About The Red and Black (Athens, Ga.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 6, 2014)
THE c2 TROJAN WAR: Battle of the Bulge BY: LAUREN LOUDERMILK An afternoon drizzle turns into a downpour, and suddenly you’re caught in a climate catastrophe wearing flip-flops. You pull out the small umbrella you keep tucked in your bag just for this reason. It catches most of the water, but you’re still drenched and you don’t know why. No one has bothered to tell you that you’ve been walking through thunderstorms in sandals with an umbrella that’s inside out. Sexually active men and women are getting the same amount of protection against STIs and unplanned pregnancies as someone using an inverted umbrella in a rainstorm. According to Health, com, Condoms are 98% effective if you use them correctly, wand only 83% if you don’t. Katy Janousek, sexual health coordinator at the University of Georgia’s Health Promotion Department, hears a lot “about cer tain brands of condoms that break or are bad.” All condoms have the exact same effectiveness level, however, so it’s all in human error. Janousek explained the 11 steps and procedures that you should file away for a rainy day. 3. Check for an air bubble in the package. If it’s been ripped and air has gotten to it, it can dry it out and make the condom more brittle and easier to break. Don’t use with other latex products like another condom or a female condom. “Double bagging” does not equal extra protection, but instead the latex rubbing together could cause a tear. The first step is to establish verbal, sober consent, Janousek soundly advises. 5. Keep condoms out of pockets and, as Janousek shrewdly says, “they shouldn’t be in a dude’s wallet every day since middle school just in case,” because the latex will rub against the wrapper. Ago 2. Next, check the expiration date. Most condoms have a 4-year shelf life - but only if they’re stored in a cool, dark place, like in a nightstand or the bathroom drawer. 6. Open the package with your fingers and not something sharp, like teeth or scissors, and when you take the condom out, grab it with the pads of your fingers, not your nails or teeth. ILLUSTRATIONS BY: MANDY LE 6 AMPERSAND | FEB/MAR 2014
