Let me ask you this.
Do you know what a bidet is? Interesting history facts of the bidet. Read on!
 
 Description of a bidet

• Bidet is a miniature, bathtub which is normally located next to the toilet
• It has taps or a tap which controls the water (cold and warm and hot)
•  Basin is filled with water
• User straddles themselves over the basin filled with water and wash below the waist
  It has taps or a tap which controls the water (cold and warm and hot)

Originally, It’s Purpose

• Bidet was first introduced in France in the 1600s as a basin washing private parts
• It was considered the second step to after using the toilet
• Some of the early bidet were very decorative piece of furniture in order to disguise its function
• Bidet rooted from the French word “pony”, because one needs to straddle upon using the bidet
• The originally bidet were made of wood, shorten legs (horse had long legs than a pony)
• As well, royalty used to clean up after a ride (horse riding)-carrying water was very prestigious process during this activity in that era, bidet bathing was a regular indulgence among the aristocracy and upper classes
• Interesting Fact: Bidet was an important part of a civilized life that while Marie Antoinette was imprisoned, she was provided a bidet (red-trimmed one) while she was waiting the guillotine.
• In 1700s bidet were changing with a water-pump handle where one can deliver an upward spray from a refillable tank
• Bidet popularity soon spread to other social classes in France, other countries in Western Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia

The United States resisted the bidet! Why?

• This may be due to the first impression-exposure to the bidet
• Americans were first introduced to bidets during WWII, when troops were stationed in Europe
• Soldiers when visiting bordellos/brothels would see bidets in the bathrooms, they began to associate the bidets with sex work/prostitution
• When the soldiers returned home they were embarrassed to mention these bidets as they associated to the bordellos/brothels
•  Even before the war, bidets were linked too immoral activities
• In the United States and Britain, various types of douching were considered as pregnancy preventive, bidets were considered a form of birth control
• Having a bidet was considered immoral and sinful- tainted to hedonism and sexuality
• Bidet were shunned in North American because of the taboo
• Meanwhile, other countries continued to embrace the bidet
•  As it spread into northern Europe and southern Asia, the design changed a bit. A mini-shower attachment connected to the toilet became a popular variation on the separate basin.
• Today, some household do have bidet, but many do not have them
• Instead flushable wet wipes came about (These wipes became a cheap work-around to address many of the same issues as the bidet, but they come at a much higher cost to the public-damage to the environment)
•  North Americans use toilet paper/ wet wipes or wash-lets (smart toilets, which feature control panels that enable users to modify water pressure and direction. Some panels add other indulgences, like seat-warming and deodorizing functions)
• In closing, I hope this provided a better understanding of what is a bidet. It is a personal choice if you want one!