At first this seemed strange. I wasn't really sure why this was the first thing that came to mind, but then after I thought about it, I couldn't think of a better answer. This space has contributed significantly to my sense of beauty and place and belonging.
Okay let me explain.
The bathroom itself is nothing special; the cracking yellow tile from the 70s on one side, running onto the white tiled walls and rusty mirrors on the others, mirrors that reflect the four yellow bathroom stalls, and me when I come out of those stalls early in the morning with a squinty face and a grumpy disposition.
The other people reflected in those rusty mirrors in the morning are the freshman that I am in charge of loving for the year, girls who will spend anywhere from 5 minutes to two hours in front of those rusty mirrors every day.
Blow-dryers, hair straighteners, washcloths, mascara, eye shadow and toothpaste litter the countertops every morning, while other sleepy faces emerge from the stalls to begin their regimen for the day. Girls transform themselves from puffy-faced, tired and vulnerable freshmen to confident, made-up and fresh-faced women ready to take on the world. These same women come back later, tired from long hours of conquering and strutting their way through their day in confidence, to take all that make-up off and shake out their hair, their newly tired eyes now glowing from the adventure of a day just past.
Blow-dryers, hair straighteners, washcloths, mascara, eye shadow and toothpaste litter the countertops every morning, while other sleepy faces emerge from the stalls to begin their regimen for the day. Girls transform themselves from puffy-faced, tired and vulnerable freshmen to confident, made-up and fresh-faced women ready to take on the world. These same women come back later, tired from long hours of conquering and strutting their way through their day in confidence, to take all that make-up off and shake out their hair, their newly tired eyes now glowing from the adventure of a day just past.
I have a personal belief that the way a girl gets ready in the morning is like a micro-anthropological study, and is a fascinating way to get to know who someone really is.
I get to watch these micro-studies every morning and evening. Girls whip out this or that product, brush their hair in this or that way, or not at all, brush their teeth spitting every few seconds or every minute, and go about their habits they are so used to without realizing how interesting it is to observe.
One girl may shower in the mornings, blow-dry and straighten her hair while brushing it, put on foundation first, then eyeliner, then shadow, then mascara, then go get changed and come back for a final check and a teeth-brushing. Another girl may have showered the night before, do nothing with her hair and only put on a small amount of mascara after getting dressed first, then brush her teeth when she comes back after lunch. These girls have been doing their routines for their whole lives, and never take much notice to each other’s quirks and special rituals.
At night, when the make-up comes off and the sweatpants come out, the girls open up and empty themselves of all the vulnerable thoughts they had been thinking all day, but couldn’t let out through the mask of make-up and nice clothes they’ve donned to seem perfect. I do love seeing them this way; is so much more special. The most honest conversations happen immediately after these facades come off, when they are tired from a long day and bearing their honest selves, outside and inside. Some of my favorite conversations have happened barefoot in front of the mirror with mouths full of toothpaste.
It is so unique to get to know someone in this way. Even though these girls may never be best friends with everyone on our floor, they will know one another in a way that no one else can know them. Living alongside someone and seeing them in all facets of their life, not just during the day when they are at their best, is a privilege and has been taken for granted for most of the year so far. This is one of the most unique experiences, getting to know someone like this, and is something that I will cherish for a long time.
When I first came to college, on of my biggest fears was using a community bathroom with 25 other girls. I was afraid that I would never be able to get a shower or a sink, that everyone would be too in-my-business, and that I wouldn’t get any privacy.
At night, when the make-up comes off and the sweatpants come out, the girls open up and empty themselves of all the vulnerable thoughts they had been thinking all day, but couldn’t let out through the mask of make-up and nice clothes they’ve donned to seem perfect. I do love seeing them this way; is so much more special. The most honest conversations happen immediately after these facades come off, when they are tired from a long day and bearing their honest selves, outside and inside. Some of my favorite conversations have happened barefoot in front of the mirror with mouths full of toothpaste.
It is so unique to get to know someone in this way. Even though these girls may never be best friends with everyone on our floor, they will know one another in a way that no one else can know them. Living alongside someone and seeing them in all facets of their life, not just during the day when they are at their best, is a privilege and has been taken for granted for most of the year so far. This is one of the most unique experiences, getting to know someone like this, and is something that I will cherish for a long time.
When I first came to college, on of my biggest fears was using a community bathroom with 25 other girls. I was afraid that I would never be able to get a shower or a sink, that everyone would be too in-my-business, and that I wouldn’t get any privacy.
Now as a senior, I consider this time living and using a community bathroom with 25 other girls to be one of the most formative experiences of my life. I will never get to share this space with this many people ever again, and it turns out privacy is overrated.
As much as I desire to be known in this way and accepted by other girls, they want this just as much. It is a privilege to get to love them in this way and in this space, and I will be thankful for this forever.