Condoms are a leading method of STD prevention and are a convenient way to reduce the chance of unintended pregnancies. However, it has strangely been ingrained into society that only men should carry condoms, and that women who choose to do so are deemed promiscuous.
A census taken by Trojan Condoms revealed that the majority of the men surveyed (85 percent) indicated that they had purchased a condom, whereas approximately half of the women surveyed (51 percent) have done the same.
As a college student who has never been in a relationship yet is sexually active, I began to purchase condoms when I started having sex. Personally, I always felt that buying my own condoms was a necessity and have fortunately never been shamed by partners for having them. However, some women are anxious to buy their own condoms because they are afraid of the implications it may bring.
Women in the media have recently been more outspoken about owning one’s sexuality. One of these women is Amber Rose, founder of the Amber Rose SlutWalk. On her talk show, “The Amber Rose Show,” an audience member asked Rose whether she should keep carrying condoms. The audience member was unsure about bringing her own condoms because she was afraid it would scare guys away.
Rose adamantly said, “No, no, no — don’t ever change that.” She explained that “As women, we always think we have to change ourselves, we have to dumb ourselves down. We gotta do whatever the f— we wanna do! And if that means you gotta be single for a while, until that one man comes along and says you know what, I appreciate you having condoms, girl, that means you take care of yourself, that you protect yourself.”
Women should carry condoms with them to ensure that there will be a method of contraception present when having sex. However, it is also important to note that one partner should not feel the sole responsibility in purchasing condoms: both partners should be prepared with contraceptives.
People who slut-shame women because they want to take control of their sexual health (or for any reason) need to seriously reevaluate. If you are with a partner and they are turned off by the fact that you brought your own condoms, they may not be the right person for you. You deserve someone who will not judge you and not make you feel ashamed for wanting to protect yourself.