art or offence?

[thir]

http://www.care2.com/causes/womens-r...rt-or-offense/

Urinals made as an open women's mouth: art or offence or just a joke?

[FrgnSwtc]

It's a joke... artsy designer stuff. Taking that any more seriously and giving it underline meaning is, imo, stretching it far to much for it's actual importance.

[mistresscj]

I think artsy...it made me laugh to see the pic...If I was a guy I might feel awkard peeing in it though.

[steelish]

As with anything designed by someone...it's whatever the viewer interprets it to be.

To me it's humorous and harmless, to another it might be offensive.

[thir]

I think artsy...it made me laugh to see the pic...If I was a guy I might feel awkard peeing in it though.

Yes that's what I thought..not being into wet sports myself.

But.. I still felt a bit odd about it, because it is not just in one place but apparently in quite many. All main stream. Perhpas that is why it drew reactions.

[denuseri]

The hoopla made by people against it to me seems all too typical of what I find wrong about the entire feminest movment truth be told.

[CuntyVonTwatington]

It's a lot funnier to imagine the mouth isn't that of a woman... but of a lipstick wearing male submissive... after all, there are no facial features, and it is just a mouth with bright red lips. Maybe the problem isnt the urinal, but the assumption that if there is a "passive victim" it must be a female?? Maybe they should just lay those fuzzy toilet tank covers on the upper lip of half of them so they look like moustaches.......and maybe whoever is offended should spend their time helping actual humans that are being actually victimized...but that might be more difficult than fussing over where other people pee, and they may not get "results" that they can pat their own backs over. On the other hand, anyone that is freaking out over urinals is too busy tilting at windmills to bother with me, so maybe it's worth having nonsense in the world for that type of person to get excited over... it keeps them from looking to closely at me. ROFL

[TantricSoul]

What about the possibility that the designer/manufacturer is just trying to make a statement about the Rolling Stones?

[Ozme52]

Not allowed to complain about that if you didn't previously complain about this. See the smirks.

[Ozme52]

Nuns.

Orchid.

Mannequins

Nature.

The music goes round and round...

More.

[MMI]

"The Woman Abuse Working Group, a coalition of 24 organizations, disagreed and led efforts to oust what it considered to be an offensive water closet."

What were they doing in the Men's room? Trying to be offended by men again?

[thir]

Not allowed to complain about that if you didn't previously complain about this. See the smirks.

Wow! I hadn't seen that

For the record, taking up a topic is not complaining, just asking people's opion of it.

[thir]

"The Woman Abuse Working Group, a coalition of 24 organizations, disagreed and led efforts to oust what it considered to be an offensive water closet."

What were they doing in the Men's room? Trying to be offended by men again?

I guess some man tipped them off ;-)

But you are right, only the men would see it (one must assume) and so it is in fact more interestig what the men think of this.

What do you think?

[thir]

It's a lot funnier to imagine the mouth isn't that of a woman... but of a lipstick wearing male submissive... after all, there are no facial features, and it is just a mouth with bright red lips. Maybe the problem isnt the urinal, but the assumption that if there is a "passive victim" it must be a female?? Maybe they should just lay those fuzzy toilet tank covers on the upper lip of half of them so they look like moustaches.......and maybe whoever is offended should spend their time helping actual humans that are being actually victimized...but that might be more difficult than fussing over where other people pee, and they may not get "results" that they can pat their own backs over. On the other hand, anyone that is freaking out over urinals is too busy tilting at windmills to bother with me, so maybe it's worth having nonsense in the world for that type of person to get excited over... it keeps them from looking to closely at me. ROFL

At least people here have things to say about this, so I guess it was worth posting :-)

Actually, way I see it it would the men's reactions that is probably most interesting, they are the ones who are using the urinals.

[thir]

The hoopla made by people against it to me seems all too typical of what I find wrong about the entire feminest movment truth be told.

Hm I cannot understand such a sweeping statement, as there is no such thing as a homogenous feminist movement. It is a grass root movement with many groups, many countries and many cultures representated, and they probably have a truckload of issues they can not agree upon.

[denuseri]

Thats becuase they are always going about it the wrong way sugar.

At least in so far as when freaking out over things like art that may or may not be objectifing women.

[Ozme52]

Wow! I hadn't seen that

For the record, taking up a topic is not complaining, just asking people's opion of it.

Just for the record, , my comment was addressed to the generic "you". I should've said "if they didn't complain about the first, they don't get to complain about the second.

[leo9]

What about the possibility that the designer/manufacturer is just trying to make a statement about the Rolling Stones?

I hadn't thought of that, my association was immediately with that sofa Andy Warhol designed like a pair of red lips.

I guess the immediate difference is, this is implicitly designed to be used (a) only by men and (b) in a way that's a lot more unkind than sitting on it.

[denuseri]

First thing I thought of was the Lips from the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Which I never did figure out...were they the maid magneta's or did they belong to Tim Curry? I wonder which lips the artist was thinking of...could it be Tim Curry's? Maby the feminists arent the ones who should have their panties in a wad...maby the G&L community should be angry or perhaps ole Tim himself.

[mr willing]

What about the possibility that the designer/manufacturer is just trying to make a statement about the Rolling Stones?

Or about me! Step right up! See if you can hit the uvula!

[thir]

Nuns.

Orchid.

Mannequins

Nature.

The music goes round and round...

More.

Thank you for showing that it is a whole fad, I had no idea.

I would still like to know if you have ever met with any of these urinals, and if it were a problem, or brightened your day, or just didn't really register?

[thir]

I hadn't thought of that, my association was immediately with that sofa Andy Warhol designed like a pair of red lips.

I guess the immediate difference is, this is implicitly designed to be used (a) only by men and (b) in a way that's a lot more unkind than sitting on it.

But how would you feel about using these urinals? (See link 'more' in ozme's mail as well.)

Will no male comment on this?????

[thir]

Nuns.

Orchid.

Mannequins

Nature.

The music goes round and round...

More.

By the weid and wonderful ways of the net, half of these links landed me on websites concerning foot-ball..However, the 'more' one worked fine and I guess I have the most of it on that one.

The nuns ones looked sort of peaceful..
The mouth ones still offends me.
The ones that looked like being fucked from behind were very very sexy!
But the same motif with the sink was silly, as you can hardly reach the sink to wash your hands.
The spread and raised legs also sexy!
The one where you sit on a toilet shaped as as woman left me indifferent.

Not much logic in that..

I showed the pics to a male friend, and asked him what he thought.
After a moment he said: If you gotta go, you gotta go, and it doesn't matter what the urianal looks like.
Sensible guy.
But he also thought that some might have trouble zipping up their fly afterwards..hm? Impractical, that.

[steelish]

but he also thought that some might have trouble zipping up their fly afterwards..hm? Impractical, that.

Tee hee.

That hadn't occurred to me...till now.

[thir]

Thats becuase they are always going about it the wrong way sugar.

At least in so far as when freaking out over things like art that may or may not be objectifing women.

OK, I understand your point now.

Yes, in the Western world it is a joke - some of it even sexy ;-)

But had the pictures been from places around the world where women really are objects (cannot choose partner or sex partner, killed if dowry not paid, stoned to death if having a lover, cannot own things, gassed if you try to go to school and so on and on) such images would make me puke.

[thir]

http://www.oo.com.au/Vice_Versa_Vood...29751C1838.cfm

What about this one?

[openyoureyes]

http://www.oo.com.au/Vice_Versa_Vood...29751C1838.cfm

What about this one?

My aunt owns this. Said someone bought it for her and her husband to deal with arguments in the kitchen... I thought it was silly, albeit cute, but not offensive.

I'm not particularly offended by any of the urinals either, though.

[Lion]

Neither art nor offensive.

Well, if it were in a church or airport, that would be stupid. But in a bar or club, it's meant to be outlandish.

[Jennifer Williams]

I am, for the most part, pretty accepting of most things, so I personally don't find this offensive.

My guess would be that enough men found it offensive that their complaints started the ruckus. My guess would be I might find it offensive if I were a man in that if I've gotta go, I have to go in one of those, or leave the building to try to find another one. Because pissing is a necessity, and there you are messing with it, taking away the men's control about it. Piss in the woman's mouth or...find a dark alley? Maybe that's what made them so upset.

I'm far more curious about what the mindset of this company was when they made these. "Guys, let's design this and see if anybody will buy it. *snicker*" I highly doubt their thought was "Well we all know women should be lesser than men, so let's make one of our urinals state that."

I was offended by the airline that considered installing them. My guess is (I would hope) that they were putting them in a bar area, but that is too public of a place, to me. Vanillas have a right to their idea of peace of mind, as do the rest of us, in very public places. In places where all kinds of people from all kinds of religions, races, and ethnicities come through, I think effort to make everything "blah" is necessary.

Also the bathroom with the photos of women watching while men piss was hysterical to me.

[steelish]

So far...the only thing I've found offensive are the plastic (or sometimes metal) scrotums that you can hang from the back bumper of vehicles.

I just don't think it's appropriate in any way, shape or form for a fake scrotum to be dangling out in the open where children can see it as someone drives down the road.

It makes me wonder how people would feel if someone invented fake vaginas for the backs of vehicles.