Raisins? Blueberries? Prunes? Keep guessing.
A new safe-sex campaign has gone simply ballistic in its promotion of healthy habits for men. A pair of singing testicles warns sexually active males of the tragic consequence that comes from forgetting to pack a condom: a case of the infamous blue balls.
The duo’s homepage declares their mission statement: “to save mankind from big, bulging problems,” and they intend to do so through song.
The minds behind the balls are finding praise for their unconventional approach to safe-sex awareness. Design Uncensored argues that the spokespeople commonly used to teach safe-sex—such as couples, parents and and other humans—are tired and ineffective.
[We] have been educated about [safe sex] for a damn long time and we already know what kind of messages and images the advertisers would use—it’s always the same, so we tend to tune off from these messages.
With lyrics like “If you forget your protection, say so long to your mighty man erection,” this PSA is certainly a change of pace from wrapping bananas in the classroom. On the other hand, at least the bananas taught an important lesson. Through this new approach, the educational aspect of practicing safe sex is removed and we’re left with a less-than-groundbreaking characterization of the male sex drive. In fact, if others weren’t referring to the project as an effort to promote safe sex, The Blue Balls Blues campaign might be nothing more than a creative complaint about sexual frustration; neither “safe” nor “sex” appear anywhere on the campaign’s homepage.
The arrival of these peculiar testes raises some necessary questions. For example, is it a step in the right direction to forego the realities of sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy in a safe-sex campaign? What about other forms of birth control besides condoms (which is all this campaign mentions)? And where are women in this scenario? Don’t condoms keep them safe? And besides that, men aren’t the only ones who suffer from sexual frustration. How about a ballad on blue ovaries?
Unconventional methods may freshen up old messages, but one has to wonder if singing testicles are indeed the answer to preventing unwanted pregnancies and STDs. The Blue Balls Blues presents a myopic view of sex and highlights male sexual frustration as the primary (and sole) concern as well as the worst possible outcome of not having a condom. Surely there must be a more effective way to promote safer sex than the looming threat of blue balls. Comprehensive sex education? Affordable and accessible contraceptives? Now that might be worth singing about.
Photo courtesy of Design Taxi