Our co-ed bathrooms are infamous for a number of reasons. Here are the top 7 awful, awkward, annoying things about co-ed bathrooms and how to cope with them!
1. Washing your make-up off. Why is this awkward? Well, if there is a cute boy on your floor and you don’t want them to see you look like a raccoon with bad skin, washing your face might not be your first priority.
How to cope with this: Accept the idea that the boys on your floor are simply to live with, not to hook up with. You’ll move on in no time. Anyways, boys are probably too oblivious to register that you look different than you usually do! You can also cover your face with a paper towel while leaving the bathroom as if you’re drying it.
2. Boys POOPING together. WHY IS THIS A THING? As a girl, I will never understand why boys take pleasure in simultaneously pooping in adjacent stalls, while having a nonchalant conversation. I cannot count the number of times I have interrupted this bonding time between two boys. I am sure all you girls out there have seen this at least once if you live on a co-ed floor. If you have seen this phenomenon and don’t enjoy being a part of it, keep reading…
How to cope: Whenever I walk in on this, I abandon my original bathroom intentions and instead act extra obnoxious. I might go to the bathroom as well just to make them feel awkward. I make sure they know that someone witnessed them talking while pooping. I’ll stomp my way over to the sink to wash my hands. Then I will viciously pull a ton of paper towels out of the dispenser, making as much noise as possible. Is it wrong that I want to make it seem like I’m mad about this? I do these things for the comic relief, and you can too!
3. Stubble in the sink. Boys, Please just clean it up!
How to cope: Girls, If you don’t have the tolerance for gross things (like me), then just use another sink. Unfortunately, you can’t really fix this problem…Unless you want to watch each boy shave and force them to clean up after! You might be seen as very strange and overbearing if you do this though.
4. Avoid the bathroom on Sundays as much as possible. They are filthy at the end of the weekend. The trash bins are overflowing with 30-rack boxes and empty cans and bottles. Not to mention the floors are covered in wet paper towels, and the showers display a layer of dirt, grime, and even grass.
How to cope? I repeat: Avoid them on Sundays as much as possible. Use the all girls floor bathroom!
5. The moment when you realize that there is more than one person in a shower. We understand that people like to hook up, but when it moves to the shower, things can get a little awkward. You might hear some things that you don’t want to hear.
There are a couple ways to cope with this. The first is to just leave the bathroom and process what you just heard. The other is to play along and say something to them! I personally haven’t done this, but some girls find it funny to insert themselves into the couple’s conversation (if they are having one). “Where do you want to go to dinner tonight babe?” Then you yell, “insert restaurant name sounds good!” Have fun with it.
6. Peeing with a boy in the bathroom. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I feel like having someone hear you pee brings the relationship to a whole new level. Bathroom business is a personal thing, so when you pee while a boy is present it crosses a certain line. They know what my pee sounds like. It’s especially awkward when you succumb to the pee-shy syndrome and can’t do anything. Think about it: Isn’t it weird when you’re standing at the sink and someone enters a stall and just sits there in silence? What are they doing? Should I leave so they can go about their business? I feel awkward for them! Both parties are victims to this awkward situation.
How to cope: If a boy happens to be in the bathroom when you need to pee, just think about how badly you need to go. If you think to yourself, UGH I HAVE TO PEE SO BADLY, nature will take its course, and it’ll just happen. Peeing is a necessary, normal occurrence and it’s really not that awkward in hindsight. If you gotta go, you gotta go!
7. Guys peeing with the door open. I’m starting to think that this article should be renamed “What’s up with male bathroom etiquette?” But seriously, how many times do you stumble upon the backside of a guy standing in front of the toilette? I’m guessing a lot. Are they too lazy to shut the door? Do they think no one cares? It will always be a mystery. All I can say is this: It’s already bad enough that both sexes have to share a bathroom…the least we can do to keep the space between us is to close the stall door.
How to cope: Once again, there are two approaches to this. If you’re feeling brave, you can stand in the stall opening and wait until they turn around to leave the toilet. While it is extremely creepy, you will scare the shit out of them. Then you say, “Sorry, I just figured you want people to watch you pee since you left the door open!” They’ll never do it again. The alternative is to erase it from your memory!