A man recalls his first bathroom scribbling from the fourth grade. A pictorial of what he “knew” women’s breasts to be. He drew a rounded “W” with two dots. It was the excitement of doing something he knew was wrong and incorporating nudity only thrust him further into the experience. He was hooked. Every stall he entered became a tagging playground to be marked with his artistic style. He was sure he was passing his images to others who needed his expertise.
Eventually he graduated from the rounded “W” with two dots and moved on to curse words; the obvious move. These curse words were used with the intent to defame others and occasionally the ones he loved. Arising from the depths of his psyche came, “Mary’s good in bed,” and “for a good time call Sue.” Many years have gone by and he has since forgotten Sue’s number. He’s also positive he didn’t sleep with Mary. After the fourth grade he doesn’t recall much scribbling but he still enjoys a good read now and again.
How about this one? Did you know that John loves Connie? She didn’t. Not until she read it on the bathroom wall at her local watering hole. She was happy to gain this insight and looked for John for months. With no avail, she moved on. But what was it that intrigued her?
It intrigued her because she wondered, “Who is this John fellow?” It confused her, “Where is he?” It angered her. “Not again!” It informed the general public that John loved Connie but why is Connie still single with all this love?
Who wrote this about Connie? Was it love or was it mockery? It could have been a totally different Connie or it could have been Connie herself. She could have written it herself in an attempt to spark a conversation of this “love” in front of her friends. Without the use of Chinese torture no one could ever know.
To me, bathroom graffiti is a form of art that is sometimes vulgar but within the vulgarity lie some form of truth. Maybe it is a window into the thoughts of others from different walks of life.
Sometimes one picture can lead to the modification of that picture. To one, the picture was accurate. To another, the picture needed a little something extra. To yet another, the picture needed something taken out. It is a type of art that allows influences from all sorts of personalities.
Years ago I went to a restaurant/bar where a one man band played every Thursday. The one man band was named after the singer; Frank Fairbanks. A woman who came every Thursday would take the liberty to sing the same three songs every week. Now this was not Karaoke but he let her do it as a kind gesture. Her name was Fran and she was the worst singer. But after a few cocktails, she felt like Mariah Carey. It was just horrible. No one dared approach Fran because that would be rude and they would be singled out. However, in the bathroom we can do as we please and no one would be the wiser. So, the bathroom walls soon reflected the feeling of the patrons.
There on the wall started a simple statement expressing the joy Frank gave everyone. “Frank Fairbanks RULEZ!” by an unknown author. After a few Fran episodes, someone went into the bathroom and crossed out the K in Frank and added a D before rulez. Then it read “Fran Fairbanks Drulez!”
After a few months of adding comments and taking out comments, the quote ending up stating, “Fran Fairbanks Drules and everybody knows, quit singing cause you suck, get a life butt wipe.” Then they painted the bathroom.
For many centuries, art has been celebrated. Every art form imaginable has been on exhibit in some form of viewing. From art galleries to living room walls, art has been present. Art is all over the place. Just because an artist uses a bridge, a building wall or even a bathroom stall, instead of a canvas, does not make it any less artistic. Bathroom graffiti is, and always has been, an art genre all to itself.
Bathroom graffiti is as much a visual art and it is a mental art. Mental art being, the spark of ones imagination through no process of their own. Something planted without them even knowing.
When we reflect back in time, we see great artists, writers and quote makers. Where are our modern day Picasso’s, Shakespeare’s, and Churchill’s? They’re in the can, informing the world of the next great tragedy, comedy, or hidden truth.
Winston Churchill’s dislike of George Bernard Shaw, and vice versa, was apparent in their actions. Could they have used the bathroom walls for their bickering? For example, on Shaw’s opening of the play Pygmalion, the prelude to My Fair Lady, he sent Churchill two tickets to his play. Here are two tickets to the opening of my play and you can bring a friend, if you have one, Shaw said. Churchill replied, I am unable to attend the opening of your play but I can attend another night, if you have one. This could have easily been stated on the bathroom stalls. These two men are brought back to the level of childhood with one meaningless phrase tacked onto the end of an extension of hospitality. Again, should have been on the bathroom walls and no one would have been the wiser.
Many scholars have researched this subject by conducting a myriad of experiments. Most of these experiments test hypothesis’ that show a clear division in gender. They were exploring the bathroom graffiti from male to female, educated to more educated, level of acceptability, and so forth. The levels to which we conduct these experiments are limitless.
Bathroom graffiti can tell a great deal of how our society is functioning. It let’s everyone know what’s on our minds? Are we worried about whose dating who, getting the latest dig on a person who irk’s us, expressing a saying we want to share but are afraid to say it, drawing a pictorial of our boss, expressing a belief system we would never let other know we have, etc…
If you sprinkle when you tinkle, please be neat and wipe the seat. This is a bathroom scribbling many have come to know and love; a bit trite, but known by most. When we look beyond these words, we can see a bit of our own social reality. Bathroom graffiti is a bit of information from one mind into the mind of another, perpetuating old beliefs and passing on new ones.
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