Gaps in the bathroom

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

I live in Canada where the gaps are the same as the American style. They don’t really bother me that much because really no one wants to look except maybe a small child and even then that’s very rare. I usually choose the stall closest to the door because I find that one is usually the cleanest because most people bypass the first one.

The boy that stared at me was between 10 and 12. Certainly not a small child. He thought it was oh so funny.

I did not.

 

[CrankyDad]

Now if you see a circular hole cut out of the divider in your stall, you better get outta there

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

I'm American and definitely notice and don't like the gaps. I'm also big on privacy and on the rare occasions when DD and I have to share a stall, we turn around so we aren't staring at each other. I have had people peek in through the cracks on me several times. It's usually small children, but a couple of times have been adults who either did it inadvertently while passing or were trying to see if it was occupied. I don't feel like it was ever done in a pervy way, but it did make me feel j comfortable nonetheless. I've also had one woman lock eyes with me UNDERNEATH the stall door because apparently she couldn't see my feet under the door from a few feet away like everyone else does. Funny thing was, she was walking with a cane and appeared rather advanced in age so I'm shocked she was able to get her head down that low.

In Marine Corps boot camp we had the standard metal stalls with doors, but we weren't permitted to close or lock them. We had if I recall correctly 8 stalls for roughly 80 girls to use and generally only certain times during the day when we were able to use the restroom, so of course the majority of girls usually needed to go (especially after our mandatory water chugging fests). The DIs gave VERY quick countdowns for how long we were allotted to take care of business and would literally pull you off the toilet if you weren't done in time. Between that, communal changing, showering, and hygiene inspections conducted only in undergarments, it's no wonder I value my privacy so much now.

For the record, my brother's high school here in MI currently has the majority of the stall doors missing in the men's rooms because apparently the kids kept damaging them/ ripping them off the hinges and the school got sick of replacing them.

In public, I try to use the last stall as much as possible to reduce the possibility of people seeing through the cracks due to less people walking past it. This is next to impossible at Disney though as usually the restrooms are packed and there's no choice of stall. I also tend to keep myself covered as much as possible (pants above knees and hoodie or shirt pulled out to cover) when in the stall. The gaps are also why I don't wear one piece bathing suits as then you have to pretty much get naked in the stall every time you need to use the restroom.

 

[DisneyOma]

The boy that stared at me was between 10 and 12. Certainly not a small child. He thought it was oh so funny.

I did not.

What was a preteen boy doing in the women's room to begin with?

 

[chartle]

What was a preteen boy doing in the women's room to begin with?

He was with a mother that didn't want him to go into the Men's room alone.

 

[GreatLakes]

He was with a mother that didn't want him to go into the Men's room alone.

With a mother like that of course he will grow up to be a weirdo one way or the other.

 

[mom2rtk]

He was with a mother that didn't want him to go into the Men's room alone.

There have been some epic threads on this in the past.

 

[Sabeking]

I don’t mind the gap...it’s the smells that get me!

 

[RangerPooh]

The gaps are annoying, but if someone is disturbed enough to watch me do my business then that's on them. They can choose to look away. I'm use to the gaps at work and when out and about, including Disney.

Recently I was attending orchestra events at the local middle and high schools and observed that the stall doors only come to about my nose. I'm 5'4" and there are plenty of middle and high school students taller than me. This creeped me out as anyone passing by could potentially peek in at you.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

What was a preteen boy doing in the women's room to begin with?

He was with a mother that didn't want him to go into the Men's room alone.

Exactly.

 

[Minnesota!]

My high school also removed the doors. This was 1986-1990.

My college did not have shower curtains or dividers of any sort in the communal shower. Just 3 shower heads on one wall and 3 on the opposite.

That is how summer camp was for me, too...

 

[LAB81018]

There have been some epic threads on this in the past.

I was waiting for it to come up. Ahhh...the good times.

 

[DisneyOma]

He was with a mother that didn't want him to go into the Men's room alone.

Exactly.

Ugh, and he's peeking into stalls to look at women? Perv in training?

 

[frostedpink]

Total non-issue. If someone really wants to stick their face right up to the gap and see what I'm doing in there, and I've never actually had that happen, go right ahead. It isn't going to be a fun show.

This made me laugh so hard!! I needed a laugh today

 

[MomOfDisneyPrincess]

I guess I would prefer complete privacy in the restroom, but if I let the gaps bother me, I could never leave the house, so I don't let it. I do find it rather funny that it seems to really bother some foreign visitors. When I was in college, travelling around Europe and staying in Youth Hostels, we were all mortified to discover we had to shower in open showers! Partial walls, but no door or curtains. Also, one time in Mexico, we had 18 girls sharing 2 showers. They were 2 deep, meaning you had to walk through one in order to get to the second one. In order for all of us to get ready each morning, we just lined up and when one person came out, another came in. You were guaranteed to walk past one naked person or have a person walk past you naked. Ahhh, the memories!

I think this bothered me much more when I was young. I worry more about sounds and smells that anything else. And full doors don't mask that. That's way more embarrassing than someone just being able to see you perched on the toilet as they walk by. I've never really encountered any weirdos, but the random toddler peeking in to say Hi, is rather comical since I now know what it's like to keep one corralled in the bathroom until they learn proper bathroom etiquette.

By the way, removing stall doors is still alive and well today. My daughter's grade school removed the doors in the boys bathroom last year after someone pooped in the sink! This was kind of a last straw after they already made the boys go in pairs, so they could tattle on each other, and locked all of the bathrooms except the one right by the office. When neither of those tactics worked, they finally removed the stall doors. I haven't heard any bathroom stories recently, so maybe it's working.

 

[dotfurio]

I was at an office today with a perfect side by side example of what I consider an acceptable vs an unacceptable gap

I’ve noticed the gaps I cringe over tend to be the corners or walls. This gap is where 2 stalls meet in a L shape. Mostly the big gaps are pretty much out of view anyway, but this one wasn’t!