Introduction |
POOP CULTURE + HOW IT RELATES TO TOILET ERGONMICS:
Have you ever wondered why it is so common to all stop, stare, or giggle at the person who passed gas in a room full of people? In history we see a taboo emerge around the act of using the restroom–but what effects has this had on the modern world, and the development of the toilet? This paper seeks to educate on historical theories that surround the taboos of defecation, as well as the effect it can have on a society by examining the ergonomics surrounding modern toilet designs –specifically the throne and squat styles.
Image 1: An illustration highlighting common cultural norms that people have surrounding the act of normal bodily functions such as passing gas Image created by Author
The Western Approach | Roman Throne Style Toilets and the Jewish influence
THE ROMAN LATRINES:
The first style of toilet is believed to be the ancient roman latrine which was developed in the second century AD. The design of ancient roman latrines was mainly focused on removing the defecation from the latrines away from the city, however, they also provided a communal space where people felt comfortable socializing while doing their business. To enter the roman latrine there was a door off a main road, where people were welcomed with “seating [on] three sides of the room… often [with] keyhole-shaped apertures on which each user would have sat. It is thought that the shape of these apertures may have permitted easier access for cleaning oneself after going to the toilet” (Zena 49). During the first part of the second century AD with ancient roman latrines, there were large sightlines that allowed for a more open floor plan which encouraged a more communal atmosphere. This changed in the second part of the second century AD, when roman latrines were spreading to different areas of the world.
Image 2: A humorous reconstruction of the communal nature of a Roman public latrine. Note the sponge-on-stick tools in which would be shared among different users. Gemma C M Jansen
THE INFLUENCE OF HEROD A ROMANOPHILE AND JEW
This idea of sight lines and the use of clean water was a major shifting point for latrines which was introduced by religious practices in the second part of the second century AD. “The rules against graven images in Jewish religious texts suggest that the gaze may have been conceived of in a different way among Jews—as something to be avoided altogether” (Zena 62), this demonstrates the new ideas surrounding restroom design that is more individually focused. Sightlines during the Jewish influence of latrines became more private where instead of an open floor plan there were no site lines such as the one in Herod’s palace. Herod is significant for the modern era because it was during this time that he used his identity as a Romanophile and a Jew- two identities that would normally clash, to design a new form of latrine that would prioritize privacy and “…bypass the risks and dilemmas of the public sphere, whether Jewish or Roman” (Zena 62). In doing so, Herod unknowingly began the movement towards what we now know in the “modern world” as a clean and private restroom.
Images 3: A painting of King Herod who, in second century AD, identified as both a Romanophile and a Jew. Tensions in King Herod’s beliefs led to changes in the roman latrine design, particularly with consideration to ideas surrounding privacy. Zena
WESTERN THRONE STYLE BORE TABOOS
The development towards the modern western toilet, also seemed to bring along with it taboos surrounding the discussions of the experience of using the restroom. This was perhaps due, in part, to the new design allowing for individuals to quickly and cleanly dispose of their smelly waste without anyone having to see or hear them do it. In fact, the emotions of disgust as Valerie Curtis and Adam Biran found evidence in their research “demonstrated that certain elicitors of the emotion are found cross-culturally” (Zena 51). This evidence suggests that privacy while relieving oneself is not a culturally specific phenomenon, instead a biological response to “our evolutionary past and [is] designed to protect us from potential threats to health and safety” (Zena 51). When examining the western modern toilet restroom design, it is easy to see how the influences of the past directly affected today’s mannerisms in the west and the taboos created to prevent talk on the topic of restrooms.
India | Squat Style Toilets | Lack of conversation about poop | Implications
TOILET MAN | JACK SIM
In the modern world throne toilets are the most widely accepted and used, however, in India the use of open defecation (40% of the world has no access to a flushable toilet) and the squat toilet is the predominant standard. In recent years, Jack Sim known more widely as Mr. Toilet man, grew up in Singapore and has a passion for improving sanitation systems around the world emerged. Mr. Toilet man with the help from local governments, has a goal to combat taboos around the sanitation industry that have long existed (Zepeda). As described in Penner, “…the refusal to deal openly with the realities of toilet use can have calculable and devastating impacts on local ecosystems, health, and living standards in developing countries…” (Penner 251). Mr. Toilet Man understood this, and took the opportunity to open the conversation around excrement, as he works with governments worldwide to provide a sanitation infrastructure that would function to provide a place for everyone to have a clean and safe place to use the restroom; although his recent efforts seem to leave him feeling defeated and he is not the only one who has felt this before.
Image 4: A scene in “Mr. Toilet’s Man – The World’s #2 Man Movie” showcasing Mr. Toilet Man in one, of many, of his toilet costumes. Mr. Toilet Man is attempting to raise awareness about the lack of conversations around using the restroom by using pop culture and often making fun of himself. Zepeda
KIRA AND HIS BOOK THE BATHROOM
Kira, an author who published the book “The Bathroom” in 1976, also found himself trying to reform the taboos and guilts around the subject of using the restroom so that better ergonomic designs for toilets could start to be created. However, he found himself to be misunderstood by the public as “Kira even poked fun at himself, wryly noting in his revised edition that he frequently found the original edition of his book “buried among the sex novels’”(Penner 242), instead of next to more scholarly texts. This shows that changing the social norms, taboos and cultures of a society takes more time than overnight and is much harder than one may think.
Breaking down the Taboo | Modern Western World
The most recent shift in restrooms and restroom design began in “1976, when Kira published the revised edition of “The Bathroom”, and 1985, when Greenaway directed 26 Bathrooms” (Penner 242). However, since then the movement has been on an exponential incline, as “much has changed, academically, socially, and environmentally” (Penner 242). Many more people like Kira and Mr. Toilet Man are getting educated about the problems that the sanitation industry still face today. One of the more recent advocates for changing the taboo surroundings sanitation is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation putting heavy amounts of funding into new innovative design solutions to help solve problems relating to the modern restroom. These strides forward make it easy to believe that despite the taboos that have existed and prevented us from moving forward in the sanitation industry for so long are finally being broken down now so that development of our global sanitation system can start to be implemented and discussed.
Images 5 and 6: These images were taken during and after Bill Gates speech at the Reinvented Toilet Expo event in 2018- a showcase for new toilet technologies. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has spent more than $200m on researching the field across the last seven years. Zepeda
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Works Cited
Antoniou, Georgios P., et al. Evolution of Toilets Worldwide through the Millennia, Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 13 Aug. 2016, www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/8/779#cite.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Global WASH Fast Facts, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 11 Apr. 2016, www.cdc.gov/healthywater/global/wash_statistics.html#:~:text=Worldwide%2C%20780%20million%20people%20do,world’s%20population)%201%2C%203.
Penner, Barbara. “Entangled with a User Inside Bathrooms with Alexander Kira and Peter Greenaway.” Toilet: Public Restrooms and the Politics of Sharing, edited by Harvey Luskin Molotch and Laura Norén, NYU Press, 2010. Open WorldCat,
Sikirov, D. Comparison of Straining During Defecation in Three Positions: Results and Implications for Human Health. Dig Dis Sci 48, 1201–1205 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024180319005.
Watts, Nick, director. The Toilet: An Unspoken History, Cwmni Da and Western Front Films, 2012, www.amazon.com/Toilet-Unspoken-Ifor-Ap-Glyn/dp/B074VD9NZZ.
Zena Kamash. “Which Way to Look? Exploring Latrine Use in the Roman World.” Toilet: Public Restrooms and the Politics of Sharing, edited by Harvey Luskin Molotch and Laura Norén, NYU Press, 2010. Open WorldCat,
Zepeda, Lily, director. Mr. Toilet: The World’s #2 Man . Performance by Jack Sim, Latrine Dreams Productions, 2019.
Image Sources
Title Page:
Image 1:
Created by Author
Image 2:
Image 3:
https://queenmobs.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/herod-970×575.jpg
Images 4,5 & 6:
All collected from Mr. Toilet: The World’s #2 Man -(see Zepeda citation above)