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Check out the 5 Most Insane Products for Women

When it comes to shopping, being a woman is fantastic. It’s not that we just want to spend money. In fact, we can easily go out and spend less money than our male counterparts. It’s the thrill of the hunt that gets us every time.

Beyond hunting for that perfect deal, companies know that every now and then women just want an excuse to spoil themselves. There are more bath, beauty, and other “girly” products out there than we could ever possibly try — and believe me, we’d love to try an awful lot of them! But every once in a while I stumble across a product designed for women that leaves me scratching my head and thinking “they can’t be serious, can they?”

Here are five of the absolute craziest products for women I’ve ever seen advertised. Have you ever used one of them?

1. GoGirl

Go ahead ladies, admit it. For years you’ve secretly been jealous of a man’s ability to urinate standing up. Go ahead. Say it. I promise I won’t tell.

You can finally drop the penis envy thanks to GoGirl — a portable funnel-like product that serves as a makeshift shaft to let you pee standing up. Yes. You heard that right. You are now officially eligible to enter all the pissing contests you please. Watch out boys!

But seriously, why would any company assume this product was a good idea? What kind of freakish focus group told them this would be the next big thing in women’s hygiene products? I have to imagine they were kidding, and the joke went over someone’s head.

For a moment (and just a moment!) I even thought “well, maybe” when I saw it mentioned on Go-Girl.com that the GoGirl could be ideal for women who like to go camping. It almost sounds plausible, no? Then common sense came wandering back from the woods and it said “you must be friggin’ nuts if you think I’m going to clean this thing around other human beings on a camping trip!” After all, that would be more humiliating than squatting to piss in the surrounding brush while everyone gathered around cheering you on.

I don’t know. Maybe it’s just me, but the GoGirl seems like a mess waiting to happen. And really, who wants to be bothered with washing their phallus-like funnel every time they want to take a quick leak? More power to you if you have the time or ambition to be bothered, but it’s just not for me thanks!

2. Mooncup Menstrual Cup

I can’t remember exactly where I first came across menstrual cups like the Mooncup other than remembering that it was in a magazine. Just the thought makes me cringe. I mean really — I have a disgusting wave of “eww” come over me when I think about the Mooncup.

What is it? Basically it’s a substitute for pads and tampons during your menstrual cycle. Rather than using disposable products during your period, you can now shove a little cup-like product up inside of you to collect the blood and tissue. Then you get to remove it and clean it all up. Yay.

Look. I’m all for giving Mother Nature a hand with environmentally-friendly products — just not when it comes to my more “delicate” areas it seems. The beauty of a tampon is that you use it, it does its job discreetly, and then you make it go “poof” when you’re done with it. Who in their right bloody mind (pun intended) wants to be bothered with washing out a disgusting tissue-filled cup when they’re already feeling like crap during their period anyway? Not me. And come on. The cup really does look kind of scary! I envision poking.

Credit: Mooncup.co.uk

3. Tinge Razor

Let’s take a look at one more incredibly strange product for women, designed to be used “down there.” This innocent-looking razor is anything but (okay, it is really a razor, but it doubles as a vibrator). It’s exactly what I’ve always wanted — a way to masturbate with blades! How about you?

When I first came across the Tinge razor / vibrator, I was flat out confused. Could a woman really have come up with this idea? I almost felt like the creator had betrayed her sex… had betrayed me! But then I found out the Tinge was developed by a guy. Ah, that makes more sense.

Don’t get me wrong. I completely admire the fact that a young guy out there truly cared enough about getting women off to try to create a product to help (or was it just because men are too lazy or incompetent to do it, so they’d rather we deal with it ourselves?). But at the same time I almost have to wonder if this product stemmed from a true desire to be helpful or from deep-seated mommy issues meaning there was a subconscious desire to see blades all up in our personal business (and to be serious for a moment, I’m not actually accusing the guy of having ill intentions — I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt).

But look ladies — safety features and all, this just isn’t something to take chances with. First, get yourself a decent vibrator if you want one — one designed solely for that purpose. Second, if you’re that concerned about being discreet, either buy a little purse-sized model (you can get them to look like lip stick containers for goodness sake — it’s not that hard!). Or here’s a thought. Just leave the toys for the privacy of your own home where they can be safely stashed away when not in use, and you’ll never have to worry about what they’re masquerading as. I can’t imagine you’ll have an easier time explaining to the kiddies who walk in on you what you’re doing with an upside-down razor down there than if you were caught using a more traditional vibrator anyway.

Credit: MyTinge.com

4. LATISSE®

What woman wouldn’t love longer, thicker eyelashes? After all, we’ll spend a small fortune on constantly buying mascara or even fake lashes for special occasions. So why not use a new prescription-only product like LATISSE to grow better lashes of our own, no makeup needed?

I first came across the product through a commercial airing on Hulu.com (sidenote: great site if you’re in the U.S. and want to catch up on a show you missed). On the surface it really didn’t sound like that bad of an idea. Brooke Shields was the spokesperson, and she wouldn’t lead us wrong, right?

Then I noticed something. Shields’ eyes looked oddly strained and watery in the ad. They didn’t have a bright, beautiful look to them — what we go for when we use makeup to perk up our lashes. That made me second-guess the product. Why on earth would we want to use something that’s supposed to make our eyes look prettier only to have them look watery and / or bloodshot? Isn’t that counter-intuitive. But I stopped myself. “Maybe she just has allergies or something,” I thought.

Then we got to the part of the ad where they start reading off potential side effects. (And let’s face it, that’s the best part of any prescription product’s advertising!) LATISSE apparently “may cause eyelid skin darkening which may be reversible, and there is potential for increased brown iris pigmentation which is likely to be permanent…. The most common side effects after using LATISSE solution are an itching sensation in the eyes and/or eye redness.” Ah, so maybe it wasn’t allergies after all.

Look. LATISSE is designed to treat a condition called eyelash hypotrichosis — not having enough eyelashes. But that’s not how the ad I saw came across. While, yes, it’s clear that it’s a prescription product and that you’ll need to see a medical provider first, it seemed to be more or less marketed as a beauty product for women in general. That concerns me. It concerns me a lot.

In the end, I’ll stick to mascara. The application procedure isn’t that different anyway, and at least if my mascara screws around with my eyes, I can just switch brands — no high costs, doctor’s appointments, or other hassles necessary.

Credit: Latisse.com

Face Slimming Mask

Leave it to the Japanese to put the emphasis on getting smaller, and smaller, and smaller, no matter what we have to do to get there. This face slimming mask is a somewhat eerie example of what we do as women to try to impress men. (Why do we endure one torture device after another for people who openly scratch themselves in public again anyway? I think I missed a memo somewhere!).

I’m not even sure where to start with this face slimming mask. Okay. Yes I am. How about being able to breathe? Is it just me or does this rubbery sac over your head scream “potential suffocation?” Sure, there are air holes, but it still looks pretty restrictive to me.

Now let’s be realistic. I’d hope no woman honestly believes that strapping on a mask will actually melt fat away. While the products for women above might be equally insane in this gal’s opinion, at least I have little doubt that they can actually do what they claim to be able to do. This face slimming mask on the other hand is nothing but a waste of money (and since I still can’t figure out what company released it or where you can actually buy it anyway, you won’t have to worry about that for now).

I guess it does have one redeeming quality though — Halloween is coming up!

Credit: Geekologie.com

Disclaimer: All images and other material used in this article are believed to be covered by fair use rights under U.S. copyright law, being used for the purpose of identification in the context of reviews or critiques.

Jennifer Mattern

Jennifer Mattern is a professional blogger, freelance writer, and former social media and PR consultant. She covers small business, online business, marketing, PR, social media, blogging, freelance writing, and indie publishing for a variety of online publications. She also handles copywriting and PR writing for small and online businesses. Find her on Twitter @jenn_mattern.

View Comments

  • I have a mooncup.. i have to say i love it, it really is so easy.

    I empty it morning and evening, it cost £15 & will last me at least 5 years.
    I wish i'd known about the mooncup when i was younger, i recommend them to all my friends & collegues.
    Try it you may like it...

  • Tampons don't go 'poof' when you're done - take a look at the beach next time you're at one and you might see one place they do end up. Yes, there are washable pads available (but you do seem to have something of an aversion to touching icky!nasty!BLOOD! so that's probably out for you) but Mooncups, Keepers, etc, are so much easier. Hardly any washing - I boil mine at the start and end of my cycle and wipe out the rest of the time. I can't feel it when it's in, and it has never leaked on me, which is more than I can say about tampons. In the 7 years I've had mine - well, I haven't worked it out exactly, but it must have saved me a pile of money.

    As for why you're getting all these comments praising Mooncups... No, I don't think we're all from the company! But there are a lot of Mooncup fans out there and we like to evangelise. More mooncup users mean fewer tampons washed up on beaches. Where's the bad?

  • I'm a doctor, specialising in female genito-urinary and sexual health. I routinely recommend the Mooncup to my patients. Far from being disgusting I find it reduces the incidences of thrush, bacterial vaginosis and vulvovestibulitis. Now these things really could be called disgusting - just ask any woman unlucky enough to have experienced them. As a poster has noted above, toxic shock syndrome is a concern with tampon use. The Mooncup is made of silicon, an inert substance which does not support the growth of bacteria or fungi, so canot be implicated in TSS.
    Tampons draw moisture from the vaginal membranes, effectively 'drying' out the vagina, increasing the risk of painful sexual intercourse and infections of all kinds. The Mooncup has no such negative effect.
    Please please re-think your view of the Mooncup as 'disgusting'. You are setting the feminist movement back thirty years by implying that the vagina is such a disgusting place that an object that has once been in there must be made to vanish into thin air.
    By the way, I have never worked for Mooncup and I receive no reward, financial or otherwise, for recommending their product to my patients. I do this because I care about womens health, and I feel that the advertising industry, as well as the makers of so-called sanitaryware, have a lot to answer for when it comes to societal misogyny and the casual acceptance that menstruation and female genitalia are disgusting and embarrassing.

  • Of course, you're entitled to think a mooncup is 'disgusting', I used to. But to call it 'insane' is a bit much. I've found it to be a real revelation; and I am in the position of being able to compare it to tampons and towels [boak], unlike you who hasn't actually tried a mooncup!

    I have found it makes my periods shorter and less painful. I have no idea why or how this might be, not being science-minded, but I don't question it! It also saves me loads of money... if that's an insane product, then I'm happy to be considered insane for using it :)

  • I'm another mooncup user - there was a thread on Mumsnet highlighting this article, but it didn't in anyway say "go and post your own comment in favour of mooncups". I'd just like to add my voice in favour of them, and suggest that they are worth giving a go because they really are a that-time-of-the-month changing device!

  • I use the Diva Cup (easier to find in Canada) and it is brilliant. I personally have found my cramps to have disappeared, and the many inconvenient issues that I had every month are either eliminated or gone completely. I no longer have to worry about overflow, and it hasn't failed me once in the year and a half i've been using it. It was the first product for a woman that make me feel liberated. Suddenly family vacations with your monthly around were easy, work was simple, and sports were a breeze. No worrying if there's a bathroom or if you brought spare tampons. Doesn't matter with the cup.
    Brilliant.

  • So, let me get this straight. You have never used a mooncup and you find it insane and disgusting.
    Disgusting? Seriously, why not actually road-test the thing and see if you still feel that way. If you really think a blood-soaked stick is better than a blood-filled cup, I can only conclude you haven't thought about it that much.
    Now insane? That I would have to take issue with.
    Insane to pay once for a product and potentially never pay for sanitary protection again? Because let me tell you, this thing is tough! I can't actually see how it would ever need to be replaced.
    Insane to think about the environment? Again, a re-usable product which won't go to landfill for years as opposed to the potential bags and bags of tampons or pads I could be using
    Insane to have the convenience of not having to think about running out for products if my period comes early. The mooncup is either inside me or in its pouch in my handbag.
    Insane? Nah, you just haven't thought about it!
    I don't work for the company, nor am I ever likely to but I do think it's unfair to diss a product without ever having used it.
    As you can see, the vasr mahority of us who HAVE used it will not be changing back!

  • Another mooncup comment here ;)

    I used to shudder at the idea of it - filled me with horror!!
    I dunno what it was about it but thw whole idea of collecting my bodily fluids rather than conveniently flushing them away - plus the whole fiddling with yourself down there while 'on' idea just felt disgusting...

    Rationally now I think about it I can't see why it's more disgusting or less clean than tampons (especially the non applicator ones) really - but I think I'm older and wiser and less squeamish in general than I used to be...

    Heck when I was a teenager the idea of tampons - even just buying the things freaked me out!!

    I hope you get to try one - one day ;)

    And euwwwwwwww to the face mask at the end of your article!! Freaky...

  • im a mooncup user and a gogirl user. brill on both accounts. the gogirl means no more gross festival loos to que for just to hoover over as they are so gross. also the army uses similar this for its female soliders to relieve themselves while on a misson. and I dont see the moon cup as beeing any different to tampoons. i mean remove flush the contains rinse or pull the blood sodden tube of fluff or even better sit in a wet sweaty pad. might as well use a nappy....saying that my daughters cloth nappy are comfty looking! Ever heared of the saying don't knock it till you've tried it?

  • Jenn - your blog has been linked to mumsnet.com.
    In the 'Am I being unreasonable section'.

    The thread is entitled "To think that the woman who reveiwed the mooncup as one of the top 5 insane products for woman doesn't know what she is talking about??"

    They luuuuurve their mooncups.....

    Personally, I don't find them eeeeww. I don't have a problem with my own bodily fluids. It just doesn't appeal to me!