Condoms offer incredible protection against unwanted pregnancy and STD transmission. They are the idea contraceptive for responsible teenagers because they also provide STD protection.
But condoms need to be taken care of: They cannot get too warm or too cold (like in a car), be rubbed about (like in a pocket or a wallet in a pocket), or be jostled among things (like in a purse or a backpack). They also tend to not be very classy in appearance. Safe sex and style-conscious people have despaired of how to carry the darn things around for ages.
I recently found the answer! Just In Case, Inc. has fabulous little compact-like cases with a mirror that discreetly holds two condoms. The cases will not keep condoms at a moderate temperature (still no car, sorry!), but they will keep them from getting jostled around in a purse or a backpack and will keep them stylishly tucked away from prying eyes. Ranging from $16.95 for a sleek black model to $199.99 for one fully blinged, they’re a steal!
Just In Case is run by a mother-daughter team, Marsha G. Bartenetti and Rachael G. Sudul. Marsha used to live next door to Dr. Carl Djerassi, an innovator of the birth control pill. He often lamented that condoms had a bad rap, particularly among women. Dr. Djerassi said that even with the wide availability of hormonal birth control, condoms are still a critical option because they offer unparalleled STD protection and protection against unplanned pregnancy. He asked Marsha if she could do anything to change the way women view condoms. So Marsha and Rachel set out to change the way condoms are viewed by women. They want women to see condoms as within their purview rather than solely a man’s responsibility. They figured that in order to do that, they would need to start with a stylish and safe way to carry condoms. By normalizing women carrying and using condoms, Marsha and Rachel hope to increase STD awareness, particularly AIDS awareness, and reduce the stigma attached to carrying condoms.
I polled my college classes and the results were overwhelming: The students loved the little cases. They were so excited to have a recommendation for a safe way to carry their condoms around, and immediately wanted to know where they could get a case of their own.
The primary question they had was about a comparable item for young men. Rachel tells me that while they do have something in the works for men, but they wanted to start off by creating something for women. Because condoms are so often marketed exclusively for men, they wanted to focus on bringing women into the condom market because condoms offer great birth control and STD protection for women too
Just In Case will go into the backpacks of every older teenager are young adult I know!
Just In Case is offering 10% off promotion for anyone who comes over from my site. Type in the promo code “forteens” and your entire order will be 10% off.
Great idea. I really like the idea of normalizing women carrying condoms. I’ve heard of women carrying condoms in cigarette cases before, but these cases would be more honest then that. Break down that taboo. I would love to see what they come up with for men.
While doing nothing for the style conscious and not not as honest, I would imagine that another good way for women or men to carry them around in a purse, backpack, or briefcase would be to use an old Altoid or similar tin. Looking at a regular sized tin, I would guess that you could fit about 4 condoms in it, and unless someone went looking for a mint, it would be fairly discrete(And thereby doing nothing to break the taboo).
Jairy referred me to your blog for this entry. I showed him mine in green. I am a huge condom advocate and I feel empowering (as a woman) having a “Just In Case” in my purse!!
Kudos to us for making better choices!!
Gracie
Don: While I agree that the taboo should be broken, I also think individuals should choose for themselves whether or not to be discreet according to their own comfort level. The cigarette and Altoids cases are great ideas!
Grace: You wouldn’t happen to be from San Antonio?
$199.99 for a little case that holds two condoms is “a steal”? Must have some serious bling — like maybe an LCD screen with a microchip that plays a video version of the Kama Sutra.
What a fabulous suggestion, fausto! I’ll be sure and pass it on to the Just In Case people. 🙂