Standing up like a man:  What kind of a woman uses a funnel to go to the bathroom?  I do

A couple of years ago while clicking around the Web site of a well-known travel retailer, I discovered a miracle product that has changed my life and caused some to question my commitment to my gender: The Urinelle “urination funnel for women”—or, as I affectionately refer to them, “pee cones.”

As a frequent traveler, I’m no stranger to creative merchandise promising to make my trip more comfortable, but this item was downright mesmerizing. Allow me to quote directly from the ad copy: “Urinelle makes it easy to answer nature’s call. Women can now stand, with minimal undressing, at hole-in-the-floor ‘squat’ toilets around the world (or too-dirty-to-sit Western toilets).” The fact that I’ve never actually had to face a “squat” toilet did not dampen my enthusiasm.

This brilliant invention, obviously thought up by a female genius who hates public toilets as much as I do, is basically a piece of surprisingly thin paper rolled up like an ice cream cone. The cones lie flat until you are ready to use them; a mere squeeze opens them up to their full potential.

The ad copy goes on to tout how the product is “handy, safe for optimal hygiene, easy to use, and discreet.” (Isn’t pretty much everything you do alone in a bathroom stall discreet?) Apparently “women in 18 countries on six continents” are wild about them. One of these women gives a glowing review: “I just came back from a 26-day trip to China. These were INVALUABLE!! Do not travel to a developing country without them.” And if that weren’t enough, they are biodegradable! How could I have been so late to this party?  Read Article

By Michelle Rabil