Pigs With Cellphones, but No Condoms

IN a commercial for Trojan condoms that has its premiere tonight, women in a bar are surrounded by anthropomorphized, cellphone-toting pigs. One shuffles to the men’s room, where, after procuring a condom from a vending machine, he is transformed into a head-turner in his 20s. When he returns to the bar, a fetching blond who had been indifferent now smiles at him invitingly.

Directed by Phil Joanou (“State of Grace”), with special effects by the Stan Winston Studio (“Jurassic Park”), the commercial is entertaining. But it also has a message, spelled out at the end: “Evolve. Use a condom every time.”

“We have to change the perception that carrying a condom for women or men is a sign they’re on the prowl and just want to have sex,” said Linda Kaplan Thaler, chief executive of the Kaplan Thaler Group, the New York advertising agency that created the “Evolve” campaign. “It’s a sign of somebody being prepared — if the opportunity arises — to think about their own health and the health and safety of their partner.”

But the pigs did not fly at two of the four networks where Trojan tried to place the ad.

Fox and CBS both rejected the commercial. Both had accepted Trojan’s previous campaign, which urged condom use because of the possibility that a partner might be H.I.V.-positive, perhaps unknowingly. A 2001 report about condom advertising by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation found that, “Some networks draw a strong line between messages about disease prevention — which may be allowed — and those about pregnancy prevention, which may be considered controversial for religious and moral reasons.”

Representatives for both Fox and CBS confirmed that they had refused the ads, but declined to comment further.

In a written response to Trojan, though, Fox said that it had rejected the spot because, “Contraceptive advertising must stress health-related uses rather than the prevention of pregnancy.”

In its rejection, CBS wrote, “while we understand and appreciate the humor of this creative, we do not find it appropriate for our network even with late-night-only restrictions.”

“It’s so hypocritical for any network in this culture to go all puritanical on the subject of condom use when their programming is so salacious,” said Mark Crispin Miller, a media critic who teaches at New York University. “I mean, let’s get real here. Fox and CBS and all of them are in the business of nonstop soft porn, but God forbid we should use a condom in the pursuit of sexual pleasure.”

Networks accept ads of a not-so-subtle sexual nature for erectile dysfunction drugs like Viagra, often restricting them to the wee hours.

Trojan has had no trouble finding other broadcasters to take its money. Jim Daniels, vice president for marketing, said that the company was spending more on this than any previous campaign, but declined to say how much. The commercial will run on ABC, NBC and nine cable networks, including MTV, Comedy Central and Adult Swim. Print ads will appear in 11 magazines and on seven Web sites. All will highlight a Web site, trojanevolve.com.

The 87-year-old company placed its first ad in trade magazines for pharmacists in 1927, when druggists still kept condoms behind the counter. Though out in the aisles for decades, condoms are still purchased furtively: while the average time shopping for a home-pregnancy test is 2.5 minutes, the average condom buyer takes just 7 seconds, according to research by Trojan. “We call it a drive-by purchase,” Mr. Daniels said. “People to this day are embarrassed.”

In its new commercial, the word “Trojan” is never uttered, and the logo appears only briefly on the bathroom’s vending machine and at the end. But with what according to A. C. Nielsen Research is 75 percent of the condom market (Durex is second with 15 percent, LifeStyles third with 9 percent), Mr. Daniels said the company was focusing less on growing market share than growing the market. The annual condom market is now $416 million, according to Packaged Facts, a division of MarketResearch.com.

“With a 75 percent share of the market, we can prioritize growing the category and increasing overall condom usage,” Mr. Daniels said. “Right now in the U.S. only one in four sex acts involves using a condom. That’s dramatically below usage rates in other developed countries. Our goal is to dramatically increase use.”

Sometimes that goal finds Mr. Daniels seeming less like he works for Church & Dwight — the consumer products company that purchased Trojan in 2001 and also makes Arm & Hammer baking soda — and more like an agitator for public health. Last year, for example, Trojan issued its first Sexual Health Report Card, grading 100 colleges and universities on criteria including their testing for sexually transmitted diseases, sexual assault courses and, of course, condom availability.

While Mr. Daniels does not disparage the company’s double-entendre-heavy “Trojan Man” campaign from the 1990s or similar Trojan Tales Web site today, the tone of the company’s promotions is moving away from “Beavis and Butthead” and toward “Sex and the City.”

“The ‘Evolve’ ad does a nice job of being humorous, but it’s also a serious call to action,” Mr. Daniels said. “The pigs are a symbol of irresponsible sexual behavior, and are juxtaposed with the condom as a responsible symbol of respect for oneself and one’s partner.”

The industry typically tries to reach men, but this campaign’s ads are running in Cosmopolitan and Glamour. Trojan sees growth potential in women customers, who make only 30 percent of condom purchases. In 2005 it introduced Elexa, a line of condoms in pastel packages that include what is known in industry parlance as a “pleasure accessory.”

Trojan and its competitors are adding the accessories across their entire product lines. The perennial challenge for condoms is the perception that they are unpleasant to use, so having an erotic add-on could increase sales as well as lower the incidence of disease and unintended pregnancies. The pleasure enhancement is a message that TV networks may be reluctant to broadcast.

Just in 2008, HIV/AIDS has continued to go from a population-specific disease, to one that affects "innocent" women.  In other words, we know that sex workers are incredibly vulnerable, especially those in the developing world, but now its "just" women.  Malaysia is a perfect example; in an area that is dominated by Islam, and where virginity before marriage and a general "ignorance" about sex is much valued in women, husbands and increasingly fiance's, are contracting the disease and bringing it home to their women.  New and improved testing means that testing the general health of these women at routine medical exams is bringing out the fact that more and more monogomous women are suffering from the disease. Of all new cases in Malaysia, over 16% are women, which means at least 2 new cases a day.
Despite the private and public attempts to achieve greater equality between the sexes, there are inherent differences in this culture that make women more vulnerable to abuse and discrimination. Lack of physical strength, for instance, makes women more susceptible to rape and other forms of violence.
Studies have estimated that women between 25 and 49 years have slightly higher levels of vulnerability to HIV infection compared to men. However, between the ages of 20 and 24, they become three times more vulnerable.
According to the Malaysian Ministry of Health and Unicef report titled Women and Girls: Confronting HIV and AIDS in Malaysia, vulnerability to HIV infection among women and girls is often linked and determined by factors which affect and commonly prevent women from actively making choices and decisions about their lives. This is especially true of housewives who now out number sex workers with the disease 5 to 1.  Sadly, many women who have it are never diagnosed, and many of the programs that once targeted sex workers do not reach out to wives and mothers, both because of their circumstances and because of cultural taboos that mean the women themselves are blamed, not their husbands.
Malaysia, of course, is not alone in this growing problem of innocent wives being infected; India was perhaps the first country to see this happen, when truckdriving husbands were going from one end of the country to the other, visiting street-side prostitutes as they went, and spreading HIV at an incredibly rapid pace. 
Either way, it would seem that the disease the press called the "gay bug," in the 1980s, is now well and truly the "heterosexual plague" of the 2000s.

Last year, Oxfam, one of Britain's biggest charities, got a lot of flack for its great gift idea...selling "smart" gifts, which also gave to important safe sex work overseas. In spite of the criticism, they did it again this year, and it's been so well received, they ran out of stock.  From their website:
Condoms
Product code: OU2625 £ 24.00

Due to huge demand for this gift, it's not currently available - sorry! Here’s a gift with a difference. Male and female condoms with educational materials to make sure that they’re used correctly to help stop the spread of HIV. Rubberly jubberly.




Delivery note: All Oxfam Unwrapped gifts are despatched within 3 working days by 1st class post. Delivery is free of charge.

When I was listening to a report on the not-new fact that many Bangladeshi garment workers - mostly women - make as little as 7 pence per day making our clothes(I was there 16 years ago and it was no secret then!), and in the next segment, how the Muslim world continues to blow itself up in the name of religion, I thought of...

Goalundo Ghat is grubby little town in Bangladesh, filled with long lines of trucks and tiny shops, just another truck stop in this not-always picturesque country.  But down a minute sidestreet, there is another world, Daulatdia, the largest and newest brothel in Bangladesh.

     A settlement big enough to count as a village in its own right, its alleyways have over 1,600 women and girls, where they live and sell their bodies. It's a successful spot because it sits right at the junction of two huge rivers, the Jamuna and the Ganges, which makes this a very busy place for truckers and others to catch a ferry. Trucks carrying goods from the west and south-west and back line up here for days at a time, waiting to cross the busy river, which is why this place does such a land office business.

     While men wait to cross, they look for some "fun" which word-of-mouth has told them can be had in
this village-within-a-village, with its more than 2,000 rooms, each which are separated from one another only by cloth walls, sort of primitive versions of the one-hour "hotels" of Thailand, or the area American soldiers dubbed "Disneyland" during the Vietnam war (differences being, the "hotels" are not for prostitutes, rather randy office workers wanting a quick afternoon delight, and Disneyland was the product of a miserable war).

     Late morning is busy for the women, and there are lots of taxi rickshaws waiting to take the men back to the riverside when they have "finished." The women say that they have no trouble finding clients and the lucky ones often make up to 100 taka a day; that's 75 pence or about 50cents. What it costs to buy two bottles of cola. The children - girls under 16 -  can earn as much as 10 times that amount because they are "fresh."

     About 300 of the prostitutes' children live inside the brothel with their mothers, ordered under the bed or outside when a john arrives.

     Then there are the chukri, a sort of indentured servant, who often enter at about 14, fooled into working by their "boyfriends" who keep the money the girls earn, those who have been kidnapped, or those sold by stepmothers who don't want the expense of some else's child. Eventually, these women are allowed to buy their freedom, but what a price!

     The cost of living is so high for these women - who are surrounded by shops that take full advantage of their prisoner-like status - that when the Bangladesh Women's Health Coalition offers safe sex courses, their promise of a bar of soap for attending brings the women in; they practice rolling condoms on a big plastic phallis and hear about what to look for to identify a "diseased" penis. 

    But, this does not mean that they are able to get all or even most men to use one, even when provided for free.  About 60% of business transactions do not include condom use.  Perhaps the saddest part of all is the women, when they get pregnant - and they do frequently! - in this most overcrowded nation on earth, say they always hope for girls so that they can put them to work at the age of 14...in the brothel.

     This strictly Muslim nation has over 100,000 prostitutes.

Moist Lips - You want your lips to be slightly moist when you kiss. Run your tongue over your lips once before you kiss. Don't wear lip gloss because that tends to make the kiss too gooey. And don't wear a lot of lipstick unless you want your partner to wear it too after the kiss. Slightly moist lips makes it easier to move your lips over your partner's and gives both you and your partner a more pleasant experience.

Positioning - Stand close to your partner. As the two of you move closer together tilt your head slightly to one side.  If you don't, don't worry about it.  Your partner will still tilt their head slightly so your lips meet on a slight angle or they will kiss you straight on.  If you can see which way your partner's head is tilting, tilt your head slightly in the opposite direction.

Close Eyes - Just before your lips meet, close your eyes. Some people prefer to leave their eyes open during the kiss. But until you know what your partner prefers, it is best to close your eyes.  Kissing with your eyes open, looking into one another's eyes while you kiss, can be very erotic and some people find it quite enjoyable.  You may want to try kissing this way once you're more comfortable kissing your partner.

Open Lips - Open your mouth slightly and place your lips over your partner's lips. Do not hold your breath! Breath through your nose. As your lips meet, press them gently over your partner's. You may wish to move your lips in a slow, circular motion or just leave them still over your partners.

Closed Lips - This is like the type of kiss you'd give your grandma or aunt. Instead of opening your mouth when your lips meet, keep them closed. This is also a good way of letting your partner know this is as far as it goes. It also makes a great hello/good-bye kiss or a great first time kiss if you're nervous.

Hands - There are many ways you can use your hands during a kiss.  The most popular way is to put one hand on your partner's waist and the other one against the middle of their back.  Other ways to use your hands are to cup your partner's face in your hands (very romantic!), put them around your partner's neck, put them around their waist, hold your partner's upper or lower arms gently, run your finger's through their hair, or just hold their hands in yours.

French Kissing

This is the most popular type of kiss. This involves touching your tongue with your partner's and it can be quite a pleasant experience. There are a few tips to create a great French kiss.

Relax - You lips should be relaxed, you body should be relaxed, otherwise it will be like kissing a dead fish for the other person.  There are only two things involved in a French kiss:  your lips and your tongue.  That's it!

Open Lips - Your lips should be slightly parted, not open wide like you're at the dentist.  Open them just far enough, just like you are regularly breathing through your mouth.

Positioning - Do not have your face dead on to his/hers, otherwise your noses will touch.  You want to move your head to one side just enough so your nose is out of the way of theirs.  If you think about it then, with your head tilted one way and his the other way, your mouths will not reach dead on.  Your mouths will meet at the corner of the other's mouth.  It will look like the below picture:

If you look closely at the picture, you will see that their noses will actually touch the cheek of the other person.  Their lips have already touched.  When you touch the other person's lips and you stretch your tongue out a bit, your mouths will instinctively open as much as the couple in the picture.

Tongue - Practice on your own if you'd like.  Open your mouth enough (while you're by yourself of course!) just enough to stick a bit of your tongue out.  It will go past your teeth.  Don't stick your entire tongue out... just an inch or two.  That is how far you should stick your tongue out in a kiss.  So your tongue will go into their mouth and theirs will go into yours.  When this happens, both of your tongues will touch.  Then just circle the tip of your tongue around the tip of theirs.  If they do something different (because you have to remember that everyone kisses differently so some may move their tongue around a bit differently) then just do the same as they do.  They may flick their tongue over yours and you can do the same.  Or they explore the inside of your mouth with their tongue, do the same thing!  Or you can just lightly touch their tongue while they are exploring.  The best thing is to NOT just leave your tongue doing nothing.

As for movement of the head, that is entirely up to you.  Some people will move their heads very slightly in a small circular motion or figure eight.  Sometimes they won't.  Sometimes just one person moves their head and the other doesn't.  It's totally up to you.

You may explore different ways of using your tongue. Try running the tip of your tongue over your partner's lips. Do this slowly and gently, just using the tip of your tongue.