I spent the last few days at Bonnaroo, the music and arts festival in Tennessee. It was great fun, but I have to tell you, I’m glad to be back and using real bathrooms as opposed to porta-potties. Using porta-potties for four days can be rough for anyone, but even the men in my group were forced to admit that the experience was probably a lot tougher for women. Ditto for gross restrooms in bars, stadiums or anywhere else lots of people converge. So now that I’m in front of my computer again, I couldn’t help but perform Google searches for ways that the process can be made a little easier for us gals.

It took only a few moments for me to come across the PortaJane, billed as the “first portable restroom designed specifically ‘For Women Only.’” The PortaJane comes complete with a hands-free recirculating flush toilet, coat and handbag hangers, a “manicure-friendly door handle,” and soap and towel dispensers. It lacks the urinal that can take up so much space in the current porta potty design, and it has a hover bar. It’s also bright pink, which is meant to distinguish it as women-only. I could probably write several posts on why always using pink to attract women bugs me, but I think they lost me with that manicure-friendly door handle and the abundance of mirrors and vanity shelving. I don’t need a make-up room. I just want to use the restroom.

Since the PortaJane was a little too pink for me, and honestly, it would be nice to avoid long lines, I started researching female urination devices (and yes, I do wonder what the people who see my Google searches think of me). Want to pee standing up? Then a female urination device is for you. One example: GoGirl, which is made of silicone and meant to be pressed against your body when you urinate. According to the Web site, you could either throw a GoGirl away after you use it or wash and reuse. There’s a splash guard, and apparently it can fit in your purse. It appears to be available in lavender and khaki, along with t-shirts and hats, which I suppose is a way to let your friends know not to go digging through your purse. Another brand, hailing from England, is Shewee. It’s more funnel-like than GoGirl, and it’s even available as a prescription item from the National Health Service for women with medical problems. Shewee has also produce a portable female urinal — a Sheweeinal — for European festivals and events.

As I found  myself perusing the Web site of Stadium Gal, which involves taping a latex bag to the inner calf, I had to stop and ask — was avoiding porta potties really worth all of this hassle? Would relieving myself in a female urination device really be any better than using a porta potty, or would such an experience be as empowering as the advertising promised? And if these products are geared toward busy, adventurous women, why is everything in a girly color? Why is my work computer blocked from a site that teaches women how to pee standing up? So many questions, dear readers. I’d love to hear from you: Would you use one of these devices? Would you pee standing up if you could?