The Big Bad Media and the Power of Trend

Having 2 younger children I am constantly aware of the images they are subjected to on TV, in magazines, online etc. That awareness never leaves me even when I am not in “protection mode”.

The irony is never lost on me however, that we can advertise seduction at nauseating rates, yet condom ads aren’t allowed… Viagra is advertised during prime time and Guardasil is advertised as cervical cancer prevention rather than HPV prevention- a sexually transmitted disease that can cause cancer…even now I am tempted to get out my soap box… but I won’t.

Rather I will turn to the audience… the media feeds its audience what it wants. If the advertising didn’t work, and people stopped buying their products because they were all so offended by the images, media would change. But America has a voracious appetite for garbage; we are obese, broke, and dumber than we prefer to think.

We buy into the hype that a bra will make you look and feel like the models wearing the “Nakeds”, eating the giant hamburger with ketchup dripping down your chest will result in your looking like Paris Hilton (I’m sure the 50 grams of fat don’t really exist in those burgers) and that using Just For Men hair gel on your beard will get you laid by someone 15 years your junior instantaneously.







So how do we sneak in the “vegetables” with the Mac N Cheese Media?
Hide it in trend.

I bought this great cookbook for my finicky kids who weren’t eating enough vegetables… you sneak the veggies into their food by pureeing them and cooking it into the stuff they love. They never see that cauliflower coming.

So instead of the serious talks about STDs and HIV, how devastating they can be to your life, and how easily they are spread, we will wrap prevention in a cute little compact, make it cool to carry and the thing you MUST have.

So put on your “Nakeds”, grab your Just In Case compact (I bet you can fit a little blue pill in there too) find that guy at the sports bar with his “Just For Men” beard that will instantly turn you on, and head out for a triple hamburger dripping in ketchup and special sauce. I’m sure it will be the greatest night of your life…

Getting people to carry condoms is half the battle, getting people to use them correctly is the other half… We will do our part by making it chic to carry a condom in a trendy compact; the rest is up to you, my voracious audience. I hope you don’t taste the veggies… but enjoy the whole meal.

Dentyne, Condom, Dentyne, Condom

Let me start out by saying I enjoyed the new Dentyne commercial; very creative, very funny, yet completely annoying because it shows the hypocrisy not only of the American consumer but of the entertainment and television industry.
As Americans we buy everything because it will make us thinner, younger, sexier… and apparently it’s just so we can admire ourselves in the mirror and NOT to attract a partner and have sex. Apparently it’s all about the tease and not the end game of the actual carrot that is endlessly dangled in front of everyone.
So if you haven’t seen the Dentyne commercial, basically there are about three scenarios where they are talking about the gum but insinuating that it is like a condom. For example, the guy is at the drug store, lays the Dentyne on the counter, the cashier (woman) gives him the knowing glance that he’s preparing for a fun evening, he looks embarrassed since he’s buying this in front of a woman and he walks out with his “gum”. Then the roommate pops into the other roommate's bedroom saying "Dude, do you have anything?" He reaches into his bedside table and pulls out...Dentyne.

Yes this is funny, but annoying. Since it’s gum it’s ok. But if that were an actual condom ALL HELL WOULD BREAK LOOSE. Right? Which is why condom ads aren't allowed on TV... or only allowed in this round-about way, since the American public would fall over dead if they saw an actual condom and not just the insinuation. What a joke.

America, GET OVER YOUR COLLECTIVE SELF!!!

We are sexual beings; that’s why sex works in advertising. This is a no-brainer. Yet at the same time we are pious, judgmental fools who refuse to acknowledge the elephant in the room and get real about the importance of sex and the consequences of sex. Without opening your eyes to all of it, you cannot properly make the profound decision to give your body and all the emotions, chemical reactions, physical changes, and spiritual currency over to your partner.

As a VERY proud American, I’m waiting for my people to grow up, it will be thrilling when we are not the teenagers of the world anymore.

Love Well. Love Wisely.

What do you get when you cross politicians and condoms? Stupidity.

Have you heard? Carrying too many condoms can contribute to a prostitution charge... way to go lawmakers! So glad we're paying you to create an even larger health hazard!
Read an article here...
So in the infinite wisdom of government they have decided that the best new way to identify prostitutes is by the quantity of condoms in their possession. Let's take this logic a little further... so when a prostitute goes out, in order to avoid that part of "sufficient cause" for arrest, she will leave her condoms at home and she and all the Johns will be even more vulnerable to STDs and HIV... the gifts that keep on giving. And in the city where the HIV rates are at an all time high, dissuading people from practicing safe sex is a GREAT idea! (shaking head while pulling hair out)
So to all you politicians in DC... and you know half your names are "John"... better bring your own condoms, but only two, otherwise the police will think you're a prostitute. Brilliant.
At least Just In Case will keep you within the limits of the law... we try to do our part.

2010

What will you do this year to make someone else's life a little better? What will you do to better your own life that will better your family's life?
Not just a resolution... but the action to create change. What will it be?

The Lessons From Tiger

So we have all heard about Tiger Wood's many trysts... if you haven't you have been under a rock since his story trumped Pearl Harbor and Health Care Debates... US Weekly is even writing stories about Tiger not using condoms...

He has placed a bright light on the biggest dilemma when it comes to women protecting themselves... It is one thing to have your heart broken by a cheating spouse, but to also contract an STD or HIV is devastating. There are many women out there who have done nothing wrong and yet are forced to suffer some major health consequences from their husband's infidelities.

Condom use is a no-brainer when you're dating, and you don't know your partner's medical history... but what if you are in a long-term, committed relationship, marriage and you thought you knew about their health? What if you are going through a rough time, or your partner/spouse travels extensively for business? How do women protect themselves from someone else's lapse of judgment? There is no perfect answer... but what would you do in Elin's place? What do you do if you have a gut feeling that your partner/spouse is cheating on you and may not be using protection?

Feel free to comment...

Love Well. Love Wisely.

12-1 is World AIDS Day... we're here to remind you...BYOC... Bring Your Own Condom!

JUST IN CASE ® HOSTS WORLD AIDS DAY WEB CHAT VIA UStream. URGES WOMEN TO ADOPT “BRING YOUR OWN CONDOM” (BYOC) POLICY
Free Condom Compacts to First 10 Attendees Who Text Question During Web Chat

11.22.2009 – Los Angeles, CA – JUST IN CASE® (www.justincaseinc.com)- designers of the tres-chic condom storing intimacy compacts – are hosting a World AIDS Day Web chat urging women to “BYOC”: Bring Your Own Condom. JUST IN CASE compacts look like your favorite makeup compact but have a secret compartment to carry condoms.

Marsha Bartenetti and Rachael Sudul, the mother-daughter team behind Just in Case, Inc. (JIC) will bring their message of personal responsibility to women live via USTREAM on World AIDS Day, 12.1.09. Viewers are invited to log on to www.ustream.tv/justincaseinc at 9am PST/Noon EST to learn more about the realities of protecting one's self, acquire resources supplied by the World AIDS Campaign, and the chance to win a FREE chic compact of her own by submitting a text question or comment via UStream's chat feature.

Bartenetti, who will host the “BYOC” chat says, “There’s a new face of HIV/AIDS that women are hesitant to talk about: suburban women, young women, your next door neighbor. While there have been many advances with respect to HIV/AIDS treatment there is still no cure. The best protection is still a condom.”

Sudul adds, “It’s time to change the conversation and remove the stigma women feel around carrying condoms. This is not about encouraging promiscuity but empowering women to take responsibility for their own health and welfare. We want to facilitate that discussion and help women to take control of their lives.”

JIC is engaging women in the safe sex conversation everyday via its Blog, Facebook page, and Twitter. Join them and share what makes YOU sexy smart. Post your thoughts on their Facebook wall (www.facebook.com/justincaseinc), then start the conversation with two friends by asking: What’s in YOUR purse!®

View the full collection of JUST IN CASE styles and pricing at www.JustInCaseInc.com.

About Just in Case, Inc.: Founded in 2005 by mother-daughter team Marsha Bartenetti, who has years of experience in the entertainment industry, and Rachael Sudul, who has extensive experience in the cosmetics industry, Just in Case, Inc. is the leader in providing discreet intimacy compacts stylish enough for every woman’s purse. Winners of a HBA International Design Award for Originality, their revolutionary product re-defined the face of beauty to include sexual health. Their values adhere to the highest ethical standards while providing quality products and a message of hope. 5% of profits go to HIV/AIDS & women’s health charities worldwide. The following are registered trademarks of Just in Case, Inc.: JUST IN CASE® Love Well.Love Wisely.® Protection Never Had Such Style.® Sexy.Smart.® What's in YOUR purse?®

World AIDS Day

World AIDS day is approaching and I wonder what the general knowledge is about HIV and AIDS... we have been aware of this virus since the 80's but I don't think that people have educated themselves very well about the virus. It's always been one of those illnesses that people think... "I'll never get that, I'm monogamous" or "I'll never get that I have only had a few partners." The problem is that with the rate of infection in the US, "risky behavior" has broadened it's meaning and includes unprotected sex with a partner that hasn't been tested.

Here is a link to the CDC with some great information on HIV basics.
CDC HIV Facts

Throughout the next few months I will try to find other links with basic information about HIV.
If you don't know your status or your partner's, protection is paramount. You can't tell if someone has been infected by how they look, and an infected person may not even have symptoms for months and be highly contagious.
Be smart, be sexy, be safe. Carry your own protection.
For a limited time the Classic Compacts are $19.95!
Love Well. Love Wisely.