Discrimination
The ill-treatment of mannish women symbolizes discrimination against female masculinity by society. Masculine females are viewed as outcasts who are not supposed to be part of society. For instance, manly women are given nasty names that make them feel inferior and unwanted in society. As a result, the masculine women hate themselves because they think something is wrong with their creation.
Bathrooms
The author figuratively uses bathrooms to symbolize domestic order. The author writes, “The bathroom is a domestic space beyond the home that comes to represent domestic order, or a parody of it, out in the world. The women's bathroom accordingly becomes a sanctuary of enhanced femininity, a `little girl's room' to which one retreats to powder one's nose or fix one's hair. The men's bathroom signifies as the extension of the public nature of masculinity—it is precisely not domestic even though the names were given to the sexual function of the bathroom—such as cottage or tearoom —suggest it is a parody of the domestic."
The symbolism of patriarchy
Patriarchy is symbolized by the perception of men towards masculine women. According to patriarchal men, masculine women are a disgrace to society because they represent lesbianism and transgender roles which are unacceptable. Unfortunately, manly women are isolated from actively exploiting their potential. Patriarchal perception underpins gender discrimination which makes a segment of society feel inferior.
