Dear Women,

I’m here for you. I know what it feels like to desperately have to poop in a public restroom and then “chicken out” because someone walked into the stall next to you. As women, it is easy to succumb to the fear of being judged for letting others know when you are pooping. Women tend to become embarrassed over the fact that another woman heard them pooping in the bathroom. Women constantly feel like they have to hide the fact that they poop even when they are amongst other women. These feelings have become a part of typical female nature.

Why is that?

Why is it common for most women to wait until the bathroom is completely empty in order to poop? Why do women become anxious or scared when other women hear the sound of them pooping in a public restroom?

Like I mentioned in my previous article, “Why Pooping Is Okay,” I strongly believe we should feel comfortable about the act of pooping. Yes, it is normal to feel a sense of awkwardness when your poop makes a loud splash and there is someone in the stall next to you. Yes, it is normal to feel a sense of anxiety when someone is in the bathroom while you are pooping and you feel like you are being judged or “frowned upon.” Yes, all of your feelings are normal. What should not be normal is letting these feelings stop you from doing what you have to do.

We all poop. We all need to poop. As humans, it is our duty. Literally and figuratively.

This is why we cannot let the fear of being judged stop us from doing what every human needs to do in order to survive. If every single human being on this planet is required to poop, then why are we judging other people for doing it? Judging someone because you hear them pooping in the stall next to you is simply irrational. If you have to poop, you have to poop. There is no sense in getting anxiety over doing it in a public restroom or judging someone else who is pooping in that stall next to you because we all do it.

The iconic and inspirational, Beyoncé, once said, “We need to reshape our own perception of how we view ourselves. We need to step up as women and take the lead,” proving that we should not be anxious. We should not be afraid.

What are you so afraid of? It is evident that in today’s society women can do anything. So, take the lead. Overcome your anxiety over pooping in a public restrooms because pooping is “not a big deal.”

So, don’t be scared. We all poop and as “strong and independent women who don’t need no man,” we have the power to overcome our fears. So next time you are in that public restroom and you had a little too much Chipotle, remember this. Remember that you can do it. You can poop in a public restroom.

Why?

Because you are a woman and you can do anything.