants...I don't agree with them...its a bit like rock n roll wrestling,,,all rather fake..QED

as for the lid dilema...now i have an interesting tale, I've worked in a predominately female field, a few years ago in one of the childcare centre's there of course was a staff bathroom, now as a matter of principle I always put the lid down, just to show Im concious of their feelings and the whole lid issue yadda yadda...but interestingly enough many times I came in to use the loo the lid was up, both lids...everytime I laughed too myself...there used to be a roster for cleaning the loo's and there was space for a comment on the condition of the loo...after a few months of having to put the lid down I decided to write 'which one of you ladies keep leaving the lids up?'

It then became quite a joke and all had a great laugh...too this day I still haven't quite worked out why, at the end of a working day, when it was my turn to clean the loo's, the seat lids were always left up.

Re: I'll stick with the dunny seat

[bini_bini]

So its not a male/female thing, its just a laziness thing! I understand the watching flush thing BUT why would toilets have lids if they weren't supposed to be put down? But then you see I also ALWAYS dry and then close the shower door for the same reason.

On a related matter, I rented a place for a while that had two toilets. One in the laundry and the other in the bathroom. I used the toilet in the bathroom despite the fact that it had a small padded toilet seat attached by only one hinge. Larger bottomed males that I shared with and who came to visit couldn't stand it so that my toilet was left for my private use!! I was repeatedly berated for not replacing it but it gave me a small sense of glee that I was mistress of my own throne :).

Re: I'll stick with the dunny seat

[geraden]

I always dry in the shower and then get out so there's not so much water left on the floor..I like the sabotaged dunny seat...have to keep that one in mind...lol

Re: I'll stick with the dunny seat

[resuna]

What a hilarious story! I always KNEW the women were all in on this toilet seat thing. Hahahaha.

It's also cool to call it the "loo." Other cool Aussie things identified this week with Flemmarde: trundle, prattle, and seppo. Okay, that last one was from an older conversation. Still.

bed making

[hatter_anon]

'I've always thought lowering the lid was a bit like making your bed or ironing tea towels...not strictly necessary but a nice touch.' [I don't know how to show that's a quote yet]

You don't fool me bini_bini, bed making is always necessary!