It's fascinating to me how often things get codified into law or standards[1], but the reasoning behind it becomes legend. Apparently the u-shape is intended t

It's fascinating to me how often things get codified into law or standards[1], but the reasoning behind it becomes legend. Apparently the u-shape is intended to allow women to wipe without touching the seat, and maybe also reduce male contact with the front. But you have to take a bunch of people's word (which I suspect to be guesses) for that. [1] and I've been on standards committees where people are trying to imagine what the previous generation were trying to say, since standards usually only tell you what, and are short on the why.