Before we conclude College Week, we’d be remiss not to display the back of the gorgeous condom dress made by our ambassadors at the University of South Carolina. Looks like someone has a future in safe-sex fashion…
College Week, Day 4: Condoms GALORE!!
Today’s College Week spotlight is on our Bedsider ambassadors at University of South Carolina (BedsiderSC), who took the message of safer sex to the runway. Here’s the story behind the titillating dress they created.
Model and crew backstage before the epic show.
This semester, BedsiderSC has become very popular with the help of our ambassadors and volunteers, who have held countless programs to teach USC our mission—to educate women about their birth control options by providing unbiased information and medical facts. In particular, BedsiderSC has put on events such as movie nights with residence halls, participated in The Vagina Monologues, handed out Valentine’s Day candy and condoms, and hosted a book discussion with Omega Phi Alpha.
But our most exciting and successful event by far this semester was Project Condom, which is a lot like Project Runway…if every dress was made from condoms. This may sound outlandish, but the goal of the event was to create awareness about condoms, promote their effectiveness in preventing pregnancy and STIs, and generate publicity for the resources available through USC’s Student Health Center. Since these are all things we as Bedsider Ambassadors can get behind, we were excited to participate.
Model Katie getting ready for her debut as a Gladiator for Project Condom.
We spent hours coming up with a design, finding a model, and making and perfecting the condom dress. After some serious brainstorming, we came up with the idea of a gold and pink Gladiator condom dress to represent a strong, fearless woman standing up for her rights to birth control access and information.
After all of our hard work and preparation, we were excited to make it into the top 5 during the show, and even more thrilled when we won 3rd place overall. On top of that, participating in this show helped us get the word out about BedsiderSC’s awesome mission and make connections with other rad campus organizations.
Which contemporary fashion designer was called “the Coco Chanel of our day” by Alexander McQueen?
Find out (and learn all about her) in today’s Frisky Friday.
Sex on TV: Project Run Away From the Babies
I was skeptical about last week’s episode of Project Runway starting at the end of the previous episode, when I learned that for the first time the contestants would be designing for babies. And I’m not referring to the needy-client kind of baby. Real babies. The skepticism was on two counts: A) I don’t think it’s fair to send a designer home this late in the competition (there are only six of them left) for designing a bad outfit for a baby, and B) I don’t see high fashion and babies as things that really go together. I’m not a parent myself, but if I were, I like to think that I’d still not be totally okay with the idea.
It’s not unprecedented for the designers to be tasked with creating a look for an unconventional model. Over the past nine seasons they’ve dressed puppies, “real” women (a.k.a. not rail-thin models), men, and even Barbie dolls. But, thanks to Heidi Klum’s new fashion line for babies at Babies-R-Us, the designers would now be competing for their looks to shamelessly promote be featured in stores as part of Heidi’s collection.
I was prepared for at least mild outrage from the designers at having to design for babies, but when those strollers rolled out, some of the designers were surprisingly accepting of the challenge. When she was matched up with her baby, Elena—the one you can usually count on to have a terrible attitude—said, “She’s so adorable I can’t even take it.” On the other hand, Dmitry, easily one of my favorite contestants ever, was probably least excited. He said (see animated gif above), “We’re all screwed. Those babies are really, really small. I’m not even sure how old they are, but I’m pretty sure they can’t talk. It’s like making an outfit for a cat.” And, with that, it’s established: None of the designers know anything about babies.
When the designers are leaving the store, Heidi warns them that they’re in for a twist. Now, normally I would have guessed that they had to design a second look for the baby’s mother (which indeed was the second twist later in the show), but it’s clear that Heidi and Tim are up to something much more mischievous than that. The designers know it’s not going to be good. They get back to the workroom where they find miniature dress forms and…more babies! Only this time, they’re dolls that are, as Elena explains so eloquently, “screaming, crying babies they give to teenagers before they have sex.”
That’s right—the designers have to babysit what Chris calls “demon spawn of Satan” fake babies while constructing and sewing clothes for real babies. Tim explains to them that the babies will cry when they need to be rocked, fed, or have their diaper changed. And why is Tim giving them the dolls? Tim tells them it’s so they “understand what goes into creating clothing for infants.” Sure, because babies don’t do other stuff you need to keep in mind when clothing them, like squirm around and puke on themselves. Seeing the despair on the contestants’ faces, Tim actually tells them, “If you run into the hills, you have to take the baby with you.” I love Tim Gunn.
Sonjia looks legitimately terrified of the doll. When Dmitry’s starts crying, he kindly asks, “Baby, please, shut up.” While it was tough to pick a favorite, Chris’ best line of the night is, “Now I know why Judy went off the deep end with Liza.” Elena, who had been so in love with the real life baby before, threatens to throw either her doll or herself out a window. They may not know anything about babies, but those designers know hyperbole.
A few short TV minutes later, the workroom is in chaos. Every doll is screaming. And let me tell you, as a viewer, I was suffering with them. By far the most annoying episode of Project Runway ever, and that’s saying something. Surely the designers were all feeling incredibly grateful that all their lives they had been able to create beautiful clothing without having to listen to or hold a screaming baby doll.
The next day, Tim comes in and gives all of us the best news we have ever received: All the dolls are being taken to daycare. The funny thing is, though, the dolls never come back. It’s like “daycare” is a euphemism for “the producers have realized that this was a horrible idea and pointless gimmick…but want to thank the contestants for the amazing one-liners.”
I have to say that despite all my skepticism, I enjoyed watching the runway show. I’m not even really into babies, but if given the opportunity I might have walked out of there with the baby Sonjia dressed. Melissa has put her baby in a white cocktail dress, which quickly becomes a shirt and diaper. Dmitry made a Super Mario Bros. costume for his. Chris won for the girls design and Sonjia won for the boys design, but I don’t have anything more to say about that because I’m totally ambivalent about baby clothes. Elena’s outfit sent her home, which I think kind of sucks because, even though she’s not the strongest designer, this challenge says nothing about her talents.
So, kids, what have we learned today?
- First, Nina Garcia is a mom and did not eat her young as we had all assumed.
- Second, babies can be distracting when you’re trying to work and indeed do all three of things the computerized dolls do and much more, but at least there’s some kind of pay off—they’re babies and they’re cute. The designers all certainly thought so when they met the real babies at the beginning of the challenge. They’re not screaming plastic dolls that provide a reward-less experience that you can then rid yourself of in a few days or even hours.
- And, finally, no one ever needs to put those dolls on television ever again. Ever.
Amazing animated gif courtesy of Oh No They Didn’t.
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Chelsey Storin is the Manager of Policy and Programs at The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. She grew up in Georgia, but only has a Southern accent after she has had at least two cocktails. She enjoys playing video games, cooking, and hanging out with her rescue mutt, Sophie.
What Do Michael Jackson, Safe Sex, and Fairies Have in Common?
Did you know condoms prevent pregnancy, protect you from STIs, and make awesome clothes? Wait, what? You didn’t see that one coming did you?
Last week I was lucky enough to attend University of South Carolina’s Project Condom Season 5. Project Condom inspires students to make clothes out of condoms to raise awareness about pregnancy prevention, getting tested, and generally being awesome. Each designer shows off their creation in a full-on fashion show. This year’s event even had a celebrity judge, Mondo Guerra from Project Runway. You see what they did there?
Alpha Phi Omega’s Michael Jackson tribute to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS prevention took home first place.
But my personal favorite was Love Story’s condom fairy. I mean, it was a fairy costume made of condoms. It’s like a dream come true.
Check out The Daily Gamecock for more pictures and maybe some less biased coverage of the event.
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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.
The holiday season may be over, but that doesn’t mean the good times have to end with it. Here’s wishing you a cozy, sexy January! (With or without neon supermodel street art.)
Image by caccamo.
LOVE this! (Great, styley reminder that there are sexy options for those allergic to latex to stay safe, too;)
LifeStyles Condom-Inspired Bags Look Classier Than They Sound - The Frisky
WANT
Why Save Sexy for Halloween?
Originally published on SexReally.com on October 28, 2010.
So, this Halloween are you wearing your naughty nurse costume or are you going out as a slutty schoolgirl?
A quick Google search of women’s Halloween costumes reveals something that surely you already know — on Halloween, women (and girls) are encouraged to be sexy. Even the marketing language is provocative:
Women’s Halloween 2010. Hotter and sexier than ever! Hey foxy lady! Strut your stuff this Halloween in a sexy costume…find the hottest Playboy costumes…the sauciest pirate costumes, and some very wicked witch costumes…just a few of the fantasies you can explore this Halloween!
Sexy Halloween Costumes by closetcaucus on Polyvore.com
A post on SexReally last Halloween asked some interesting questions, including whether the sexy costume craze indicates that women feel societal pressure to repress their sexuality in everyday life. As I continue to think about my own Halloween experiences and observe this year’s costume options, I’m particularly compelled by that concept — why do so many women take part in dressing provocatively this one time of the year? Seriously, when was the last time you went to a Halloween event with a significant number of women covered up by convincing ghost, ghoul, or zombie costumes? Women are selecting skimpy costumes for a reason.
I was invited to a Halloween party in college and purchased a gorgeous pair of fairy wings for the occasion. They were almost the length of my body and were a soft pink color with lots of glitter. On the night of the party I had my costume ready to go — a short black skirt, a black tank top, those fabulous wings, pink hair, and lots of shimmery makeup. Except that night was freezing. I stepped outside and hit the 40-degree cold air and instantly turned around. I went back inside and traded my black tank top for a sweater and put on a pair of dark pantyhose just so I could have something on my legs.
Once I got to the party I was lost in a sea of sexy cops, sassy cheerleaders, and slutty Disney characters. I was wearing far too many clothes and felt out of place. It’s not that I felt peer pressure in that moment to dress sexy. Instead, I felt like I was missing out on something. It was my one chance during the year to wear something super-skimpy and have it be socially acceptable. And what did I do? I wore a sweater.
The roots of the far-too-sexy Halloween dilemma are deep. It is really about language and sexual assumptions based on clothing. If you’re female and are in or survived high school, you know what I’m talking about. The girl who wears too-short skirts or cleavage-revealing tops instantly gets categorized by peers. And once the words “slut” or “whore” are thrown out it’s really hard to shake off that label.
I experienced a slice of that my senior year of high school, including one harsh name-calling encounter with a teacher. I attended a school play and during intermission one of my drama teachers walked up and told me that my clothing choice was completely inappropriate and that I looked like a slut. I had no idea what she was talking about — until I looked down and saw that a sliver of my stomach was showing. I sincerely had no idea that when I got dressed that evening in jeans and a t-shirt that I was showing any skin other than my arms. As it turns out I had either outgrown the shirt or it shrunk and I hadn’t noticed.
My teacher’s comments were like a slap across the face. Her use of the word “slut” was so cavalier, and my sexual experience was so minimal, that I instinctively knew that she was wrong in her assessment. But, oh no! I could be perceived as loose just by showing a quarter of an inch of belly. I look back on that situation and wish I would’ve had the wherewithal to tell that teacher to go fuck herself. But, that word “slut” is so vicious and sticky that I reacted instantly. I went to my car (where by chance I had an extra shirt) and changed clothes between acts.
Steering clear of that “slut” label might be part of the answer as to why women go for sexy costumes. Maybe, as Lindsay Lohan’s character points out in Mean Girls, Halloween is a free pass. It is a way for women to explore something, to try on a disguise and explore a fantasy without being subject to harsh criticism. Because, when it comes down to it, on November 1st most of us have to go back to wearing more modest clothing.
It’s no wonder that there are so many sexy costumes available. It’s like all that sexy energy and experimentation gets pent up for a whole year and then explodes one night in the form of kitten tails, bustiers, and fishnet tights. Not that it is right. But, hell, there is so much pressure to keep it together, to keep your inner freak under wraps, maybe it’s inevitable that it’s going to burst out one way or another.
Let me make this clear: I’m not advocating you wear as little as possible for Halloween. Nor that you buy into an entire industry that is attempting to sell teeny-tiny costumes. I just think there is something going on with the control of female sexuality on a larger scale that we should question. Halloween reveals a symptom, not the disease. It is an illusion to think that we have the freedom to wear whatever we want. Because there are always those harsh words — slut, whore, skank — that are the consequences of experimenting with clothing. We are told to vamp it up, to be beautiful, to be sexy — but, oh! Not too much!
Halloween is the one day of the year when a girl can wear lingerie and eat gobs of chocolate in public. (Is it a coincidence that two of the most hot-button issues of being a modern woman — how we look and what we eat — are allowed to come out and play on the same evening?) Maybe if some of those instincts were practiced in smaller and safer quantities throughout the year, we wouldn’t feel the compulsion to go overboard on Halloween night.
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Kaarin Moore is the owner of Closet Caucus, a fashion consulting company located in Washington, DC. Her goal is to help clients express who they are through the medium of clothing. You can reach her at www.closetcaucus.com or on twitter (@closetcaucus).
Why Victoria’s Secret Should Be Your Secret Too
Originally published on SexReally.com on December 4, 2009.
“I’m kinda in between boyfriends right now, so I don’t need anything sexy.” – Pam Beesly, while visiting Victoria’s Secret
Victoria’s Secret was prominently featured in a Season 3 episode of The Office entitled “Women’s Appreciation.” Fans of the show may remember Michael Scott’s misguided attempt to show his appreciation for his female employees when he took them to a Victoria’s Secret store and allowed each person to pick out one item as a present. Pam Beesly’s character, played by the lovely Jenna Fisher, chose a robe because, being single, she saw no need to purchase a pair of lacey panties or a push-up bra.
Pam’s quote continually ran through my head while viewing this season’s Victoria’s Secret Holiday Fashion Show. The event has become a staple of the holiday season, signaling the start of gift-giving and fulfilling men’s and women’s fantasies of tiny undergarments wrapped in pink paper under the Christmas tree. Let’s face it: the fantasy is hot. The products are hot. So why have they been relegated to the back of closets, only to be broken out when there is an audience present?
As a wardrobe consultant and stylist I see a practical disconnect between the sex that is on the runway and what is found in the depths of women’s boudoirs. Many people do own variations of the boustiers, slips, sheer nighties, and g-strings that are featured in glossy catalogues. The catch? These items are always, ALWAYS stuck in the furthest corners of the closet or underwear drawer.
Viewing this same situation time and time again has led me to conclude that women need to break those suckers out and make the fancy stuff a part of their everyday wardrobe. Our sexuality shouldn’t be turned on and off, or stuffed to the back of the drawer. Who we are sexually is part of who we are as people and we should acknowledge it regardless of our relationship status.
On a very practical note, the pretty underwear isn’t always comfortable. However, there are more options than ever on the market regarding style, shape, and material. Here are some realistic steps you can take to make sure your booty is both comfy and stylish during the day:
- Can’t think of wearing thongs? Clients routinely pick the wrong size. Go a size up or down for the correct fit. If you’re entirely convinced a thong isn’t for you, boy shorts can be a comfy and cute alternative…or if you’re feeling daring, you can always eliminate panty lines by going without!
- When is the last time you had your bra size measured? Statistics report that up to 80% are currently wearing the wrong size. Weight gain, weight loss, and hormone fluctuation can alter your size. Getting measured takes all of 5 minutes and can provide a world of comfort to women who feel as though they are being pinched, pushed, and otherwise fighting with their bra all day.
- Take your pretty undergarments out of their drawers and hang them up in your closet. The saying “out of sight, out of mind” even applies to underwear; if you see them on a regular basis you are more likely to wear them and incorporate them into your life.
The notion of having “good undies” used for “fancy occasions” is about as useful and fun as only using your favorite dishes when guests come to visit. Sure, people will be thrilled by the presentation, but don’t you want to delight yourself as well? Isn’t your life occasion enough to celebrate?
You deserve these small pleasures – with or without a partner. This isn’t about spending loads of money or buying into society’s ideal of what is sexy. Rather, it is about conscious decision-making regarding your style and your sexuality. The choice to pick up black lace verses Granny Panties isn’t going to change the world. But, it may change the framework of your day. It is a small choice that can be for you and you alone.
If I were to rewrite Pam’s quote it would go something like this: “I’m kinda in between boyfriends right now, but I have this nightie in 4 different colors and wear them all the time. I want another one, but this time in satin.”
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Kaarin Moore is the owner of Closet Caucus, a fashion consulting company located in Washington, DC. Her goal is to help clients express who they are through the medium of clothing. You can reach her at www.closetcaucus.com or on twitter (@closetcaucus).
