---
GETTING GLOVE When buying condoms is just too embarrassing to bear, have no fear. FOR YOUR LOVE
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION/JARED GAB
You've gone down every aisle at Walgreens. You know what you came for, but picking up a box of condoms off the shelf is harder than you plan to be tonight. You quickly grab the first box you see and rush to the check-out line. You're in such a hurry to get out of the store that you bump into the person in line in front of you. To your horror, Aunt Jean just caught you just before the action with a box of glow-in-the-dark condoms.
So embarrassing...
Purchasing the raincoat that protects against the shower of STDs and screaming children is usually most difficult for women. The inner judgments of the stud working the counter and other customers contribute to the stress of buying banana bandanas.
Kelly Stromberg, Derby sophomore, says she doesn't like to buy condoms because of people around."I'm afraid they're thinking 'Wow, what a whore' and 'Someone's gonna get some tonight.' "Stromberg says.
Having someone judgin' your lovin' can be more uncomfortable than your first whack in the sack. Men may be proud of their conquests, but women often face labels such as slut, tramp and whore that are attached to their sexual lifetitles.
FOR THE LOVE-MAKING MACHINES WHO CAN'T SUCK IT UP AND BUY THE DANG CONDOMS THEMSELVES, OTHERS MAKE IT EASIER FOR YOU TO AVOID HAVING A LITTLE BUNDLE OF JOY.
Buying condoms is not usually difficult for men, but there are times when these shaggers don't want to boast, "I'm getting laid tonight." Guys also struggle with the judgment of the person behind the counter. "It was embarrassing to know that they know why you're buying them," Andrew Fennelly, Naperville, Ill. junior, says. He was embarrassed to buy condoms in high school and to publicly admit that he did the horizontal polka. "It was embarrassing then, but I'm over it now," Fennelly says.
Discrete willy-wrapping
Sexed-up shoppers have
05=> JAYPLAY 10.19.2006
found ways to distract attention from the boxes of lover covers in their carts. Kendra Melves, Olathe sophomore, is a cashier at Walgreens, 400 W. 23rd St. and has witnessed many men keeping their rubbers under cover."Most guys will buy other stuff with the condoms whether it be gum or something else," Melves says.
The embarrassment doesn't seem to fade with age. The most hesitant condom shoppers are older men, timid to admit that they're bumping uglies, Meines says.
were listed as one of the items most frequently stolen. Public groups and organizations have a solution to this problem: give out wraps for free.
Love-making freezes in a National Retail Security Survey done in 1995, condoms
Love-making freebies
For the love-making machines who can't suck it up and buy the dang condoms themselves, others make it easier for you to avoid having a little bundle of joy. Student Union Activities passes out condoms on campus to promote awareness of sexual health issues.The Douglas County AIDS Project (DCAP) has had an impact on the sexual health of KU students. The organization is 17 years old and receives funding from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. DCAP
is responsible for the condom bowls that excite almost as much some grinding action and are located throughout Lawrence.These bowls are full of free protection from babies and syphills.
Alcohol can up your odds of jumping in the sack, so the Replay Lounge, 946 Massachusetts St., is one of the locations that requested a bowl of condoms. Cooper Moon, bartender at Replay thinks having the condoms around is a good idea for sexed-up bar-goers."We have a bowl of condoms 'cause it's a bar, people get drunk and, ya know,"Moon says.
DCAP also handed out condoms in front of Wescoce last month along with copies of The University Daily Kansan's Sex on the Hill.
Making sure you're safe when
Deacon Jones, Olathe senior,
grabs a box of condoms at
Conocity, 955 E.23rd St.
you bump and grind should outweigh embarrassment, says Kristin Brumm, executive director of DCAP."This day and age, there is really no need to be embarrassed. It's the safe thing to do and the right thing to do," she says.
There are no legitimate excuses for not protecting your man or womanhood. Even if you can't get over the fear of the Blonde Betty assuming you're a player when you walk up to buy those Trojan goodies, you can get them at the bar on Saturday or even in front of Wescoe on your way to class. Get yourself some condoms, wrap it up and get it on.
THE COST OF CONDOMS
The prices of condoms as found at Walgreens
Trojan Pleasure Pack
12 condoms
$12.99
Class Act
13 condoms
$3.99
Durex Ultra Sensitive
12 condoms
$7.99
Lifestyles
36 condoms
$18.99
Durex
24 condoms
$12.99
Miracle Video 1910 Haskell
CONDOM BOWL LOCATIONS
Eighth Street Tap Room 801 New Hampshire
The Haircut 3727 W.Sixth St.
The Pool Room 925 Iowa
Java Break 17E. Seventh St.
Replay Lounge
946 Massachusetts St.
Student Union Activities (SUA)
Kansas Union Fourth Floor
Hashinger Hall 1632 Engel Road