The Sexist History of Women’s Restroom Lounges
If you’re a woman, and you’ve ever gone to a fancy old building, you may have experienced encountering a restroom lounge. These usually have a seating area for ladies to rest and recuperate while they shop, or it gives us a place to privately chat with friends during a social gathering. However, the history of their origin is actually rather sexist.
The 1851 Great Exhibition in London was the first major event to have public bathrooms. Apparently, these lounges were designed like living rooms to help “protect a woman’s virtue”. Women were seen as being mostly home-bound, and their delicate nature would require a place for them to escape and feel like home. In fact, these lounges were around long before there was even a public toilet.
