Wearable Condom Art in Toronto
The worldwide push to de-stigmatize the condom is on at the International Aids Conference in Toronto. They’ve got a sort of arts-and-crafts table set up where you can turn a condom into a wearable brooch or art pin.
From Reuters’ story…
“There’s a great need to de-stigmatize condoms around the world, especially in Africa,” said Franck DeRose, executive director of The Condom Project, which aims to get people comfortable about condoms, especially those living in countries where the little piece of latex is considered taboo.
I’m not sure how I feel about this approach. I understand, ahem, breeding a casual familiarity with an item in order to break taboos, but this may not be the best way to do it. How about having people wear them on their penises?
That might sound silly, but I remember one of the major barriers to regular condom use in Africa was the prevalent environment of superstition and magic being used to treat ailments. One volunteer went back through a village she had previously visited and found the condoms her team had handed out and shown the villagers how to use had been hung over beds in the bedroom to ward off pregnancy and disease like a horseshoe might be hung for luck.
So what the hell are these people, which seem to be who they’re trying to reach, going to do with a condom that someone is wearing on their blouse? They need them on their bodies.
How about a brooch or a pin that says, “I’m wearing a condom on my penis right now. Wanna do it?”
I hardly have all the answers, obviously, but I do think the de-stigmatization route is the right track. Either way it’s going to be a hard* sell.
Making Condoms Stylish for Everyone - Reuters (pops)
Technorati Tags: sex, penis, condom, AIDS, fashion, toronto, Africa, superstition
*Sorry, it couldn’t be helped.
Recent Comments