Ladies, the latest and greatest feminine product to grace this wonderful planet has slowly but surely made its way to North America. Behold, the Shewee: a portable, ergonomically-designed, plastic funnel device that allows women to urinate standing up.
Gone are the days when women despise men for being able to go with ease, even in the most undesirable situation. With the Shewee, women too can pee standing up, anywhere they please.
With the Shewee, women no longer have to worry about bathrooms while camping, travelling, or while participating in any outdoor activity for that matter. No more squatting, using unhygienic public toilets or porta-potties ever again.
The concept of this device may have you raising an eyebrow at first, but its sole purpose is to be easily convenient for women who find themselves in a tight bind.
The Shewee, although new to North America, was designed and invented by British native, Samantha Fountain, in 1999, while she attended De Montfort University in Leicester, United Kingdom, studying to get her Honours B.A. for product design. In July of that year, the Shewee won the James Dyson Product Design Award,which provided the necessary encouragement Fountain needed to pursue bringing the product to market.
Fountain has made several television appearances on shows such as Dragon’s Den (U.K.) and BBC One’s The Great Outdoors, to promote her product, alongside several radio, newspaper and magazine appearances, most of which have been British and Canadian.
As for where the name Shewee comes from, it’s quite simple by nature: “she” is for the audience in which the product is aimed at, and “wee” is a British term which refers to having to urinate. Put both together, and you get Shewee.
So, how exactly did Fountain come up with this concept? It all started while she was writing her dissertation in university about how to improve lavatory facilities.
“As a child, I was taught not to sit on public toilet seats, for fear of catching germs. At first I had the idea of designing retractable toilets that could be washed after every use, but as this was a bit impractical, I decided on a device that women could use to avoid contact with the toilet altogether,” explains Fountain on her website. “Also, it struck me how much easier it was for a guy to go to the toilet in a place where there were no facilities or nowhere to squat behind, so I came up with a way of effectively urinating like a man.”
How does one go about using the device?
“When positioned securely under the crotch, with panties pushed to one side, Shewee directs urine away from the body to a suitable place, such as a toilet, a container, a Shewee Peebol or a conveniently located tree,” explains Fountain.
The device, available online for $29.99, comes in a variety of colours and packages which include accessories such as cases, Peebols (pocket-sized bags for men, women and children to use while on the go) and even underwear designed for women who use the Shewee for easy access.
The device is NATO approved, supplied to armed forces worldwide and hospitals, according to the website.
Hate to break it to you boys, but it looks as though you won’t be the only ones peeing on the sidelines from now on.
More information: http://www.shewee.ca/about/
