bathroom stuff / potty probs / she’s all fart

bathroom woes from pammie plus parks

Here’s an incredible write-up from fatmily member Pamela Denman, who runs Pammie Plus Parks: your guide to plus size and accessible travel to Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and beyond.

NARROW STALLS

The biggest fear Pammie Plus Parks viewers share is how to handle standard bathroom stalls that are too narrow. Many often bite the bullet and use the toilets while trying not to get scraped up by the metal sanitary bin or bruised by knocking their knee against the clunky toilet paper dispenser. And once they are finished taking care of business, they realize they cannot get their legs open enough to clean themselves because there is a sanitary bin on one wall of the stall and a giant TP dispenser on the other wall -- and both of them are level with the toilet seat. I think it is ridiculous that fat folks feel they have no choices.

There is another choice...the Accessible Stall, which is designed for anyone who cannot fully and comfortably access a standard stall, regardless of mobility concerns. If the standard stalls do not accommodate fat bodies, we have the right to use a stall we can access.

The trouble is many fat people feel self conscious about using a stall that, in their minds, can only be used by people in wheelchairs. I've heard many fat people claim they "don't deserve" to use an accessible stall. As though performing bodily functions with dignity, in a comfortable space that allows them access to their bodies for basic hygiene is something only normatively sized people or people in wheelchairs have a right to. Untrue! As long as public restrooms are not designed for bodies of all sizes and abilities -- there is nothing wrong with someone who cannot access a standard stall with ease and dignity to use an accessible stall.

BODY ODORS

Oh so many of the folks who view my videos have commented on how terrified they are of smelling bad in the bathroom -- especially after walking around all day in nearly 100 degree heat in a Florida theme park.

The first thing I tell them is this. Every. Body. Stinks. It's natural, it's human, and it's nothing to be ashamed of. Theme park bathrooms are so busy that it can be really hard to detect who made what stink, so let the feces and farts fly. But some folks are even more nervous about the smells generated by sweat, especially in the groin and genital regions. There are a few things folks can do to control downstairs body odor.

1. Take a shower in the morning be as fresh as possible at the start of the day

2. Get your undercarriage completely dry -- even if you have to use a fan or the cool setting on your hair dryer

3. Find a deodorant that can safely be used in the genital area, in body folds, cracks and creases. My fave is LUME. I do still recommend using an anti perspirant that is also a deodorant for the under arms -- like Secret Clinical or Mitchem -- stronger stuff works best when you are doing theme parks on super sweaty days

4. Wipes. Any kind that will work for your skin type will do, baby, organic, body, or even medical grade. Use them when you visit the rest room to gently swipe areas that are normally odor-tastical. BUT you should also bring paper towels in with you to pat dry after using the wipes.

5. Incontinancy Pads. My secret weapon. For people with vulvas this can be really helpful. If you get extra long ones, they will absorb sweat and odors from front to back and they can be changed frequently throughout the day.

6. Take a break in early to late afternoon to go back to your hotel room. Hop in the shower to fully rinse off in a cool shower and change your undergarments.

STINKIN' THINKIN'

A lot of the feedback I get from folks who watch my videos centers around what other people will think about them -- how they will be judged for the type of stall they choose, for the odors emitted by their body, even for how long they spend in a bathroom stall. We have got to stop thinking these fears are exclusive to fat people. Plenty of normatively sized people have hidden medical conditions that mean they need extra room in bathroom and they fear they will be yelled at for using an accessible stall, folks who have to empty a colostomy bag are worried about odor, even parents with a small child who need to bring their child in the bathroom with a stroller have to use an accessible stall so they don't leave their kids unattended, worry they will be hassled.

Bathroom woes are a PEOPLE thing, not just a FAT PEOPLE thing. Everyone has their own set of anxieties when they step into a public restroom. When I realized this -- it made me feel a bit more confident in myself and more patient with others. I stopped worrying less about what other people were thinking of me because I knew they were freaking out about themselves. Now I have more time to think about what we can do about changing the way bathroom stalls are constructed in order to make them more accessible to everyone.