The Amish are a traditionalist Christian community that lives a rural life, completely devoid of modern technology, whilst obeying certain strict rules that might result in shunning if not respected.
As such, Amish people are averse to any technology, but did you know that some members have gone as far as to ban basic toilet items we use every day without ever thinking about it?
An ex-Amish woman has recently disclosed the reasons behind the absence of toilet paper in her community and shed light on the unconventional alternatives employed for bathroom hygiene.
Lizzie Ens, an ex-Amish member, recently revealed that her former community used to ban toilet paper
Image credits:lizzieh_wellness
36-year-old Lizzie Ens explained on her TikTok page, which is followed by 183,000 people, that within her former way of life, toilet paper was regarded as a “luxury item”, with greater importance placed on necessities like food and clothing.
Instead, whenever the need arose for a trip to the toilet, Lizzie had to make her way to an outhouse and employ torn or crumpled bits of newspaper or magazines for hygiene.
She said: “We would take any kind of newspaper... and we would take the paper and just rip it.”
On her TikTok page, which is followed by thousands of people, Lizzie said people used outhouses instead of bathrooms with plumbing
Image credits: Grimm Pics (not the actual photo)
The Amish community to which Lizzie belonged did not have access to indoor plumbing, which was the primary reason why its members utilized outhouses for their bathroom needs.
She recalled: “Our bathrooms were not bathrooms - they were outhouses.
“We didn't have any running water inside or anything like that. We had outhouses.”
The TikToker went on to confess occasions when she had to venture outdoors during the freezing winter when it was “so cold” and “so snowy.”
The TikToker explains members viewed toilet paper as a "luxury item"
Image credits: lizzieh_wellness
Lizzie detailed the process of how those in the outhouse would take a page of paper, carefully cutting or tearing it into suitable pieces for their needs.
Those utilizing the outhouses made what she referred to as “little squares” before utilizing them for personal hygiene.
Image credits: lizzieh_wellness
But Lizzie also admitted that she had learned her community had recently updated its policies, as it no longer considered toilet paper a luxury item.
“If I go home now and I see my mom, they have the luxury of using toilet paper... I don't see any newspaper being used anymore,” she recalled.
Lizzie explained Amish people would rip newspaper into "little squares" to clean themselves
Image credits: lizzieh_wellness
As a matter of fact, for many people in the world, toilet paper truly is a luxury.
According to Toilet Paper History, about four billion people don't use toilet paper: that’s 70% to 75% of the world’s population that does not use toilet paper.
The website states that certain people in some parts of the world do not use toilet paper due to a lack of trees, while others simply can’t afford it.
Image credits: lizzieh_wellness
Lizzie jokingly suggested her viewers should give the newspaper a go next time they cleaned themselves after going to the loo, just to get a “small taste of the Amish lifestyle”.
“Crumble it up, make it a little softer, and give it a try,” she instructed
Lizzie was raised within a Swartzentruber Amish community, recognized as the strictest Amish faction.
The Ohio resident previously shared her experience fleeing from her community at the age of 19, and being shunned.
“When I left, I had to go apply for a social security number, and let’s not forget I had $20 to my name when I left,” Lizzie revealed.
Lizzie was raised within a Swartzentruber Amish community, recognized as the strictest Amish faction
Image credits: Shinya Suzuki (not the actual photo)
Her first attempt to break free from the Amish world occurred when she was 17 years old, alongside her twin sister. However, they both returned shortly after their initial departure.
Two years later, at the age of 19, Lizzie made a permanent departure, just before her sister’s wedding. Leaving the community meant she was no longer allowed to attend the wedding.
Exploring Amish Country explains that “Amish shunning is the use of social exclusion as a method used to enforce Amish church rules.”
Surprisingly, people who weren't Amish related to Lizzie's toilet paper experience
