“Wrap Your Willy,” the theme of HEALTH Works’ design for the second annual Condom Couture Fashion Show on December 3, took first place in the show hosted by the University Health Center in honor of World AIDS Day, which was December 1.
Brady Stevens, a junior family science major on the pre-med track, dressed as the rubber version of Willy Wonka from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory in purple, gold, and green condoms, finished with a top hat and cane. HEALTH Works was inspired by the stories use of eating candy to create their look.
“We wanted to bring awareness to oral sex with HIV and AIDs,” Stevens said.
The fashion show features designs made out of condoms, donated by Global Protection, a sexual health organization, by different student groups. The mission of the event is to reduce the social stigma surrounding condoms, Connor Daveies, the Master of Ceremonies for the event, said.
Guests saw designs from SHARE Peers, CHOICES Peers, PRIDE Alliance, Satanic Mechanics, Theta Pi Sigma, Delta Epsilon Mu, Sex Week, Bedsider UMD, Hermanos Unidos, the second place winners, and MasTERPiece. The event aims to educate people on safe sex and the resources available to students on campus, Jenna Beckwith-Messman, the sexual health Program Coordinator at the health center, said.
The event featured what Beckwith-Messman called a mini health fair. Representatives were present from BedsiderUMD, an organization who promotes birth control for young adults, Sex Week, Student Health Advisory Committee, Sexual Health and Reproductive Education (SHARE), Prince George’s County Heath Department, and Whitman-Walker Health, a gay men’s health and wellness clinic.
“ I am really excited to be a part of an event where students are actively engaged in the process of being empowered by information,” Beckwith-Messman said.
Each organization provided information about themselves and different ways to have a healthy sex life. There were a lot of free condoms, over 20 different kinds from SHARE, and Whitman-Walker displayed STI self test kits. Prior to the event from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. the health center offered free STI testing, something they offer every third Thursday of the month.
The free event, funded by SGA, Bedsider, the health center, and Multicultural Involvement and Community Advocacy (MICA), featured a DJ, red carpet, and photo booth right in the Adele H. Stamp student Union Grand Ballroom. On a projector screen they displayed videos discussing World AIDS Day and the Walk to End HIV, where proceeds from the event’s raffle will de donated to.
Daveies kept the crowd laughing with sex jokes and informed with sex trivia. Beckwith-Messman said that by presenting these serious topics in a fun way students will start to think about condom usage in a different way.
“ If I can make a dress out of a condom I can ask my partner to wear one,” Beckwith-Messman said.
Sydney Fernebok, a former UMD student said the event makes the subject less taboo and makes people more open to talking about it.
“It makes a more sensitive topic more mainstream,” Samantha Crowley, a sophomore kinesiology major, said.
The crowed showed their appreciation for the designs with applause and cheering.
Sophomore biology major Anna Perry said the different designs were creative and liked that it was not just women coming down the runway.
“I didn’t expect any guys to be in the show at all,” Perry said. “ I thought it was awesome.”
Daveies, a senior and community health major graduating this December, will be working at Bedsider post-graduation. She has been very involved in the Condom Couture Fashion Show since its start last year and hopes to see it grow.
“I just want it to get bigger and bigger until it’s in the Comcast Center,” Daveies said.