Marie Claire Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Fashion Month
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career Money
    • Health Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes amp; Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • TIFF's Best-Dressed
    • Low Ponytails
    • 'Ungrateful Immigrant Daughter'
    • Altuzarra
    • Caitlin Clark x Nike
    1. Sex love

    Why Condoms Have a Bad (W)Rap

    I do not get along well with condoms. Last time I tried to apply a condom I was drunk. After ransacking my drawer as if I was robbing my own bedroom.

    By Rich Santos
    Published 16 December 2008 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    I do not get along well with condoms.

    The invention itself makes sense: let's create a covering for the penis that will catch anything that would contribute to unwanted pregnancy. Furthermore, this wrapping will help prevent transmission of STDs.

    OK, condoms are actually really cool. They help prevent things I'm very afraid of, and they are necessary for safe sex. Hey, even that little reservoir tip at the end of the condom is a nice little nuance-you know they made them without that first!

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    Someone needs to invent a condom that:

    Condoms (as we know them) are all about prevention. But the perfect condom would also prevent the following:

    Backwards Wrap

    Last time I tried to apply a condom I was drunk. After ransacking my drawer as if I was robbing my own bedroom, I finally came up with one of those free-bee "NYC Condoms" that they hand out on the sidewalk. I have no confidence in batteries that are not Duracel or Energizer, so you can imagine my fearwhen I dredged up the "NYC Condom". Well, once I finally made it back to bed, I attempted to put on the condom, but it simply didn't go on. Finally, I tossed it away and informed the girl that I had "lost my mood". We went to sleep. It took until two days later when I found where it had landed to realize what had gone wrong. The condom was lying there inverted! I tried to unravel it the wrong way. If it's impossible to put on a condom when drunk, than condom application is no different than driving...and I took classes and passed a test for my license.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.



    In Between Size

    Nearly every time I've used a condom it's either broken or slipped off. So I'm too big, or too small. I'll assume too big. Or they just don't make them in my size?

    Cheek, Chin, Collar, Art, Self-portrait, Artwork, Portrait, Painting, Visual arts, Paint,

    (Image credit: Archives)

    Stop the Show!

    Every time I get set to put on a condom, it's a huge production. Everything stops. It's like a time out in a football game, or going to the symphony and having the band tell the audience they need to stop to fix something in the middle of the final movement! Can you imagine Beethoven's Ninth, if an orchestra stopped right before the famous Fourth Movement right after the perfect build up?

    Where To Buy

    Sometimes finding a condom at the spur-of-the-moment is like looking for an obscure B-side recording by an Indie band. I've looked through friends' dad's drawers, my own drawers, and small towns for condoms. Why do I wait until I hear "do you have a condom," before I figure out if I have a condom?

    I have to hide all of my condoms. It's just awkward having them out in the open. I have a mental issue-I hide things so well that I forget where I've hidden them. And I can't just put them on my bedside table, wouldn't that look rather assumptive? If a girl sees them sitting out she will think

    A. I think I'm getting some

    B. I'm getting some with someone else

    C. All of the above.

    If they could make condoms look like a pack of gum, complete with fake wrapping and everything-like a Bubblicious wrapper, then I could just sit them next to my bed and smoothly reach over when she asks if I have a condom.

    Text, Pink, Font, Magenta, Rectangle, Advertising, Graphics,

    (Image credit: Archives)

    I've heard that I'm supposed to let the girl put the condom on me, or whatever. But I need to investigate strategies to make the condom process more "turnkey." Also, I need to plan better-have condoms on-hand so that I can just go right to where I need to go, but-- because I'm anxious on a clinical level-- I fear that assuming success by buying condoms to prepare will jinx that success. And that moment of looking for them will always feel awkward to me...and you know I don't like moving around the room naked!

    So, how can I learn to live with condoms? Do you have any horror stories or tips (no pun intended)?

    Rich Santos
    Latest in Sex love
    Two women covered in blood (Gillian Anderson as Billy and Hannah Einbinder as Kris) stand closely together in a convenience store aisle, with their intertwined hands on a cart. A still from Jane Schoenbrun#039;s #039;Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma#039; (2026).
    Movies Everyone Has Thoughts About Gen Z and Sex. 'Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma' Gets It Right
    Princess Diana wears a shimmering blue mini dress and carries a matching blue silk clutch bag
    Royals How Diana Navigated Being a "Newly Divorced Princess"
     
     
    Queen Camilla wears off-white and pale green on her wedding day, including a white hat, to marry King Charles in 2005
    Royals Why Queen Camilla "Felt a Little Broken" on Her Wedding Day
    Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are married at Madison Square Garden and a sign announces their nuptials outside
    Celebrity What Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Said in Their Wedding Vows
     
     
    Latest in News
    campaign photo of The Other September Issue for Substack, written by Gabriella Karefa-Johnson
    Fall fashion Gabriella Karefa-Johnson Wants Fashion to Take Note of the "Underappreciated"
    Princess Kate and Princess Charlotte with their heads together at the Commonwealth Games
    Royals Princess Charlotte Had a Special Backstage Experience Orchestrated by Mom Kate
     
     
    collage of New York Fashion Week guests and celebrities wearing the statement skirt trend
    Fall fashion New York Fashion Week's Easiest Outfit Formula Starts With a Statement Skirt
    Prince Harry looks at Prince William on the Buckingham Palace balcony as both wear military uniforms
    Royals Prince William's Stance on Prince Harry Has Changed to a "Cold War"
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.