Kay Mattutat
Project 4

My Mother's vs. The Greenbelt Bathroom



The two spaces that I will compare are the bathroom in the Greenbelt Museum and my mother's bathroom. Since the Greenbelt living space was built in the 1940's, and my mother's was built in 1993, there are drastic differences between the two. I will evaluate the different functions and components of the two bathrooms, as well as analyze the differences in expectations and the standards of living between the two time periods.

The bathroom in Greenbelt was very small and used exclusively for practical purposes. Hayley Bonica notices the same practical purposes in her living space. She observed that the Greenbelt kitchen is very small, and used only for basic needs, with few unintended purposes. The same is true for the Greenbelt bathroom. It was the only bathroom in the house, which was to be shared by the parents and children. Consisting of a bath tub, one sink, and a toilet, its intended use was for bathing, using the facilities, and basic hygienic needs only. Although it was a luxury for a family to have their own bathroom within their house, there was no pleasure involved in its uses, which became apparent because the bathroom was very plain and small, with few contents or decorations. It was obvious that the time spent in this living space was very minimal.

In contrast, my mother's bathroom is extremely large, and is used solely by her. She does not even share the bathroom with her husband because privacy is extremely important to her. The bathroom has intended functions that are far more than basic hygienic routines. She uses the bathroom to dress, put on make-up, fix her hair, shower, eat breakfast, lounge in the tub, and to use the toilet. To facilitate her practices, she has two sinks, a shower, a toilet, and a jacuzzi. To illustrate how important her bathroom is, and how much time is spent in it, her bathroom has recently been re-decorated with paint, a wall paper trim, and new rugs, towels, and soap dishes. She has also decorated it with her favorite soothing colors and flowers.

The standard of living today for middle to upper-middle class families is extremely different than it was in the forties. Ironically, the Greenbelt bathroom was considered a luxury it its time, while my mother's bathroom is a standard feature in my house's particular model. This is true even with containing a jacuzzi, recessed lighting, ceramic tile, a palladium window, a large mirror, and a double sink "Author's interview with Mrs. Voigt, November 26, 1997, Ellicott City, MD". For upper-middle class people in this day in age, jacuzzis and dual sinks are not always considered luxuries. In contrast, it was considered a luxury to have one bathroom in the house in the forties because many people in the forties had to either share bathrooms with several other families, or use outdoor privies. It is obvious that standards of privacy have changed over time because in the nineties, it is customary for each person in a household to have absolute privacy in their own bathroom; however, sharing one bathroom to a family in the forties was considered very private. Christie Redman notices the same, that bathrooms today are bigger and more spacious, with multiple bathrooms per household. Another difference in the two bathrooms, which Christie notices as well, is that the modern bathroom is intended for pleasure as well as practicality, while the old model is strictly for practical use. It was not common for people in the forties to lounge in the tub, and spend a lot of time preparing themselves in their bathrooms. On the contrary, my mother, as well as many people, relaxes in her tub and spends a great deal of time fixing herself in her private bathroom. This all shows that there are much higher expectations today then there were years ago. Since people today enjoy much more lavish accommodations, but do not consider them luxuries, they obviously take things for granted. For example, it is unheard of to not have a shower in one's bathroom today, but years ago, almost no one did. Further, aside from the fact that it is a privilege that many people have plenty of extra storage space in their bathrooms, it is also a privilege to have enough things to fill it. Perhaps, there is more of a need for pleasure, luxury, and relaxation today, than years ago, or maybe we are simply more spoiled.

The focus on pleasure in bathrooms today is due to the consumer-driven approach to consumption. For instance, the luxuries of yesterday have become necessities of today because more people began to gain access to them over time. Therefore, the items that are considered luxury change over time because as time passes, these items become more common. My mother's bathroom is a prime example of this because although many would consider dual sinks and a jacuzzi luxuries, they are standard in my area since everyone has them. Likewise, the same is true with standards of privacy. Since bathrooms became common in houses, then multiple bathrooms became even more common, people's ideas of privacy have changed. It's not that privacy in general has become more important, but what is considered private has changed. Furthermore, I think that all of these changes are inevitalbe because everything changes with time.

The contents of each bathroom illustrate that more time is spent in bathrooms today than fifty years ago, and that bathrooms are now used for pleasure as well as practical purposes. For example, my mother has bath beads, scented lotion and bubble bath soap, loofahs, and many other things in her bathroom that she can enjoy while bathing. She also has lots of make-up and hair supplies, which she uses to prepare herself during mornings. My mother definitely has more than just the basics in her bathroom, which are primarily all that are found in the Greenbelt bathroom. This is true because she has cabinets underneath both sinks, in which she has extra space to keep these things. The Greenbelt bathroom must only contain the bare essentials because its storage space is very small. It only has a medicine cabinet above the sink to keep these essentials. It holds both the man's and woman's necessities, which are typically shaving cream, razors, soap, hair tonic, medicine, toothbrush and toothpaste, as well as others. This space must be organized efficiently because of the small amount of space. This all shows that the Greenbelt bathroom is used for practical purposes only. Terri Paik also notices that there are few items in the Greenbelt living room. This is similar to the bathroom in that there is nothing superfluous in either room. Terri's living space is similar to mine because every item in each room has a practical purpose. On the other hand, my mother has loads of space to keep all of her impractical belongings. My mother's bathroom is about 13 by 8 feet, in an "L" shape. Her sinks, mirror, and recessed lighting line the first walkway, with the jacuzzi ahead, then her toilet and shower are around the left corner. By contrast, the Greenbelt bathroom's toilet, sink, and tub were directly aligned, with merely standing space between.

It is apparent that the lifestyles and standards of living are tremendously different today than fifty years ago. The comparison of the two bathrooms has blatantly displayed this, as well as demonstrated the differences in the contents of the two rooms. The sizes of each room, as well as the functions of each also illustrate the differences in lifesytles now and years ago. Through this analysis, it has become obvious that people in the forties were concerned more with practical and basic needs than frivilous luxuries. All three of Christie's, Haley's, and Terri's projects give support to this claim. Conversely, people in the nineties are highly concerned with luxury and decor.

Works Cited
**Voigt, Claudia. Personal interview. 26 Nov. 1997.**

**The above images came from Virtual Greenbelt at www.otal.umd.edu/~vg/**

Back to Portfolio