Beyond "A good bathroom read": A Bakhtinian study of the gendered carnival in women's latrinalia.

Latrinalia, a realm of discourse often neglected by scholars, is actually a vibrant and unique forum for discussion, especially among women. In this study, I examine the characteristics of a sample of women's latrinalia and draw comparisons between this forum and Mikhail Bakhtin's theory of carnival. As a medium for discourse in which hierarchies are suspended, anonymity is virtually assured, grotesque understandings of the body reign, and "free and familiar contact" is common, latrinalia lends itself to open discussion among college women. For women, who often struggle to speak in outside situations which are dominated by the latent but unavoidable masculine voice, the gender-specificity of the site allows them even more freedom. Thus, latrinalia is an undeniably important site for women to engage in discussion on a variety of important issues. Here, I examine three prevalent discussions from the sample, body image, sororities, and religion, and explore the ways in which the carnivalesque aspects of latrinalia affect the discourse among women.