"If Buying Condoms Was Like Buying Birth Control"

I came across this video a little bit ago on Tumblr and thought it did a great job of satirizing how traditional male/female roles regarding birth control play out. It flips the traditional gender stereotypes reinforced by sexual health content between the male and the female, questioning what it would be like if men were responsible for birth control. The video addresses a multitude of aspects of buying birth control for women - visiting a gynecologist, undergoing a routine physical exam, and cost factors (and insurance issues), but I thought the part at the end was most appropriate for what we've learned about sexual health messages in the media.

As we read in the Hust, Brown & L'Engle article on Sexual Health Messages in Media, sexual health content in popular media is rare. When it does appear, the information is "ambiguous and/or inaccurate, reinforces traditional gender stereotypes...and presents puberty as funny and contraception as embarrassing or humiliating" (2008, p.4). Birth control is typically shown as an "undesirable aspect of sexual intercourse" (Hust, Brown & L'Engle, 2007, p.6). This often occurs with condoms, as they are portrayed as detracting from the experience of sex for men. "Condoms and contraception are a girl's responsibility", whether for pregnancy or STD prevention.

This video addresses this particularly in the end, when the male character mentions he has run out of his condom "prescription". His girlfriend, taking on the traditional male role in a sexual relationship, tells him, "you really need to be more responsible with the birth control". This speaks to the typical role of a female being the one responsible for consequences of sex, for both condoms and contraception (Hust, Brown & L'Engle, 2008, p.13). When he responds, "Well, maybe you could take responsibility for the birth control from now on", she pouts and tells him "then it won't feel as good", putting the responsibility back on him. This addresses exactly what appears in popular media regarding birth control responsibility, but also speaks to what happens in reality between couples having sex.

On a different level, this video could also fit into the research suggesting that birth control knowledge uses humor to drive the sexual health content. But by satirizing what is typically expected in a sexual relationship, it addresses the discrepancies between responsibility and expectations surrounding birth control between men and women. It brings to light that in addition to being much more difficult to purchase birth control than it is to buy condoms, the role of caring for birth control as a whole is an entirely female responsibility. Hopefully, this video allows for a greater understanding of the inequality, even if it has to use humor to do so.

Readings:

Hurst, S., Brown, J., & L'Engle, K. (2008). Boys Will Be Boys and Girls Better Be Prepared: An Analysis of the Rare Sexual Health Messages in Young Adolescent's Media. Mass Communication & Society, 11, 3-23.