The first ever STP I owned was a bright pink, hard plastic one. I was out as a trans boy, but as a trans teen whose parents were still working through things, I had yet to even be allowed access to a binder. But a camping trip was coming up, and I was aware that plastic funnels marketed to cis women for outdoor peeing exist, and seeing a perfect excuse to get my hands on something close to an STP (or stand-to-pee) packer, I begged my mother for one.
As it was, she relented, and I was gifted with a very neon and very pink SheWee. It was clearly marketed towards women, but just like all the very-cheap and very-unsafe binders I had that were marketed towards lesbians and tomboys[ref]FYI, the ‘tomboy’ thing is because of Tom-Dee culture, where a tom/‘tomboy’ can be anywhere on the spectrum from masculine cishet woman to a trans guy[/ref], I was greatful to have something. Ecstatic, even.
Unfortunately, my little 13 year old self did not consider the importance of practicing using it, and embarrassed myself. Lessons were learnt that day, and when I came back to trying STP devices in my late teens (although more penis-looking by that point), I made sure to go through several stages of practice before using any device out “in the wild”.
When I asked for the pStyle 2 for review from SheVibe, I was expecting to need to go through a similar series of practice runs. But then I actually tried it and — dear reader — this is the most easy to use STP device I have ever used.
The pStyle 2
The pStyle 2 is a non-representational plastic device used to allow people to pee standing up more easily. While the most obvious audience is people with vulvas, pStyle actually reached out to let me know they also sell them to people with penises who extra length to clear their pants or have a medical condition that restricts their ability to stand and pee, which I wouldn’t have thought of and am glad they pointed out to me!
Made of hard plastic rather than silicone (unlike most STP packers), it’s also marketed to a wider audience than most STP packers. It does come in a really good range of skin tones, with five different options[ref]More companies should take a leaf from their book imo[/ref] but also has non-skin tone purple, turquoise, and black options. There’s also a green version—the one I have— which is made of recycled ocean plastic.
No matter what colour option works for you, the pStyle 2 is super affordable, at just $11.99.
Why Might Somebody Want A pStyle 2?
Most of the STP devices I’ve used and owned have been somewhat penis-like in appearance and I think— in the trans community at least—this tends to be the focus when it comes to product reviews. But there is definitely a huge market for non-representational STP devices like the pStyle.
The most obvious of these is that sometimes people who don’t use an STP for dysphoria related reasons and primarily want one for practical reasons. The pStyle 2 is actually primarily marketed this way, with the company citing camping, music festivals, and travel to places with limited public toilets as potential reasons somebody might want to use one.
Secondly, these more practical reasons somebody might buy something like the pStyle give some cover to people who might not be ready to be ‘out’ about their gender exploration!
As with my first STP, having a product you can excuse as being ‘for camping’ can allow somebody dysphoria relief in a way that doesn’t necessarily out them to those around them. For people who are just starting to explore gender, having this built in practical application can also make trying the pStyle less emotionally daunting than trying something like the NYTC Sam.
While more penis-like STPs may relieve dysphoria for some people, I think it’s also worth pointing out they may be dysphoria inducing for others!
Whether it’s because they focus attention on a body part somebody wants but doesn’t have, reminds a transfeminine person too much of their body pre-bottom surgery, or just doesn’t feel ‘right’, having a more non-representational design works a lot better for some people.
For my own part, while I like more realistic STP devices in general, a lot of this is dependent on context. A big part of why I tend towards realistic devices is the anxiety of being clocked at a urinal, and the good gender feelings related to using an STP are related to the standing, not necessarily having a more realistic phallus. If I’m at home—where I don’t have to pass the sideways glance test—I’m honestly not super fussed about if my STP looks like a penis or not and I’ll happily take ease-of-use over realism.
Also, for what it’s worth, I also know a few people who use STP devices primarily for watersports play, and can see the utilitarian design of the pStyle 2 working well for that, particularly with play that has med-fet elements.
Using The pStyle 2
I’ve already hyped up the pStyle 2 for being intuitive, and I’m not going to stop. However, I do want to give a disclaimer my barometer is impacted by the fact I’m used to STP devices that take quite a bit of practice— if you’ve never used one before at all, I’d definitely recommend going the normal recommend route of ‘practice in the shower, practice naked in front of your home loo, practice clothed at home, then take it out’
I’m used to shoving things around my genitals to be able to piss standing up, and the fact I somehow managed to use this clothed and standing up correctly on my first try is not guaranteed to be your experience.
I didn’t expect the open funnel to make such a difference for the pStyle. The STP devices I’ve used previously have been ‘closed’ to try and make them a more realistic phallic shape (although other non-representational STP devices also have closed funnels). This makes it a lot easier for me to monitor my flow, making sure I’m not going too fast and avoiding splashback as a result. The open funnel also makes me feel a lot more confident about cleaning on-the-go, as everything is a lot more visible.
One of the big issues with STPs use is being unable to wipe. Having a cup with curled edges so it can be used to wipe isn’t something unique to the pStyle, but I think it works better in hard plastic than it does with the silicones of more representational STPs.
Limitations
The main overall limitation of the pStyle 2 is that of all STPs— it takes a bit of practice to use. While it has the smoothest leaning curve of any STP I’ve used, it still does have one.
While the non-representational shape of the pStyle 2 will be perfect for some, having a more phallic shape is a necessity for other. While pStyle does have some skin tone options, the hard plastic and large shape means I don’t think you could discretely get away with using this one at a urinal.
Overall
While it’s not urinal-passing-friendly, the pStyle 2 has completely won me over by how easy it is to use. It won’t become my day-to-day out-and-about STP, but it does now live in my bathroom and get used pretty much daily as home. I also actually do have a camping trip coming up this summer, and the pStyle 2’s definitely the STP that’s coming with me.
If you want an STP for non-gender related reasons, don’t mind not having (or actively don’t want) an STP that’s more representational, want to try an easy-to-use and affordable device before splashing out on a more expensive prosthetic, or need/want an STP you can excuse as for practical reasons, I can’t recommend the pStyle 2 enough!
Buy the pStyle 2 from SheVibe for $11.99
This product was sent to me by SheVibe, in return for a fair and impartial review. Affiliate links were used in this post.
