* Charles Goodyear obtained the first patent on a crepe rubber condom in 1844. And our sex lives haven't been the same since!
* Gabriele Fallopio, the Italian anatomist after whom Fallopian tubes are named, claimed to have invented the condom in 1564 in order to prevent syphilis. He may not have known it but condoms of one kind or another were in use around the world long before then!
* The number of condoms estimated to be used every year worldwide hit the 5 billion mark a couple years ago. And continues to climb even as you read this!
* Young Malcolm X, he of "by any means necessary" fame, supplemented his early income as a shoeshine man by selling condoms. Woowee! Malcolm could have sold me one any time!
* In 16th century Europe, condoms were made of linen. A ribbon sewn into the open end allowed for it to be drawn snugly around the man's cock. The ribbon may also have helped add to the woman's pleasure!
Showing posts with label condoms. Show all posts
Showing posts with label condoms. Show all posts
Friday, February 1, 2008
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
To condomize or not to condomize!
A few days after World AIDS Day and at a time when health experts are reporting that there are a whole lot more new HIV infections than previously thought, it's probably a good time to bring up the topic of condoms.
A lot of writers worry about introducing rubbers into their stories but there’s no hard and fast rule.
Some publishing houses take the view that their books are fantasies and who would fantasize about condoms? So they don’t require it. Who wants to think about sexually transmitted infections when they're getting their groove on?
Other houses, concerned about any messages they may be sending about unsafe sex, require writers to, at least, mention that their characters are using condoms. How the writer chooses to introduce the topic is up to them. It could be a one liner where a character mentions using it or discarding it after sex or it could be something lengthier where putting it on becomes part of the sex play.
So whether you choose to condomize or not really depends on the writer and their particular publishing house. I don’t mention condoms in The Gladiator’s Woman, not because they didn’t have condoms in ancient Rome, they did, but because it being a historical I didn’t feel the pressure to do so. People just weren't as worried about those diseases back then and there was a lot more ignorance about signs and symptoms. In a contemporary, I probably would bring up condoms. In another life, I was an HIV educator and I'd feel I owed it to my readers.
What you do depends on you and on whether the publishing house you're targeting would allow it. If you're unsure, look up the guidelines, read other books they've published, or, just ask the editor.
A lot of writers worry about introducing rubbers into their stories but there’s no hard and fast rule.
Some publishing houses take the view that their books are fantasies and who would fantasize about condoms? So they don’t require it. Who wants to think about sexually transmitted infections when they're getting their groove on?
Other houses, concerned about any messages they may be sending about unsafe sex, require writers to, at least, mention that their characters are using condoms. How the writer chooses to introduce the topic is up to them. It could be a one liner where a character mentions using it or discarding it after sex or it could be something lengthier where putting it on becomes part of the sex play.
So whether you choose to condomize or not really depends on the writer and their particular publishing house. I don’t mention condoms in The Gladiator’s Woman, not because they didn’t have condoms in ancient Rome, they did, but because it being a historical I didn’t feel the pressure to do so. People just weren't as worried about those diseases back then and there was a lot more ignorance about signs and symptoms. In a contemporary, I probably would bring up condoms. In another life, I was an HIV educator and I'd feel I owed it to my readers.
What you do depends on you and on whether the publishing house you're targeting would allow it. If you're unsure, look up the guidelines, read other books they've published, or, just ask the editor.
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