Restroom renaissance: Beyond the 'drama'

LAST year, the musician Charli XCX mentioned in a video interview that she prefers to use male-designated public bathrooms because, well, there are usually no women there.

- SHARANYA MANIVANNAN

AST year, the musician Charli XCX mentioned in a video interview that she prefers to use male-designated public bathrooms because, well, there are usually no women there. She said: "I actually avoid the girls' bathroom in clubs. I always just, like, sneak into the men's because there's no line and there's no, like, drama... [There's no] annoying, 'Wah, he said that', you know?'" The comments have gone viral now for some reason, inviting a discussion about women and bathrooms.

Using a gents' loo in a pinch is fine, and this is something many have done at some point (including, of course, accidentally), but Charli XCX's comments are about women themselves — not the toilets designated for them. They're about how women talk to each other, rather than just doing their business and getting back to the party. They're about, well, women.