![]() I know this probably exists already but, if not, I need some academic to do a serious research study on the semiotics of what restaurants use as bathroom signs. Yes, there is the universal man/woman icon but I've seen so many others. Pirates/mermaids, dogs/cats, witches/wizards, wine glasses/bottles, the gender symbols, phrasing like "standers" and "sitters" - you name it, it's been a bathroom sign. But here's the thing, all of the non-traditional versions require some knowledge of broader cultural norms. Why is that we tend to know that mermaids mean women and pirates mean men? Pirates and mermaids are ungendered things - men and women can be both. But, in the bathroom context, we, of the white/US culture, know that mermaids are where are the women go. How much of culture and literature and society do we need to soak up before we understand that? How difficult do these kind of signs make it for others of different backgrounds? Why do we presume that these visual tropes will work? I find this all fascinating which is why I would like to read a dissertation on it. But, also, can we do away with single gendered bathrooms? They just make it harder for everyone. Just wash your hands, please.
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