Mrs. Peacock or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Just Use the Bathroom
You're out with some friends at a restaurant. You walk to the bathroom and are faced with two doors, one for the men's room and the other for the women's. But instead of being clearly labeled as such, you see the following pictures on the doors:
Door #1:
Door #2:
Which do you go in?
"Hmm? Feathers are sort of feminine, that must be the female peacock. Wait wait wait, doesn't the male want to attract the female with the feathers? Hold up, are these even peacocks? Oh man, I wish I'd done that zoology minor in college 'cause I really gotta pee right now."
No! This is not how going to the bathroom should work. I should not have to be familiar with the mating rituals of the peacock to pick the right restroom. There should be no entrance exam! (though providing reading material via a handy peacock quiz inside the bathroom would be perfectly acceptable) These photos (actual signs on the bathroom doors at The Helmand in Baltimore) had me so confused that I ended up going in the wrong door. Luckily it was an individual bathroom, but maybe next time I won't be so lucky.
Restaurant owners of the world, listen to me: KEEP THE BATHROOM LABELS SIMPLE! There is nothing wrong with using an M or a W to label the door. A stick figure of sorts has never done anyone harm. And if you want to get creative, please be sure to add a clearly identifying label as well. Because what might seem obvious to you, might not be so clear to everyone else.
Door #2:
Which do you go in?
"Hmm? Feathers are sort of feminine, that must be the female peacock. Wait wait wait, doesn't the male want to attract the female with the feathers? Hold up, are these even peacocks? Oh man, I wish I'd done that zoology minor in college 'cause I really gotta pee right now."
No! This is not how going to the bathroom should work. I should not have to be familiar with the mating rituals of the peacock to pick the right restroom. There should be no entrance exam! (though providing reading material via a handy peacock quiz inside the bathroom would be perfectly acceptable) These photos (actual signs on the bathroom doors at The Helmand in Baltimore) had me so confused that I ended up going in the wrong door. Luckily it was an individual bathroom, but maybe next time I won't be so lucky.
Restaurant owners of the world, listen to me: KEEP THE BATHROOM LABELS SIMPLE! There is nothing wrong with using an M or a W to label the door. A stick figure of sorts has never done anyone harm. And if you want to get creative, please be sure to add a clearly identifying label as well. Because what might seem obvious to you, might not be so clear to everyone else.
