We evacuate 1.5 to 2 liters of pee per day on average. Peeing is a daily, universal act, such a natural need that we shouldn't have to worry about it. And yet when the urge to pee becomes urgent and we're in a public space, for us women, it's a real struggle! We often hold it in, we don't stay hydrated, and we put our health at risk.
Pipi & stratégies… Peeing & Strategies...
Because for us, it's not enough to just open our fly to urinate. We girls are used to implementing a whole range of strategies to try to find our place in society... even to pee! Yeah, yeah, we're very good at holding it in, remarkable at stopping drinking, even water, and champions at triggering urinary tract infections.
Squat down, pee lady !
For example, if I'm out in nature, I squat and pee with my bottom exposed. But as I often wait too long, my stream is so powerful that I splash my feet. And when I have access to public restrooms, I never sit on the toilet for fear of catching a yeast infection. Squatting to pee when you're small isn't really practical. You risk touching the seat at any moment, you get it everywhere, and it's not cool for the friend walking behind you! So you know what I do? Well, I climb onto the toilet, squat down, and pee. But I'm not very calm, and I'm always afraid that someone will force the door open, after checking that no one's feet are on the floor!
In short, it's still not ideal! And when I think about my mother, who isn't as liberated as I am and wouldn't like to have anyone look at her buttocks, my disabled cousin who can't climb into the toilet, my flight attendant sister who really has no other option but to urinate in zero gravity, I always have that old fantasy of proudly peeing standing up resurface !
Oh, if I could pee standing up ?
Yes, it's true, with my sisters, this thought has all crossed our minds at some point. But at the same time, doesn't the image of the all-powerful man peeing everywhere scare us a little? Doesn't this privileged position reflect the patriarchal society we're fighting against ?
Alors comment se l’approprier, pour se libérer de l’attente insoutenable qui met trop souvent notre santé en danger quand on a envie de faire pipi ?
So how can we embrace it, to free ourselves from the unbearable wait that too often endangers our health when we have to pee?
And above all, how do you urinate standing up as a woman ?
Well, while we wait for more inclusive restrooms to emerge in public spaces, I've found a feminine accessory that brings a little equality back to our society: the stand-up urinal! It's a female pocket urinal that allows you to pee standing up without undressing. I tested it, and when I use it, honestly, I feel like a real queen !
And now, how about a pee break with Julie Auzou? An Arte Radio podcast in which the journalist examines, through the toilet seat, what the act of urinating reveals about our relationships with gender.
Caroline P.