Institutionalized Discrimination

Scene Description:
Location: Men's and Women's Bathroom
2 Men and 2 Women
Starts with
one woman in the bathroom looking into the mirror. She is wearing a button up shirt, pencil skirt and jacket
One man into the bathroom looking into his mirror. He is wearing button up shirt, dress pants, and jacket.



M1&W1: I need to fix these shoulder pads
They fix their shoulder pads of their jackets
M1: Damn urinals are so short I gotta squat to use them
(Pause, looks around)
I wonder if they can hear me pee from the other side
Man puts ear through wall to see if he hears another person on the other side
W1: Ok cool. Now I look professional enough for those assholes.
Both rigidly turn towards audience at the audience in a militant way, woman gets closer towards audience and acts as if audience is the mirror. She fixes her skirt
W1: I wonder if they can hear me through the other wall
She puts her face sideways as if hearing through a wall. She comes back to standing position and tilts her head. Man is frozen in the his place in the bathroom.Light goes off on man and focuses on woman.
She begins to raise her voice
W1: I wonder if they can hear me through the other wall. My head is stuck in this position until they tell me otherwise.
Puts head straight forward. Begins to undo one button on shirt
W1: I’m sure cupping validation is still in style. Uncle Sam told me so when skirting my individuality. Structured uniforms are pretty normal. Pants suits are too Hilary, but skirts give me the looks I need to get my point across. The executives of this newspaper even mentioned attire at a meeting once. He said, “The Women need to come up to par.” I took it as rising our skirts. So did every single one of the other women, so how can I possibly be wrong?
It provides the attention for voices to be heard. But, oh well. If it’s what I got to do to pay my bills, I’ll just have to shut up.
M2 and W2 walk out the stall of their respective bathroom

Don’t you think that maybe we’re not born with it, we need Maybelline.
W2: You don’t wear the lipstick of a lady, a real woman wears this kind. Honey, all women need Maybelline.
W2 looks at W1 up and down.
W2: Are you expecting?
W1: That wouldn’t fly here.
Lights shut off on women’s side of bathroom. Lights on Men’s side, dim on M1, spotlight on M2
M2 begins monologue
M2: My wife comes home carrying a burden and a blessing. It’s hardly noticeable- like partially erased words on our family grocery list or a few less movie rentals per month. She’s 5 weeks pregnant – still too early to envision an umbilical cord – but already pulled the plug on cable and aborted most family outings. She says her job wouldn’t give her leave. That pregnant women get dropped like their water ‘cause contracts have contractions that occur at the first moment your boss notices your belly’s ‘blessing’, and women’s tear-shaped breasts reflect their sorrow – stretching days thinner trying to find the time to be able to afford eating for two. She’s tired. But heads right for the carpet, picking up our sons action figures, preparing to vacuum crumbs I left behind during one of my breaks, eating left over breakfast…which she made, working overtime.
Lights up on both men
M1: Did you see Steven’s new secretary. She had amazing legs. I bet they look even better spread.
M2: Yea. But she must of noticed the looks the guys must have been giving her. Yesterday she was wearing long baggy pants.
M1: You see, obviously women need to look professional, dressed up, sophisticated, but presentable. Not pants. How do you think that they came up with the saying, “the man wears the pants in the relationship?” Skirts are easy access to fuck. Just spread like a hug meant to sexually enter. I mean men don’t wear skirts, I mean REAL men don’t. Pants on females are too much off a hassle to go for it. Oh yeah, don’t forget, cleavage is a must.
M2: I agree, well I gotta finish this report.
M2 leaves. M1 looks in mirror. Lights dim off and focus on woman.
W2: Well if you are, then you shouldn’t be here.
W1: well I’m not.
W2: Sure you’re not. You see my son, he likes women like you.
W1: Like me?
W2: my son is fascinated with legs encased in pencil skirts. Feet in 4 inch stilettos, he thinks I don’t know that he walks up miles of stockings, down yards of legs. Pretends I don’t see their size on his neck is imprinted in girl hood shades of lipstick. I failed as a parent. I’ve tried to instill in him that mere women aren’t good enough. He is a king, like his father before him. But he’s not mean to be touched by the lowly common, the girls who don’t wear the lipstick of the lady. When I was young he saw what women should be: wore, skirt pencil straight in father’s lap. 4 inch stilettos in spotless houses. At least these girls, like you, resemble me. Their place is to kiss his royal pain. All men need their queen.
W1 looks at her.
W2: That is why you need a lipstick of a lady
W2 hands W1 lipstick and leaves. Lights on M1 and W1 looking in mirror fixing themselves. W1 puts on lipstick.


5 Points of Discussion:

1. The dress policies that have been instilled in social codes through tradition (although not legal, but socially)
2. The training of men and women on how they view each other
3.How sexism is played out between women
4. Dynamic of relationships between husband and wife, as well as the awareness of the oppression within the relationship
5. The power of institutions (work place) impact how men and women act with themselves and among themselves