Do you face the shower head when showering, or face away?

It’s a sacred space, a few moments peace from a busy world to pause, think and maybe even wash. But not everyone enjoys their shower the same way - and the debate has split the internet.

The “everything shower”, the “nothing shower’” the hot shower, the cold shower ... the list of options for showering is ever-growing but surely we all obey some basic rules?

Perhaps not.

A row has broken out on the internet over how we shower, with a discussion between a mother and daughter spiralling into a global debate.

“What is the normal way to shower?” TikTok user Alexandra Lee asked.

“I’ve just been informed by my mum that there are two ways people shower, and we just realised we both do the opposite thing,” Lee said, revealing that her mother faces the shower while she faces away.

“Of course I’ll turn around occasionally and move around,” she clarified.

“It all started when I was asking for her advice cause we’re redoing our shower. I was like ‘where should we put the shower bench?’”

“She was like, ‘Don’t you want the shower bench behind you so you can put your leg up while you’re showering?’” leaving Alexandra confused.

“I feel like the normal way to shower is with the shower head behind you ... is anyone else surprised by this?” she asked.

The video has gone viral, quickly garnering nearly 5 million views and generating a passionate response.

“WATER FACERS, UNITE,” one person wrote, as many others expressed surprise that their own method was not universal.

“Facing the water is unhinged,” one said, as another argued that if they face the water they could drown.

“I want the water on as much of my body as possible but not on my face ... the only way to achieve that is facing away,” said someone who had given the matter some thought.

“I rotate continuously like a kebab,” said one innovator.

“My husband just informed me he stands sideways with the water hitting his shoulder. Also. Just discovered I married a psychopath,” one woman claimed.

Another suggested an altogether different and more tragic method: “I sit on the ground and cry.”

This article was first published by the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.