During the Victorian era, ladies were...ladies; well, not all! However, we'll focus on the prudish Victorian woman who would talk of going to the restroom, not the toilet or loo, as those were words not to be uttered by any noblewoman.
A typical public restroom back then would look like the one below which is in a gracious old farmhouse that houses a tea garden and a museum depicting life during the late 19th century.
This restroom has a small library inside, with comfy chairs where one can wait for the loo WC to become available.
The conversation would be in hushed tones as this was not a social gathering after all, although I'm sure a little gossiping did take place in even more hushed tones!
Eau de cologne would be splashed on, and just a touch of rouge or face powder applied. The lipstick had not been invented yet nor was face paint used by any decent woman; that was solely for ladies of the night!
Loo etiquette evolved over the years, and when the roaring twenties came along with its frivolities, restrooms became less subdued, and I imagine, more of a social gathering with much giggling and talk about the scandalous behaviour of their peers.
Lipsticks and brighter rouges would be touched-up and those hair waves crimped in place.
Then along came the cinemas, musical extravaganzas, and with it the queues, not just at the ticket booths but also outside the door with the sign 'Ladies.'
Those signs have become more and more creative over time, and queues extended to shopping malls, airports, in fact, any place where there's a gathering of people with intermissions, arrivals, or departures.
I'm not sure if it was the same where you live, but here in our country this meeting of women, all in need of the same thing, turned into friendly chattering and smiles to and fro unless the need was so great that even a smile becomes difficult!
Sometimes there would be anxious moments if the queue was too long, and there would be a quick dash and almost bowling the first woman exiting the loo over, just in case the taps opened up before reaching the welcome sight of that seat, aka the throne!
Then along came Covid with its masks, exactly a century after the roaring twenties.
No chatting with strangers, keeping safe distances as one may just be infected by that nasty little virus that slyly keeps on evolving and replicating, using us humans as its host!
Queues at the loos became a thing of the past when severe lockdowns were implemented and loos became deserted, sad, and forlorn places.
Once lockdowns ended, people initially were afraid of going to shopping malls, let alone cinemas, and the smell of popcorn all but disappeared.
Airports that once hustled and bustled with passengers, now only have a handful of airlines still in operation; a stark reminder of how Covid literally brought the world to a standstill!
Loos now are places you enter and exit with ease, like this one at the Cresta Shopping Centre where I encountered the entire Ladies' Loo empty so was able to take photos without getting funny looks from ladies! The loo doors had some really quaint fashion statements.
Interesting how the lighting at this door totally changes the image shade
The home loo is the one place where no one can disturb you, so questions like...
where did I leave my keys?
...gives me great pleasure to shout out...
I'm in the loo, you'll have to wait!
And so I sit, and sit, in what some are calling modern telephone booths, and catch up with endless WhatsApp messages, or chat with my Hive friends; I see raised eyebrows at this point, but hey, time is precious!
So my question today is, who will admit that they commit this grave sin?
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