The Artful Condom
Art can be anywhere you desire, even in your contraceptive of choice. Take the condom, for instance. Putting one on takes a bit of skill—at least that’s what I heard—but practice makes perfect (and fortunately there’s an app for that). While I highly discourage you from creating your own condom, feel free to create pretty things with them! Check out the images below. Apparently, love gloves make for great art tools. Blow them up, paint them, sprinkle them with glitter or add splashes of paint—you’ve got yourself an arts and crafts project that’s probably better than your younger sister’s.
Action figures are so last year. These figurines are fun and inflatable! They’re from Condomerie, the self-proclaimed “world’s first condom specialty shop.” If you happen to be in Amsterdam one day, be sure to visit their display window—it attracts the frisky folks from all over the world.
The animal kingdom gets a little kinkier with these condom giraffes.
Can’t make the Olympic games this summer? This meme shows that condoms can be fun in the bed and in sports, too! Elasun, a Chinese condom company, wants users to get in the game and just do it…literally.
Always go for the gold…in sports and in bed.
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Khalea Underwood is an intern for the digital media team of The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. When she’s not writing, shopping, or listening to music, the Howard University print journalism student moonlights as an older sister, a contributor for MTVIggy.com, and a copy editor for The Hilltop newspaper.
How Not to Talk Doctor
A few handy examples of how not to approach your next visit to a health care provider.
We know you’re not actually that awkward. We also know that even if you’re super smooth, it can still feel weird to bring up sex with your health care provider. That’s why we put together a list of dos and don’ts to make it easier.
Method Monday: Condoms!
In honor of STD Awareness Month, we’ve decided this Method Monday to feature the only method of birth control available on the U.S. market that protects against both pregnancy and STDs (a.k.a. STIs). You know it, you love it, you probably think of it every time you hear the phrase “safe sex.” It’s…the condom!
The condom comes in two forms—external (which we refer to as the male condom on Bedsider) and internal (which we call the female condom)—and both protect against STIs. We did a Method Monday post about the female condom recently—check it out if you haven’t already—so this Monday we’re focusing on the male condom. So what is there to know?
- It’s available in flavors, so you can use it more pleasantly for oral sex. That’s good news since some STIs can be transmitted via oral sex.
- Two is not better than one when it comes to condoms.
- We won’t say that using a condom feels exactly the same as not using one, but it’s hardly like wearing a rain coat. (Some folks even say they feel great and/or that they help guys last longer.)
- Condoms may not be one size fits all—but we have it on good authority that the normal ones can fit around a human head. And then there are condoms that are designed for the well-endowed, like Magnums. In other words, if he says he’s too big, he’s not trying hard enough.
- Most condoms are made of latex (and most people are not allergic to it), but if one of you has a latex allergy, there are other options.
- 30% of young adults in the U.S. say they know little or nothing about condoms, and 11% of folks who had a condom fail said it was because they used a sharp object to open the wrapper.
- Which brings us to our last point: condoms work best if you use them right. We’ve got information on how on Bedsider—or, if you have an iPhone, download Condom Pro, a game we made to help you get some practice.
Happy wrapping!
Six Birth Control Apps Worth Checking Out
I’m sure you heard about the #teamiPhone vs. #teamAndroid Instagram beef last week. Can’t we all just get along, guys? Thank goodness for the wonderful world of birth control—it offers something for everyone! Hopefully you’ve already checked out and taken advantage of Bedsider’s custom cheeky text message reminders for birth control and medical appointments. They boast nifty features like a snooze function and a “discreet” option for the faint of, umm…frisky.
If you’re craving even more birth-control-related technology, these swipe-able, tap-able, colorful apps are good resources, too. Need a helpful text, an ovulation reminder, or a condom tracker? There’s an app for that. Since prevention is literally at your fingertips, there are no excuses—no matter what kind of phone you have. (Except for the BlackBerrys. Jk!)
The datebooks and calendars of yesteryear can be nixed. My True Cycle tracks the peak of a female user’s ovulation. “You’ll enter three pieces of information on the website or your phone each morning: your temperature, your fertility symptoms, and whether it’s the first day of your period,” reads the website.
MeFertil’s iPhone app is designed for those who “are trying to get pregnant or looking for a natural, hormone-free contraceptive method.” Its convenience lies in the fact that paper charting isn’t necessary…you can keep temperature information and track any fertility medication with one swipe.
Oh, New York. The concrete jungle where plenty of dreams are made…and sometimes babies, too. To prevent an even more populous city, the local health department launched their NYC Condom Finder app on Valentine’s Day. It’s simple: type in your address or use your iPhone or Android GPS and the tracker will direct you to the nearest venue with free condoms. The app is a free download as well.
Have you heard of MTV’s Staying Alive Campaign? It’s their global initiative to fight HIV/AIDS. Ther iCondom app is very similar to the NYC Condom Finder, but this digital download is a national effort. The directions instruct users to “simply upload the location of your nearest condom dispenser or retailer via GPS” to create a user-generated map of condom dispensers and retailers.
The Android app iPill is definitely going for the gold in versatility. For $2.99, you get “specific reminders for over 90 pill, patch, ring and IUD prescriptions.” There are also reality-inducing alarms that you can use, like a baby’s cry. Um, yikes.
Seems myPill was launched with visual types in mind. This iPhone app has an interactive graphic that looks just like a four week pack. As each day passes, a pill disappears (see helpful screen capture). How cool is that?
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Khalea Underwood is an intern for the digital media team of The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. When she’s not writing, shopping, or listening to music, the Howard University print journalism student moonlights as an older sister, a contributor for MTVIggy.com, and a copy editor for The Hilltop newspaper.
My Couch Pulls Out But I Don’t
Ever played pub trivia? Even if you have, you probably didn’t compete against every sorority at your school.
Last week, Stefanie and I hosted a pub trivia contest with the GW (George Washington University) PanHellenic Association. Ten sororities came out to participate and, let me tell you, the competition was seriously cutthroat!
There were over 200 people from Alpha Phi, Delta Gamma, Chi Omega, Sigma Delta Tau, Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Epsilon Phi, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Pi Beta Phi, Phi Sigma Sigma, and Sigma Kappa cheering on their sisters as they competed to win the best prize ever (In my opinion, at least) A free spa package! Hello, I’ll take one of those!
Stefanie, here. I’m going to be interrupting Cecilia’s post with my own peanut gallery comments. Just wanted to warn you before we get too far into this. Sorry Cecilia, as you were saying…
Stefanie and I did a walkthrough of Bedsider to show the girls a little bit about how it can help you find the method of birth control that’s best for you, set up birth control reminders, and add some high-quality entertainment to your life. I mean, who doesn’t enjoy how-to articles on unleashing your inner sex kitten?
And then it was time for the ultimate trivia challenge. We wanted to see how much these smart, driven, pretty sorority girls really knew about birth control, living healthy lifestyles, and sex in general. We even got to test their pop-culture brains. I guess not everyone knows that Snooki is pregnant? Well, now you do.
Each sorority had to come up with the most creative team name. Alpha Phi won the judges over with “Alpha Feel me up,” but my personal favorite was “My couch pulls out but I don’t.” Hence the title of this blog post.
Stefanie again—that one was my favorite too! I think I might have even slow clapped when they said their team name.
We even got to test some of their skills. This made for some pretty great comic relief. My favorite contest was a race to put a condom on a banana. Check out this intensity.
Umm, the winning team did it in 5 seconds. 5! It was so fast. That is also what she said.
The girls also really enjoyed getting to sing their favorite sex songs. Team “SDT Not STD” sang “I Just Had Sex” By Akon. Who doesn’t love that song?
The competition was so cut throat that it all came down to a tie-breaker in the end. Who could list the most sex-positions? Not this guy! All I can say is the “Alpha Feel Me Ups” seem to be the ones getting the most action around here!
Pun intended. Well done, Cecilia. Well done.
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Cecilia is an intern for the digital media team of The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. When she’s not watching Mad Men, listening to a wide spectrum of music, or busting a move, this George Washington University business student can be found preparing to take on Atlanta, GA, where she will be joining the Teach for America Corps next year.
Stefanie is the Manager of Youth Initiatives at The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. When she is not on college campuses talking about birth control and Bedsider, she is hanging out with some pretty awesome teens. She is from the great state of California and is a little awkward, both of which she will tell you in the first 30 seconds of a conversation. You can also follow her shenanigans on her personal tumblr, Nutz and Boltz.
5 Songs with Superstar Condom Cameos
Yikes. Ray Stephens from Have Sex Standing Up is pretttyyy ticked off. He can’t believe that a significant number of folks know little or nothing about condoms. Do you know who does? Musicians! There are lots of song lyrics that mention condoms. Since we can’t send iPods to the uninformed masses, here are the lyrics to those catchy condom tunes. I think that they’ll remember “jimmy hats” much better now.
And don’t have sex if she’s too gone/when it comes to condoms put two on (trust me)-–“I Love College,” Asher Roth
Rapper Asher Roth seems to have the right intention, but I hope the mention of using two condoms is metaphorical since two is NOT better than one when it comes to condoms (in fact, it’s worse).
And I said uhhhh, you are like the type of girl I like…/I said hold on/and it won’t take long /baby put this put this put this rubber on!—“Rubber On,” Pitbull
Pitbull uses a weapon of mass protection in the heat (Miami heat?) of the moment. Smart man!
All the better to love you with!/No glove, no love/if you don’t believe me-–“Evil Boy,” Die Antwoord
A self-explanatory line from South African rap trio Die Antwoord—no cuddling without condoms.
And she say I got great sex/Safe sex is great sex, better wear a latex/’cause you don’t want that late text/that “I think I’m late,” text…so wrap it up!-–“Lollipop (Remix),” Lil’ Wayne
Brilliant wordplay (before foreplay) from the self-proclaimed best rapper alive. Weezy F. Baby doesn’t want another baby, so he rightfully wraps it up.
I went to the free clinic, it was filled to capacity/now how bad can a piece of a** be?/Very bad, so I had to make the trip/and thank God, I didn’t have the drips/I was there so a h** couldn’t gimme that/just to get - twenty free jimmy hats-–“Look Who’s Burnin’,” Ice Cube
What’s cooler than cool? Rapper Ice Cube dishing about his trip to a health clinic for “jimmy hats.” (And it comes full circle.)
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Khalea Underwood is an intern for the digital media team of The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. When she’s not writing, shopping, or listening to music, the Howard University print journalism student moonlights as an older sister, a contributor for MTVIggy.com, and a copy editor for The Hilltop newspaper.
Sex advice and a road trip? (Sign us up.) Savage U kicked off Tuesday with a visit to the University of Maryland. A choice excerpt from a random conversation with a guy waiting to get tested for STIs at the school health center:
Dan Savage: “What kind of safety precautions do you take with [your girlfriend]? …do you use condoms?”
Mike (guy in the waiting room): “I don’t.”
Lauren (Dan’s travel companion): “Is she on the pill?”
Mike (guy in the waiting room): “No.”
Dan Savage: “Are you insane?”
This is gonna be good…
iPhone case has secret compartment...to hide condoms
Yay, technology! What will they think of next? (Courtesy of MSNBC.com)
We worked with Funny or Die on a short video series! It’s called “After Last Night,” there are 3 parts, the first is above, and you can see the other two on funnyordie.com.
PS—this series may or may not feature plastic wrap, dry-humping, irreverent humor, and a very awkward hug. (Just sayin’.)
Our latest "Get on Top" News digest (the STI/condom/sex-ed-still-rocks edition)
Herpes remains cureless, HPV goes oral, BV gets STI status, don’t believe everything you hear about condom problems, binge drinking’s bad news for condom use among college freshmen, and sex ed is still awesome.
