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The UK Department of Health recently launched an initiative to encourage women in their late teens and early 20s to carry condoms. It’s s a cool idea, but there are some concerns.The initiative entitled “Condom confidence boosts sex appeal” has language like “men like nothing better than a woman who knows what she wants.”
Wait. What? I should carry around condoms to feel sexy? And I’ll feel sexy because men like women who carry around condoms?
I’m sorry. I don’t do sexy for men. I do sexy for me.
This initiative, while great in the big picture (encouraging women to carry condoms), is missing the point. Women should carry condoms to protect themselves from sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies. It should be empowering to carry condoms. Trying to co-opt women’s empowerment of controlling their sexual health in the name of becoming more attractive to men is just ridiculous and sexist.
A positive side of this initiative, however, is that they do include information around condom negotiation and they try to break down the stereotype that women are “easy” for carrying condoms. I especially like the language from Sarah Hedley, a writer from Cosmo and spokesperson from the campaign who said, "Taking a condom on a night out should be as normal as taking a phone, keys and purse.”
So while a valiant effort from the UK, they still have a ways to go. On the other hand, at least their government is trying something like this at all. They even have a great website as part of their Condom Essential Wear campaign that tries to normalize condom usage but also has information about sexual health as well as a 24/7 toll free hotline to answer sexual health questions. Could you imagine this being done in the US?? *sigh*
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They have good intentions, so overall, it's a good thing. I really wish that that kind of compaign/conversation could happen in the U.S. People need to learn that it's okay to protect themselves.
# Posted By Mahayana
| 3/20/09 04:11 PM
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