Les Enfoirés-le monde est stone
November 5, 2009
On January 26, 1986, French humorist Coluche, who had set up Les Restos du Cœur a few months earlier, invited a number of artists and public figures to appear on television as a promotional move. The band, whose line-up was never the same, was dubbed “Les Enfoirés” in reference to one of Coluche’s catchwords. After Coluche died in a motorbike accident (June 19, 1986) his widow, Véronique Colucci, called on those who had participated to continue his actions, and the band was revived for a further television show. The concept has since evolved into an annual concert, bringing together up to forty artists and celebrities from various backgrounds. The funds raised by the concerts and derived records under the name “Enfoirés” are donated to Les Restos du Cœur. One of the key features of Les Enfoirés is “La Chanson des Enfoirés”, a song which became a sort of hymn to the charity, written by Jean-Jacques Goldman, a long-time supporter of the organisation.
Sensual Poem
October 26, 2009
Peaceful retreat inside my humble heart,
Inside my vivid dreams,
Weeping for the world,
Peaceful retreat inside my humbled soul,
A river of tears bled through eyes so ashamed of you all,
Peaceful retreat inside my crazy head,
Where sublime in subliminal,
Lovers re-wed…
Peaceful retreat where my still self mediates,
Betwixt the worlds nine,
My souls in sync this time…
Peaceful retreat where can I get that?
Surrounded by the same you…
Oh! the suffering of it all…
Oh! the indignity of it all…
Peaceful retreat
I have found it at last,
I am here in meditation,
Where visions
…visualised,
You are all my spiritual outcasts !
Peaceful retreat
In the fall,
Before winters hibernation…
Love to go warm inside itself…
Giving to itself,
Giving to me!
Ah!
Peaceful retreat away from everything I know,
As I invite change,
Yet again,
Adapting to my desires of the soul,
For peace!
innocent optimism
October 16, 2009
| Written by Shawn Roske |
| Thursday, 17 September 2009 |
| innocent optimism
Initial grace upon the road to love, Beloved before me, Such be the simple of my being,
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Khmer rock revival seeks new audience
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By Sarah Cuddon
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Chhom Nimol fronts the LA-based Khmer rock band Dengue Fever
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Decades after Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge silenced the sound of Westernised music in Cambodia, the little-known 60s genre “Khmer rock” is finding new fans.
Khmer rock is the sound of the West meeting the East in the 1960s – a mixture of US surf guitar music, early rock and doo-wop mixed with Cambodian traditional instruments.
At the time, the music was virtually unknown outside Asia but its followers in the West are now burgeoning.
Music writer Nik Cohn is a new fan who stumbled across the sound by chance.
He said: “One night I was watching (the film) City of Ghosts, and there’s an amazing moment when Matt Dillon jumps on a motorbike and rides through Phnom Penh and this incredible music comes on. An unbelievable voice.
“(I’d) not heard anything that good since Ronnie and Ronettes… and then I began to think about it musically.”
Today, the sounds of the old Phnom Penh are being revived in the West by the Los Angeles-based band Dengue Fever, which is fronted by a Cambodian singer, Chhom Nimol, the daughter of musicians who played with the original Khmer rockers.
The band’s guitarist Zac Holtzman loves the sound and stories of Phnom Penh’s music scene.
“It was modern city, with lots of musicians. By day they played traditional stuff and by night they’d rock out.
Music writer Nik Cohn likened the Khmer rock sound to The Ronettes
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“In general the Khmer culture is reserved, but this is the closest to stepping out and going crazy. We can really have fun here.”
The country’s former controversial ruler, Prince Norodom Sihanouk, was a big influence on the sound.
Despite presiding over an often corrupt and repressive regime, he was passionate and liberal about the arts, and encouraged the traditional court musicians to experiment with Western styles.
But influences also came directly from the US – as the American military presence in Vietnam increased, the American Forces Radio Network also became more well-known.
Flying studios operated by the US Navy spread the sound of rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and country music to Cambodia.
Phnom Penh’s young musicians did not necessarily know who Jimi Hendrix, the Doors or the Beach Boys actually were, but they loved the sound and they started to imitate it.
“They just took the sound and re-channelled it through instruments equivalent to guitars… a primitive drum kit, and they certainly had bass guitar,” Nik Cohn said.
The Khmer rock musicians did not have elaborate studios, and most of the songs were recorded live – often in one take – with any keyboards or guitars they could find, and incorporated traditional instruments.
For a decade, this experimental Khmer rock music transformed the nightlife of the capital, Phnom Penh.
But in 1975 the fanatically anti-Western Khmer Rouge marched in, led by Pol Pot, and the vibrant rock and roll scene was silenced.
Within four years, the Khmer Rouge killed an estimated two million Cambodians in the notorious killing fields, including many of the Khmer musicians.
Him Sophy was one of those sent to a labour camp.
The scene’s leading lights were all extinguished by the Khmer Rouge
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“Ninety percent of the famous singers were killed. I saw the prisoners they took,” he said.
Jon Swain, who was the Sunday Times war correspondent in South Vietnam and Cambodia at the time, said: “Educated people, musicians, people with glasses… a lot were taken to the killing fields… so the great singers disappeared.”
All the local heroes the scene had produced – like Sinn Sisamouth, who became known as “the King of Khmer music” – were wiped out, killed by the Khmer Rouge.
Cambodian musician and composer Sophy Him was a young music student in Phnom Penh and remembered him well.
“Sinn Sisamouth would play (royal) court music, then rock music… improvisation from traditional and rock.”
Guitarist Zac Holtzman said Sinn Sisamouth was a songwriter who he initially thought “was like the Elvis of Cambodia”, but then he found his lyrics were more like the “Bob Dylan of Cambodia”.
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 When you know that every one them was wiped out by the Khmer Rouge, many in hideous ways, it deepens the experience of listening to it  Nik Cohn, music writer
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No one quite knows what happened to the famous diva of the time, Ros Sereysothea, but it is believe she also died under Pol Pot.
Like almost all the Khmer rock artists, Ros Sereysothea came from a poor farming family.
She moved to Phnom Penh, where was heard singing by Prince Sihanouk, who later honoured her as “The Golden Voice of the Royal Capital”.
It was her voice that Nik Cohn first heard on the soundtrack for film City Of Ghosts, and he said there was always “something tragic about her”.
The music was wild and anarchic, but the lyrics often told a different story of teenage angst, death, betrayal and sorrow.
The translation to Ros Sereysothea’s funky rock song “Have You Seen My Love” is: “I drink until I get drunk, but I can’t seem to get drunk. The sky is all black, love has wings to fly.”
It is this strange mix that appeals to fans like Nik Cohn. “It’s the sound of innocence, teenagers and innocence, symbolising everything that was lost – and when you know that every one them was wiped out by the Khmer Rouge, many in hideous ways, it deepens the experience of listening to it.”
Khmer Rock is adored in Cambodia. It survived on bootlegged cassette tapes and vintage vinyl kept hidden during the Communist years at enormous risk to the owners.
“The name of Sinn Sisamouth is still there… after Khmer Rouge was overthrown, his songs came back on the radio.
“I remember hearing them again and they are still going on now,” Jon Swain said.
And the old songs are winning new fans through reissues and compilations, a presence on the internet, and the new recordings by Dengue Fever.
Khmer Rock and the Killing Fields presented by Robin Denselow, is to be broadcast on BBC Radio 4, Tuesday, 28 July, at 1330 BST.
bbc.co.uk
Anatomical entertainment
July 29, 2009
Intricate wax models of humans – and their internal organs – helped educate medical students during the 19th Century. But they also offered the general public an unusual afternoon’s entertainment.
As the Wellcome Collection in central London tells the curious and grotesque story of the anatomical model – take a tour with curator Kate Forde.
Exquisite Bodies
30 July-18 October
In the 19th century, despite the best efforts of body snatchers, the demand from medical schools for fresh cadavers far outstripped the supply. One solution to this gruesome problem came in the form of lifelike wax models. These models often took the form of alluring female figures that could be stripped and split into different sections. Other models were more macabre, showing the body ravaged by ’social diseases’ such as venereal disease, tuberculosis and alcohol and drug addiction.
Explore image galleries covering some of the themes examined by the exhibition
With their capacity to titillate as well as educate, anatomical models became sought-after curiosities; displayed not only in dissecting rooms but also in sideshows and the curiosity cabinets of wealthy Victorian gentlemen. For a small admission fee, visitors seeking an unusual afternoon’s entertainment could visit displays of these strange dolls in London, Paris, Brussels and Barcelona.
Explore our interactive anatomical Venus to find out more about the uses of these models
This exhibition explores the forgotten history of the anatomical model, which with its unique combination of serious science and fairground horror provides a rare insight into 19th-century beliefs about the body.
This exhibition is free. See opening hours
Please note that the exhibition contains explicit material that some visitors may find disturbing. As such it is not recommended for under 18s.
However, if you are planning to visit with younger visitors and would like to make an informed decision about the exhibition’s suitability, please see our staff at the Information Point, where images of the exhibits are available to view. More information for parents
bbc.co.uk
Woody Allen’s Bananas
July 18, 2009
| Written by Kevin Johns |
| Thursday, 18 June 2009 |
| As a teenager, Woody Allen (born Allen Stewart Konigsberg in 1935) was already working as a professional joke-writer for television programs such as The Ed Sullivan Show and The Tonight Show. By the early 1960s he was performing as a stand-up comedian in New York’s Greenwich Village, where he developed the neurotic intellectual persona that would become his comedy staple. His first play, Don’t Drink the Water, debuted on Broadway in 1966, and the followup, 1969’s Play It Again Sam – featuring Allen and Diane Keaton - earned Tony nominations and ran for over 400 performances.
After less than desirable experiences working on the films What’s New Pussycat? (1965) as a writer and Casino Royale (1967) as a performer, Allen re-dubbed a Japanese action movie to comedic affect, What’s Up, Tiger Lily?, before writing, directing and starring in the mockumentary Take the Money and Run in 1969. The film co-starred Louise Lasser, Allen’s second wife, and it was the first of many films to feature one of Allen’s romantic partners on screen (later additions include Diane Keaton and Mia Farrow). Largely slapstick, Take the Money is startlingly accomplished debut, and it set the blueprint for what Allen would do as a writer/director/performer for practically a film a year for the next forty years.
Some critics suggest the title Bananas is a nod to the Marx Brothers play/film The Cocoanuts (1925/1929), which seems reasonable, given that it is common knowledge that Allen is a huge Marx Bros. fan (in Everybody Says I Love You the characters attend a party where everyone in attendance is dressed a Groucho). The Marx Bros influence is certainly apparent in early Allen films like Bananas and Take the Money and Run. The shear anarchy of the loosely-plotted films, with their focus on moving from joke to joke at any cost, is quite different than the tightly controlled narratives of latter day Allen films like Match Point (2005) and Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona (2008). While Allen’s witty banter has always shown touches of Groucho Marx, the use of prop humour in Bananas reveals that Harpo Marx was an influence as well. In a memorable early scene, Allen’s character battles an office desk/exercise machine to hilarious results. The title, then, might also be a reference to the most revered of all prop gags: the man who slips on a banana peel! Ultimately, there isn’t all that much to say about a film like Bananas. It is certainly funny enough to warrant a recommendation, but that can be said for most of Allen’s films.
A similar approach can be taken to analyzing Allen’s Bananas: it’s just another Allen movie. He made 40 more afterwards, and because of that, there isn’t any big statement that needs to be made about it. Bananas is like Infidels: just another album, just another movie. If you are a genius like Bob Dylan or Woody Allen, there will always be another work of art to follow up this one, so no one piece ever has to be definitive. It just has to be good, because if you put together a long enough string of good work, it becomes a masterpiece. It is the canon of work that becomes the masterpiece. It is the artist’s very life that becomes the work of art. As a film viewer, I don’t always want to watch the best movie I have ever seen. Sometimes you just want a good movie, and when I’m looking for a good movie, I always know that I can turn to Woody Allen. A banana won’t be the best meal you have ever eaten and Bananas won’t be the best comedy you have ever watched, but that doesn’t mean both aren’t damn enjoyable. culturemagazine.ca
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Allen’s second effort was Bananas (1971), a comedy loosely based on Richard Powell’s novel Don Quixote, U.S.A. Allen stars as Fielding Mellish, a blue collar office worker who finds himself indebted to a group of guerrilla revolutionaries after they save his life in a South American banana republic. It is a sort of fish-out-of-water story that finds its comedy by dropping the Allen persona into a military situation. Allen would repeat this format in several later films: in Sleeper (1973) the Allen character awakes in the future after being cryogenically frozen, Love and Death (1975) features the Allen character in Napoleonic era, etc.
It reminds me of a story regarding Allen’s fellow early 1960s Greenwhich Village alumni Bob Dylan and the song “Blind Willie McTell,” which he recorded during the sessions for 1983’s Infidels album. Dylan played a cut of the album for a friend who’d heard him record “McTell.” Dylan’s friend was shocked to discover the song had been cut from the album, and told the musician he’d a recorded a masterpiece and by cutting it he’d destroyed the album. Dylan responded, “You know what? It’s just an album. I’ve done twenty of them. I’ll do more.”When Seeking Sexual Well-being, “Normal” isn’t Needed
July 18, 2009
| Written by Roxy Munro |
| Thursday, 09 July 2009 |
| We have all had questions about sex at one point in our lives. Regardless of our age, gender choice, or sexual desires, questions will inevitably brew in our minds about sex because — let’s face it — we’re all curious about something related to sex and sexuality. According to Charlie Glickman, the Director of Education at the Center for Sex & Culture and the Education Program Manager at Good Vibrations sex shop in San Francisco, there are two main types of sex-related questions. First, there are the technique- or skills-related questions: the “How do I…?” As you may have noticed, a lucrative market exists for providing answers to these questions. There is no shortage of videos, books, and magazines telling you how to have “better sex,” achieve “Mind-blowing Orgasm,” or “How to be Kinky,” for example.
The Myth of Normal is one of the overarching reasons why sex negativity (that is, the idea that sexual pleasure is inherently bad) still persists in our rather sex-saturated culture. The implications are both subtle and serious, arguably resulting in many people never fully exploring and/or enjoying their body and sexuality. The Myth of Normal may affect different people in different ways. As I’ve identified as a woman with a vulva my whole life, I know from first-hand experience how the Myth of Normal can have a differential impact on women, particularly when it comes to discovering our bodies and how we can derive sexual pleasure from them. Debunking the Myth of Normal At the beginning of his sex positivity workshop, Glickman had participants define sexual well-being. Naturally, this was a two-step process. First, we had to define “sex,” and then we had to define “well-being.” Perhaps many different words and ideas are coming to your mind as you ponder both terms. At the workshop, we filled several flip-chart papers with different ideas of what “sex” meant to us and how we perceived well-being. For sex, I threw out some of my personal favourites to be added to the list: blowjobs, masturbation and phone sex (I’m addicted to my BlackBerry for more than just my email). Countless other acts were written down, as were interpretations of well-being, such as: happiness; positive outlook; confidence; feeling comfortable in one’s own skin; and so on. This brainstorming session helped us understand the philosophy of sex positivity in a tangible way. Sexual well-being is at the core of sex positivity. A sex positive (AKA sex-friendly) society is one that promotes and celebrates the attainment of sexual well-being, recognizing that sexual well-being is extremely diverse. Nonetheless, I’m not suggesting that anything goes. As Glickman says, when interpreting sexual well-being, the very necessary conditions of consent and choice must always be present.
“Deviant” might sound a bit harsh and a bit old-world, but consider this – the Criminal Code of Canada currently states that persons under the age of 18 cannot have anal sex unless they are legally married. For people over 18, anal sex is legal only when it is practiced privately between two consenting adults. What kind of message does this send? As liberal as I may hope attitudes are getting among my generation, the existence of such blatant sex discrimination shows how sex negativity is entrenched in our society. When we criminalize sexual activity and sexual pleasure, we reinforce outdated cultural norms based on this idea that there is a “normal” kind of sex. What about those of us who are polyamourous? We live in a society that has institutionalized relationships based on two-person partnerships. It seems that everything relationship-related is aimed at couples, from date night offers at restaurants to Valentine’s Day cards to everything we watch on TV – how many polyamourous (not polygamous) relationships can you think of? Friends and colleagues may never be able to grasp life as a poly, thinking of it, instead, as “promiscuity,” as if having multiple lovers is inherently sinful. Monogamy or polyamoury – in my view, one is not better than the other. There needs to be greater acceptance of the variety of ways people can and do form intimate relationships. I could go on. The Effects One problem the Myth of Normal creates is the privileging of one group over another. The two aforementioned examples can illustrate how monogamous heterosexual relationships are privileged, while anything that deviates from that can be seen as wrong, in some way. Health and safety information is another area of concern. When people question their sexual normality, they might not be so inclined to seek the information they need to keep themselves safe. The Globe and Mail recently reported on a study about teen sex that found “fear of judgment” was the largest barrier preventing teens from going to a sexual health clinic. The Myth of Normal factors into why people would fear judgment in accessing sexual health resources. After all, if it weren’t for the Myth of Normal’s influence over how sex is generally viewed, there wouldn’t really be any standards for sexual behaviour and feelings by which to judge people. Fear of judgment leads people to feel shame and guilt about perfectly healthy natural desires that they may have. It’s almost like a vicious circle – this internalization of shame and guilt can lead people to avoid accessing health and safety info and the fear of judgment they may face when going to access such valuable information can further compound their existing shame and guilt. Subsequently, not obtaining health and safety info can have serious consequences like sexually transmitted infections. A Woman’s Perspective As a woman, I have felt the impact of the Myth of Normal and seen the effects on women friends and clients that I have worked with in a sexual health service provider setting. The notion of normal sex comes from and influences how we learn about our female anatomy. This can prohibit us from maximizing sexual pleasure across the lifespan. When it comes to our vulva and the female sexual response, writer Cara Kulwicki makes an interesting point: mainstream sexual health education (and, by extension, probably most sexual education offered by parents) can “give a scientifically accurate and even practical description of birth control, condom use, vaginal intercourse, and other sex education staples without ever acknowledging the clitoris’s existence. And the same holds true for female orgasm.” With a penis, it’s different. Think about it. A penis is in plain view – there’s no hiding what it is and what it does. When discussing pregnancy and heterosexual intercourse, there’s no way around discussing a penile orgasm. There’s no avoiding the subject of erections, either. For that reason, most young men will have to learn about masturbation at some point. Not so, for women.
Unfortunately, given the mainstream way of teaching about sex and women’s bodies, too often women reach adulthood without knowing what or where their clitoris is and what they can do with it. Moreover, young women who discover this pleasure zone before ever being made aware of it can internalize shame/guilt for doing something that they perceive might as wrong. They may feel too afraid, shy, or embarrassed to ask questions. This type of internalized shame can have long-lasting effects. Seeking Some Sex-Friendliness The Myth of Normal can affect all types of people in unique ways. No matter who is affected, it’s pretty clear that our sexual well-being can be negatively influenced. Sexual well-being is important to our overall state of well-being. Learning to think in a sex-positive way and raising the consciousness of others in this regard, whether through day-to-day conversations or sexuality education, can serve to disable the Myth of Normal, potentially leading us to a sex-friendlier society. References: Glickman, C. (2000). The Language of Sex Positivity. Hite, S. (2006). The Shere Hite Reader: New and Selected Writings on Sex, Globalization, and Private Life. Toronto, ON: Publishers Group Canada. Kulwicki, C. (2008). Real Sex Education. In J. Friedman and J. Valenti (Eds.) Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Sexual Power and a World Without Rape, Berkeley: Seal Press, pp. 305-312. Globe and Mail, June 4, 2009: Teens want to learn about healthy sex, not just sexual health. culturemagazine.ca
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Second, sex-related questions also often fall under the “Is this normal?” category. Whether the question is referring to the person doing the asking or their partner(s), the notion that there is some kind of benchmark of “normal” for sex is quite widespread in our society. The question of normality and, more specifically, the “Myth of Normal” is something that Glickman explored in a Sex Positivity workshop here in Ottawa with a group of sexual health service providers and other interested advocates of sex positivity, like yours truly.
One major obstacle standing in the way of people attaining sexual well-being, however, is this Myth of Normal. Whether we realize it or not, the Myth of Normal is something we have been socialized to believe. Put simply, it is the idea that certain sexual activities are “normal.” If you know me at all, you would know that a pet peeve of mine is the assumption that penis-vagina intercourse is “normal” sex (it’s no coincidence that it’s also procreative sex). As someone who has worked in sexual health education, I can’t tell you how many times a person would refer to sex and when I asked them to specify what kind, they would reply “the normal kind” in reference to P/V intercourse. According to this view, if one kind of sex is the normal kind, other forms of sex would then be . . . deviant?
As Kulwicki goes on to say, “When only coitus is discussed through education about pregnancy and STD prevention, women are left yet again with the impression that they are supposed to primarily derive pleasure from penetration.” Many women do get pleasure from penetration, of course, whether they’re straight, lesbian or bisexual. Still, the fact remains that most women only reach orgasm through clitoral stimulation that usually happens without any penetration whatsoever.French and Saunders
June 25, 2009
French & Saunders is a British sketch comedy television show written by and starring BAFTA Award-winner Dawn French and Emmy and BAFTA Award-winner Jennifer Saunders. It is also the name by which the performers are known on the occasions when they appear elsewhere as a double act.
Widely popular in the late 1980s and the early 1990s, the show was given one of the highest budgets in BBC history to create detailed spoofs and satires of pop culture, movies, celebrities and art. The duo continue to film holiday specials for the BBC, and both have been successful starring in their own shows. Saunders won an BAFTA, an Emmy Award and international acclaim for writing and playing the lead role of Edina Monsoon in Absolutely Fabulous, which lead her to the roles in the American sitcoms Roseanne and Friends. She won an American People’s Choice Award for voicing the wicked Fairy Godmother in the DreamWorks animated film Shrek 2, but more recently she has written and starred in another two BBC sitcoms, Jam and Jerusalem and The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle. Her other work includes being the face of Barclays Bank and BBC America. Meanwhile French starred in the highly successful sitcom The Vicar of Dibley which received great critical acclaim as well as numerous holiday specials and future airplay. She also starred in another show Murder Most Horrid, which she wrote herself. She had a voiceover role as Mrs. Beaver in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but more recently she has starred in Jam and Jerusalem, written by Saunders, and Lark Rise to Candleford, of which the second series is currently airing. For many years she became popular for her appearances in the Terry’s Chocolate Orange adverts saying the famous line “It’s not Terry’s, it’s mine!” and is currently the voice of W H Smith and Tesco adverts. She recently released her autobiography ‘Dear Fatty’, referring to Saunders, to whom she gave the nickname ‘Fatty’.
In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian’s Comedian, the duo were voted amongst the top 50 comedy acts ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders.
Their last special, 2005’s French and Saunders Christmas Celebrity Special, aired on 27 December 2005 on BBC One. In 2006, both Saunders and French announced that their sketch show was now dead, and that they had moved on to more age-appropriate material. Their last ever concert, and last ever performing as a duo act, Still Alive tour ran until the end of 2008, and then resuming in Australia in the summer of 2009.
wikipedia.com
Safe sex
June 21, 2009
Here are additional safe-sex steps:
- Be responsible. If you have an STD, like HIV or herpes, advise any prospective sexual partner. Allow him or her to decide what to do. If you mutually agree on engaging in sexual activity, use latex condoms and other measures to protect the partner.
- If pregnant, take precautions. If you have an STD, learn about the risk to the infant before becoming pregnant. Ask your provider how to prevent the fetus from becoming infected. HIV positive women should not breastfeed their infant.
- Know your partner. Before having sex, first establish a committed relationship that allows trust and open communication. You should be able to discuss past sexual histories, any previous STDs or IV drug use. You should not feel coerced or forced into having sex.
- Stay sober. Alcohol and drugs impair your judgment, communication abilities, and ability to properly use condoms or lubricants.
In summary, safe sex requires prior planning and good communication between partners. Given that, couples can enjoy the pleasures of a sexual relationship while reducing the potential risks involved.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/MEDLINEPLUS/ency/article/001949.htm
Another Kind of Condom
June 19, 2009
| Written by Roxy Munro |
| Tuesday, 09 June 2009 |
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Remember sitting in health class and learning to use a condom by placing it on a banana? If you never had this experience (which would certainly apply to anyone who went to a Catholic school), maybe you remember that episode of Degrassi Junior High when the Degrassi crew was doing it. Either way, it is safe to assume that most people recognize condoms and understand their purpose. It’s probably also safe to say that most people would have some idea about how to use it. But what do you know about the “female” condom?
On the one hand, this is perfectly OK. The male condom remains an effective barrier for HIV and other STIs, while also effectively preventing the possibility of pregnancy for women having sex with men. Male condoms are also relatively inexpensive or free in many places (e.g., sexual health clinics, doctor’s offices, your local Planned Parenthood), making them ultra-accessible. On the other hand, since the widespread safer sex campaigns geared to the heterosexual population focus on the male condom, social barriers faced by women to negotiate safer sex aren’t taken into account. Therefore, it is critical to STI/HIV prevention efforts to raise awareness around the male condom’s worthy alternative, the female condom.
The Female Condom Even though it is typically called the “female” condom, this name is actually a misnomer because the baggy polyurethane sheaths can be used during anal sex as well. This means both men and women can opt to use this form of protection.
Advantages Practically speaking, the female condom is useful for those with latex allergies since the types available in North America are either made with polyurethane (known as the “FC Female Condom”) or nitrile polymer (“FC2,” a later development which is not yet available in Canada). Unlike latex, these materials aren’t affected by temperature and dampness, so storage isn’t an issue like it is for traditional latex condoms. The absence of latex also means oil-based lubricants can be used with the FC or FC2. Since both materials are thin and conduct heat well, sensation is maintained (bonus!). Another distinct feature of the FC and FC2 is that they can be inserted up to 8 hours before intercourse so there doesn’t have to be any awkward fumbling in the heat of the moment (or some sudden passionate decision to just skip the condom). In terms of protection, if used perfectly, the FC or FC2 can actually protect women against more STIs than the traditional male condom. A portion of the condom rests outside the vagina, essentially protecting the vulva from STIs passed through skin-to-skin contact. Disadvantages There are some noted downsides, however. Female condoms are sometimes described as being difficult to insert and remove. Any uncertainty or discomfort with use could end up decreasing the effectiveness of the condom. Some people complain about noise, but the design of the FC2 reduces the amount of noise, making it less of an issue. Generally, female condoms also cost more, making them less accessible. The material of FC2 also makes it cheaper to produce, which will result in significant cost savings. Shared Responsibility While female condoms may have been designed to “enable women to share the responsibility for the condoms with their partners” (emphasis mine), they serve to help empower women take control of their own pregnancy and STI/HIV prevention. While promising work is being done on the development of microbicides, the female condom remains the only female-controlled method for STI/HIV prevention. So it’s about more than allowing women a shared responsibility for safer sex; it’s about providing women the opportunity to guarantee safer sex for themselves because they no longer need a man’s consent to protect themselves. The importance of this cannot be underscored – globally, women make up almost half of those infected with HIV, and they make up more than half (58%) in sub-Saharan Africa. In Canada, there has been a steady increase in the HIV infection rates for women. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, before 1998 women represented 11.9% of all positive HIV test reports. By 2006, this percentage had climbed to 27.9% — the highest it has been since the beginning of the epidemic. Rates for STI infections are also increasing among women. Rates for Chlamydia infections, the most frequently reported STI in Canada, are highest among women, particularly young women (15 – 29 years old). The development of female-controlled safer sex methods is critical because women’s anatomy and the wider social context make them more vulnerable to STIs/HIV than men. Biologically, women are more susceptible to STI/HIV transmission by an infected partner than men. Women also face a greater degree of economic, social, and cultural disempowerment than men (although this is to varying degrees among women, depending on a range of factors). Amaro and Raj, researchers at Boston University School of Public Health, have explored how women’s HIV risk level from heterosexual transmission is entrenched within a context of gender, race/ethnicity, and class oppression. Their research shows that within intimate sexual relationships, gender-related factors such as the power dynamic within the relationship, sexual communication, abuse, and gender roles affect women’s abilities to engage in safer sex. Consequently, the key STI/HIV prevention strategies, such as abstinence, monogamy, and male condom use are not as feasible for many women because they often lack the ability to negotiate safer sex. For example, a woman in her 30s sought the advice of an Ottawa-based sexual health organization because her partner refused to wear a condom. Even though she perceived the relationship to be monogamous, she was fearful of acquiring STIs or HIV since they can go undetected for a time. Her partner insisted he didn’t like wearing condoms, and she felt she couldn’t change his mind. The advice given to the woman was to try using a female condom. She later reported being able to use it with her partner and has expressed relief at having this other option for protection available to her. 
Canadian AIDS Society postcard
African nations and other developing countries facing high rates of HIV/AIDS necessitate separate studies because the intersections of gender, race, and class are so particularly acute. In Canada, however, while undoubtedly not as dire a situation, women remain vulnerable to STIs/HIV because gender, race, and class oppression transcends geographic boundaries. The fact that HIV infections are rapidly increasing for Canadian women through heterosexual contact is frightening, especially when HIV is preventable.Amaro and Raj note how public health STI/HIV prevention efforts need to take into account the particular context within which women’s heterosexual relationships are situated. Increasing awareness around the female condom is a smart public health strategy because the female condom can favourably alter the safer sex negotiations for women. Before the advent of the female condom, women had to negotiate for the use of something they ultimately had no control over because they couldn’t wear it. Even though social barriers remain, the female condom represents an attempt to provide women with some leverage in safer sex negotiations. In fact, since female condom can be inserted before intercourse gets underway (or before the date or hook-up even begins), women may not even need to insist upon its use. There is an important caveat, however. When there is violence or the threat of violence in a relationship, any condom use is dangerous to negotiate for many women. For this reason, research on microbicides is promising because microbicides will enable women to protect themselves against STIs and HIV in a way that would be largely undetected. For now, the female condom is a monumental step in the right direction for public health prevention efforts. It could be of benefit to you or someone you know. Check out your local drugstore or inquire at your local sexual health centre and discover another way of protecting yourself. For more information: Amaro, H. and Raj, A. (2000). On the margin: Power and women’s HIV risk reduction strategies. Sex Roles, 42(7-8), pp. 723-749. Brown, H. (2003). The Female Condom: Women Control STI Protection. Population Reference Bureau. Washington, D.C. Hardwick, D. (2002). The effectiveness of a female condom intervention on women’s use of condoms. Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 11(2), pp.63-76. McKay, A. and Barrett, M. (2008). Rising reported rates of Chlamydia among young women in Canada: What do they tell us about trends in the actual prevalence of the infection? Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 17(1-2), pp.61-69. Public Health Agency of Canada. HIV and AIDS in Canada. Surveillance Report to December 31, 2007. Surveillance and Risk Assessment Division, Centre for Communicable Diseases and Infection Control, Public Health Agency of Canada, 2008. The Canadian Women’s Health Network culturemagazine.ca |
According to local sexual health education providers, knowledge about the female condom among different age groups is generally limited. This isn’t surprising. After all, the traditional, that is, 
Available in Canada since 1994, the female condom provides important benefits. Like all options for safer sex, the female condom has its so-called advantages and disadvantages, but, more importantly, the female condom has the potential for empowering women around the world, including right in your own neighbourhood.