Donald Trump created a new catch phrase although I am sure he is regretting it now. As the final debate ended, Donald called Hillary a “nasty woman.” Women across our country united in claiming their place as “nasty women.” Social media erupted with celebrities, women and women’s groups proudly proclaiming their place as “nasty women.” In this case, “nasty women” took on the moniker of women who are smart, independent, spoke up for the things in which they believe, are tough and who vote. I stand with them and the sisterhood of like-minded women. However, this post isn’t about any of them.
I want to call your attention to a different brand of nasty women. I know you have encountered them. I know you roll your eyes and shake your head when you come across their trail of destruction. I am writing today to call them out, yet I doubt anyone will admit to being one of them. The nasty women I refer to are the women who leave their mark in a public restroom.
I travel to upstate South Carolina every month, as well as attending college, volunteering with a theater company and shopping, etc. I must have a small bladder because I seem to need to use the restroom everywhere I go. I encounter the remnants of these women far too often. The scenario goes something like this: I enter a public restroom with several stalls. I open the first door to find that the woman before did not flush or that she has left her drip-age on the seat. Sometimes I find a toilet seat covered in toilet paper or the pieces of the toilet seat cover that she left there.
I am confused about the entire toilet seat cover or covering it with mounds or toilet paper. Why? Do you think your buttocks is somehow going to transmit germs into your blood system? It’s not going to happen. What will happen is that your hands will touch the toilet seat when you place the seat cover or toilet paper will grab up those funky germs. Oh, and your face is right there looking down into the toilet as if it were a mirror to the germs lurking there. If you must place those things on the seat, why can’t you remove them and throw them away when you are done? No, you leave them there for the next woman who needs to pee.
I know that some women choose to stand over the toilet and pee rather than let their buttocks touch the seat. You do see the problem with this, don’t you? Women were not designed to stand up and pee. It is impossible to do without sending drops of urine onto the seat and something the floor. Again, your body needs an opening for germs and your butt is made of firm skin and lots of fat. Germs are not going to penetrate that thing. If you feel you must stand, at least take a wad of toilet paper and clean up after you pee. As Dr. Philip Tierno, M.D. points out to Everyday Health, the skin on our behinds serves as an effective, protective barrier.
Think about this. To get to the toilet and the seat, you had to touch the main bathroom door, the bathroom stall door, the toilet paper roll holder and more. You used your hands to do that. Your hands are now filled with millions of germs, and you are worried about your butt cheeks.
The next area of contention is the sink area. I know you have walked in and found that all the sink counter areas are covered in water. I don’t know about you, but I only wash my hands. I don’t take a shower or wash my hair. If you get water everywhere, take a paper towel or two and wipe it off. Didn’t your Mama teach you any better?
The last thing I want to rant about is flushing. Some restrooms have automatic flushing, but even those fail at times. There is a button you can push should that happen. If you don’t want to touch the mechanism with your hand, grab some toilet paper to act as a germ barricade. No one should have to walk into a restroom or stall and see your “leftovers” there.
I hope you are not one of the nasty women who make using the public restroom a terrifying prospect for others. If you are, then STOP! Women have learned that together we can accomplish so much in this world. That is the kind of “nasty woman” I choose to be and I hope you will too.