Cleanliness Is Next To Grubbiness

Consider the tomboy; independent, adventurous, outdoors, free - pertaining to elements of social surprise. The acts of climbing trees or cutting up worms might be the sort’s of stuff a girl, who wouldn’t be seen dead playing with dolls gets up to, but does this render her a tomboy? Further, what clues contribute to our impression of a girl who is a tomboy, when not observed outdoors roughing it up and behaving akin to a ‘rambunctious boy’ – a hoyden?

An alternative view of the tomboy is a girl who, [and we can’t quite put our finger on it] demonstrates a way of being that is different, or not the same as the general girl/boy templates. It is this, the essence of the girl who calls herself ‘tomboy,’ that I am interested in exploring and the bathroom the space I have chosen to intrude upon.

A private and intimate space, the bathroom, amongst other things, can be viewed as a place of transformation and cleanliness. Cleanliness contradicts grubbiness; a usual state in which the tomboy’s scuffing around would bring about, which highlights the cliché of the tomboy who can’t stand having a bath.

So, if it is not the bath that draws the tomboy to the bathroom, perhaps it is the privacy? Here she can lock the door, occupy the space, explore her reflection, emulate current heroes, apply bubble bath to her chin and say, ‘ho ho ho.’ Here she has no costume and here she can simply be.