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> The symbol for "man" is the outline of an adult human. To me, it shows the outline of an adult, physically fit male human. Observe the narrow hips and wide,
by tetromino_ 11y ago
> The symbol for "man" is the outline of an adult human.
To me, it shows the outline of an adult, physically fit male human. Observe the narrow hips and wide, square shoulders. Compare with the shoulders on the "woman" symbol.
> The symbol for "toilets" is the symbol for "woman" (an adult human with a dress) next to the symbol for "man" (an human), with a dividing line between them. We heavily associate toilets with sex segregation, apparently.
It shows a pair of adjacent doors, one labeled "men", the other labeled "women". It doesn't mean sex segregation - quite the opposite, it means that in this building, toilets for both sexes are located right next to each other! (As opposed to on different ends of the floor or on different floors altogether, which was common in older architecture.)
- TazeTSchnitzel 11y ago> To me, it shows the outline of an adult, physically fit male human. Observe the narrow hips and wide, square shoulders. Compare with the shoulders on the "woman" symbol. You have a point there. > It doesn't mean sex segregation - quite the opposite, it means that in this building, toilets for both sexes are located right next to each other! The notion of "toilets for [...] sexes" is inherently sex segregation. It's not "separate but equal" (in the ironic sense), but it's still segregation. Unisex toilets, on the other hand, are not sex-segregated.
- crummy 11y agoI believe the icon you're referring to (man and woman with a line between them) is actually the symbol for unisex toilets.
- TazeTSchnitzel 11y agoIf so, it's ironic, because it depicts the opposite. I'm not sure if it's supposed to be unisex toilets or just toilets for both sexes. I'd have to do a little digging.
- hussong 11y agoWell, maybe one day they will come up with an icon for unisex toilets as well. Good luck designing that in a way that makes everyone happy.