I just saw a Trogan ad that was talking about protecting yourself from stds and stuff ans said something like "the physical pain wont compare to the pain of knowing you can never have a child" wtf! im all for protecting myself and stuff but its like they are trying to scare people into it with info thats not even true! things like chlamydia and ghonorria (sp) are curable, and even with herpes and stuff there are ways to keep from transferring it during pregnancy and birth. I feel bad for someone whos had an std and saw this ad and thought they could never have a baby. has anyone else seen this?
i havent seen this comerical.. but i think that they are referring to (dont quote me i could be wrong) that if you get certain stds (not sure which one) it can make you infertile.. i am guessing that is what the commercial was referring too...
I guess I'd have to see the ad.. but what 'physical pain' are they talking about in the first place (I can understand the second part, but it's the first part that I'm confused about).
While I do think it doesn't make sense to call being infertile "physical pain", I don't know if I feel very offended or not.
Chlamydia can be a completely silent STD and you can have it for months or even years without knowing. When you have it for a long time untreated, you can develop pelvic inflammatory disease. It can cause you to become infertile or increases your odds of an ectopic pregnancy.
I think it's very important for people to be aware of this. It's so sad to me that there are many uninformed people who believe random myths (like you can't get pregnant through sex on your period) but aren't aware of actual facts (like that you could have an STD without having a single symptom, or that not having paps and STD testing could result in infertility one day).
I know about chlamydia and stuff and may be they didnt mean what I interpereted the ad as, but thats just how it sounded to me. I think they should have included more info, instead of generalizing, cuz that could really scare some people.
I think what they were getting at is that STDs can cause physical pain, or, worst of all, infertility.
- a sentiment I for one find offensive, but for entirely different reasons.
Speaking of which... I got a bunch of pins from NARAL to hand out during tabling events, etc. One pin said, "Real Men Plan their parenthood..." and a woman one... I obviously know they are promoting condom use, BC, etc... but I also feel like they are... well, I didn't plan to become a parent at all, I was on BC and it made me feel like shit, kwim?
that's so stupid--people should be more considerate! I'M offended by that and I'm not even called "mommy" yet!
--Kris :evil:
Yeah, I know what you mean. IE, if you didn't plan it. That is a pretty shitty message. I know what they're trying to do, but I guess they just don't think that deeply on it. I suppose it's hard to put yourself in our shoes.
HPV can cause cervical cancer and without a cervix you can't have a baby.
I know what ad you are talking about, the one with the fence. They should have made it more clear that not ALL std's will result in not being able to have babies. It has a good message, but they could have made it a little more clear. Exspecially since young girls ( it's on MTV and stuff like that ) are going to see it and might get a little freaked out if they have had unprotected sex, or might have a STD.
I haven't seen the ads, but my two cents.
We shouldn't look to advertisements for correct or accurate information. I mean, these are the same folks that bring us unreasonable expectations of the female body. I'm personally not surprised to see them going for a shock factor in their condom ad.
I wish that there was some universal source of correct information for women about their bodies and sexual health. Schools often teach misinformation, if anything. Doctors are too busy. Its a taboo topic in many families.
If women who see the ad knew that condoms were effective against STD prevention, and where to go for free or cheap STD tests and could live without the fear of their parent's finding out that they were sexually active- maybe an ad like this wouldn't really matter.
that is a very good point, and i agree! :D
I agree with you URErin, but I think that continuing to hold advertising companys to an expectation of honesty -- and calling it out when we see the bullshit that's going on -- is good to do. It doesn't mean that they are going to be honest, but if we train ourselves to find and relay falshoods pushed by the media in any form, I think that we can be more effective against it.
those always make me feel shitty too. Or in this class I am taking, the teacher always says, we all went into this wanting children... and I'm like, no I know I didnt go into this wanting to have a kid. Obviously I wouldnt give him up now, but when I first found out I was pregnant I would've given anything not to be.
That add is horrible for people who CANT have children.
I worked with two women who were trying SOOO hard to have childrne, and somedays it just seemed to them like it would never happen. Thats kinda rubbing it in their faces, yah know???
Not being able to have children is a weird angle to go for a sales pitch on condoms, dont you think??