April 24, 2013 ...yeah, I'm pretty sure GirlCode is AWFUL!
But meh, let's talk about today's comic. I mentioned in the comment section that one of the major problems I feel with condoms is inexperienced users lack of familiarity with them. They come in various shapes and sizes mostly designed to make condom use pleasurable and/or comfortable, but at the end of the day they're primarily intended as a method of birth control. Despite all the focus manufacturers and advertisers (and heck, Bill Gates) put on these features, I don't feel a wide variety of condoms attracts inexperienced sexually active people, who are actually among the most at risk for contracting STDs (with the CDC reporting nearly half of the population contracting a new STD in 2010 was between the ages of 15 and 24 despite only representing about a quarter of the sexually active population). Instead I worry it overwhelms them into making poor decisions about the necessity and proper use of condoms. And another major worry I have is that when condoms are presented as a contraceptive device for sexually confident people, it deters people who are not confident in their sex life from using them. Take for example a condom advertising that it feels more natural or will give you the best sex you've ever had. Both these statements are comparisons to other sexual experience, presumably experience that didn't involve a condom, thus implying that one should not use a condom in their earlier sexual experiences to establish a basis of comparison later.
Perhaps related to the idea that sexually inexperienced people should not use contraception, STDs in parts of Africa have reached near epidemic levels because of mistaken beliefs that having unprotected sex with a virgin can cure an STD (instead of doing the opposite and spreading it). Part of the problem thus lies with education. But slogans that amount to "have great sex with our condom" as opposed to "protect yourself with our condom" aren't helping. I understand advertising a condom to more sexually active people might be better for sales, but it has the potential for creating serious health risks by not making advertising accessible to people with less sexual experience.
Though I guess a debate about all Ellie's insecurities regarding condoms doesn't matter because Rob doesn't want to wear one anyway. This was probably something Ellie could have, and should have, discussed with him earlier, but there often seems to be so much taboo about discussing sexual matters with anyone that not discussing one's desires and concerns and any conflict between desires and concerns occasionally seems to extend to one's intended sexual partner, worrying that a compromise won't be reached and desires won't be fulfilled or that any concerns are less important than fulfilling the desires and discussion of these issues could jeopardize the desires' likelihood to be met. :(
I suppose I could just write it all off as sex is weird like that. But I feel that would belittle the dangers Ellie, Rob, and many men and women risk by engaging in sexual activity. So I'd rather close by saying, be safe and have fun, emphasizing that the order those ideas are placed in is not intended to be insignificant (but do try your damndest to do both).
-D
But meh, let's talk about today's comic. I mentioned in the comment section that one of the major problems I feel with condoms is inexperienced users lack of familiarity with them. They come in various shapes and sizes mostly designed to make condom use pleasurable and/or comfortable, but at the end of the day they're primarily intended as a method of birth control. Despite all the focus manufacturers and advertisers (and heck, Bill Gates) put on these features, I don't feel a wide variety of condoms attracts inexperienced sexually active people, who are actually among the most at risk for contracting STDs (with the CDC reporting nearly half of the population contracting a new STD in 2010 was between the ages of 15 and 24 despite only representing about a quarter of the sexually active population). Instead I worry it overwhelms them into making poor decisions about the necessity and proper use of condoms. And another major worry I have is that when condoms are presented as a contraceptive device for sexually confident people, it deters people who are not confident in their sex life from using them. Take for example a condom advertising that it feels more natural or will give you the best sex you've ever had. Both these statements are comparisons to other sexual experience, presumably experience that didn't involve a condom, thus implying that one should not use a condom in their earlier sexual experiences to establish a basis of comparison later.
Perhaps related to the idea that sexually inexperienced people should not use contraception, STDs in parts of Africa have reached near epidemic levels because of mistaken beliefs that having unprotected sex with a virgin can cure an STD (instead of doing the opposite and spreading it). Part of the problem thus lies with education. But slogans that amount to "have great sex with our condom" as opposed to "protect yourself with our condom" aren't helping. I understand advertising a condom to more sexually active people might be better for sales, but it has the potential for creating serious health risks by not making advertising accessible to people with less sexual experience.
Though I guess a debate about all Ellie's insecurities regarding condoms doesn't matter because Rob doesn't want to wear one anyway. This was probably something Ellie could have, and should have, discussed with him earlier, but there often seems to be so much taboo about discussing sexual matters with anyone that not discussing one's desires and concerns and any conflict between desires and concerns occasionally seems to extend to one's intended sexual partner, worrying that a compromise won't be reached and desires won't be fulfilled or that any concerns are less important than fulfilling the desires and discussion of these issues could jeopardize the desires' likelihood to be met. :(
I suppose I could just write it all off as sex is weird like that. But I feel that would belittle the dangers Ellie, Rob, and many men and women risk by engaging in sexual activity. So I'd rather close by saying, be safe and have fun, emphasizing that the order those ideas are placed in is not intended to be insignificant (but do try your damndest to do both).
-D
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