Consent has been a hot topic of late, and there are some companies that are getting in on the conversation.
Viral marketing is a thing, after all.
Tulipan, an adult toy and condom company, recently started advertising their condoms coming in a "consent pack" that was designed by the ad agency BBDO Argentina.
The pack requires four hands to open, presumably meaning that both parties work together to access the condoms.
The ad uses the hashtag #PlacerConsentido (permitted or consenting pleasure) and phrases like:
"If it's not a yes, it's a no."
"Without consent there is no pleasure."
BBDO Argentina's creative directors spoke with CNN about the campaign:
"Tulipan has always spoken of safe pleasure, but for this campaign we understood that we had to talk about the most important thing in every sexual relationship: pleasure is possible only if you both give your consent first."
"In sex, everything is worth only if a rule is respected: the consent of both to do it."
While the ad campaign is definitely well-intentioned, it kind of misses the mark when considering consent.
Anyone who doesn't think consent is important is unlikely to consider a condom particularly important either.
The box also prevents the use of the condoms in any situation where both parties don't have full use of both of their hands, whether due to disability or alternative bedroom activities.
Just because someone consents, that doesn't meant that they have two free hands to open a pack of condoms.
Anything that makes condoms harder to use makes people less likely to use them.
If the goal is to spread awareness about consent and safe sex practices, adding a step to the process of having safe sex might not be the best way to do it.
Another problem is that consent can be withdrawn at anytime during sex.
Just because someone is happy to participate at the beginning of an encounter when it's time to put on a condom, that doesn't mean that they can't change their mind later.
Anything that encourages discussion and education about consent is a good thing.
But it is also important to make sure that the way you encourage that conversation doesn't create potential harm.
Consent is key, buf so is safety.
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