Perhaps in the minority of women who never envied men for peeing standing up (more accurately: so what? ), I admit that I tried the GoGirl female urination device with some skepticism.  It came in neat wrapping: a flexible plastic item that looks like a marriage between a jock-strap and a funnel, either camouflage-colored for those jungle Go Girls or bright pink, with little squares of tissue paper, and a plastic baggy for debris, all rolled into a slim carrying tube.  I decided to first test it out in the privacy of my own home, so, merrily unzipping my pants, facing the back of the toilet, I let my body do what it was trained to do.  And, after years of humdrum, same ol’ peeing, it was a little exciting to be mixing up the monotony a bit.  However, it just isn’t convenient, and here’s why:

• In situations of maximum urgency and maximum flow, it proved too time-consuming to place and did overflow a bit.
• All the product eliminates is the need to squat or sit.  If, as I am, you are able to squat nearly anywhere (over a hole in the ground, hovering above a dirty restroom toilet, backed up to a tree in the woods), it’s a mute device, inevitably a hassle to deal with after you’ve dirtied it.
• You still have to wipe!  Probably the most annoying part of peeing as a woman is our inefficiency at drip-drying.  If this product could eliminate the need for that, well, it would be another story!
• You still have to pull down your pants, or at least your underwear.  Don’t men just get to maneuver themselves so only their externals are…external?  With this product, in order to fit the cup snugly over your pubic bone, your booty is still exposed.  Peeing in public with the GoGirl? I wouldn’t.

While potentially a “fun” item, and definitely a niche market with some fans out there, to me, the GoGirl seems like another product in a long line of products that prey on female insecurities – or quite literally, tap into women’s “penis envy.”  Quite the opposite of a true Go Girl, who doesn’t need anything other than her brain and her own two feet, and doesn’t get too squeamish about where she does her business.  So, while the choice is yours, as a practical female traveler, camper, skier, city-dweller (with excellent aim from years of practice), I think I’ll stick with what I’ve got and not mess with a sure thing.

*Photo c/o thefrisky.com (iStockPhoto)