The Generic Western Public Toilet is just that – a generic public toilet and it’s what we, as westerners living in the United States see on a daily basis. A classic ceramic toilet with stalls for privacy. These types of toilets give you the option and make it very possible for you to use it without touching any surfaces (theoretically) and give you your own secluded space where you can do your business in peace. When people go into public stalls like these, they will open doors with their body weight, not their hands, flush the toilet with their foot, and open the door back up with a paper towel and throw it away before their hands could even think about coming in contact with any surfaces. The stalls are standard in the United States and allow for you to have your own personal space, even though it is confined to a tight area. These bathrooms try to make the public as private as possible, unlike many other restrooms around the world. However, it’s not necessarily an interesting experience in these bathrooms and they are usually composed of a sterile color palette. People either get in and get out, or use these spaces as conversational area because it can provide for a more private area of the building than what is beyond the doors. The atmosphere provides for a more private feel than what may or may not be outside the doors…which depending on the situation, can either intimidate people or allow people to relax and have a place to themselves and get away from reality for a second. Although these spaces are generic and somewhat bland, the context in which they are placed makes for a dynamic atmosphere that is more than meets the eye.
