The condom walk of shame
You hands are sweating, you grab toothpaste, some razors and a chocolate bar on the way to the counter and you lay it all out on the register in full display of the cashier and other customers. You are buying condoms.
If you are sexually active, this scenario will probably feel familiar. If sex alone doesn't cause people enough stress and anxiety, purchasing a condom in order to do the deed is there to make it that much more uncomfortable.
Although society continues to stress how important safe sex is, there is a stigma attached to this where people will place judgment based on the purchase of a little rubber.
It is no secret that the condom industry is booming as sexual activity continues and these companies are taking advantage of that by striving to please their devoted consumers.
Nowadays you can walk to the condom section and are overwhelmed by choices and options that you never thought possible. Size, colour and structure are all things that people are now required to take into consideration as condom companies attempt to revamp the standard condom and come up with more ways to reinforce its use, as well as make this a more pleasurable experience.
Remember your first time?
An empty isle is KEY - The thought of a stranger standing there as you wrack your brain trying to determine if it really matters whether it is yellow or blue, ribbed or smooth, regular or magnum is enough to make someone run the other direction. Your first thought is to stick your hand out as you walk past the section and grab the first box your fingers touch and keep walking.
The walk of shame
With the box in hand it is now time to try and avoid interaction at all costs as you make your way to the cash. Most likely the path you take is the longest one possible, as you attempt to keep your purchase out of sight from other people grabbing unnecessary items along the way.
The final encounter
At this point interaction is unavoidable as you walk towards the cash and are forced to decide which is best, the younger girl, who may snicker at the thought of you having sex, or the adult who may frown upon the thought of you having sex. Is one better than the other? Probably not, both can be equally as humiliating.
Paying up
Strategically positioning the box of condoms in amongst your magazine, gum, chips and other toiletries as you hope to have them slide by without getting caught by the price check or the unsolicited comment from the cashier.
Home free
Price check or not, you've made it through the check out and hope that the cashier was smart enough to desensitize your items in order to avoid stopping for security (yet another encounter that is just enough to make you celibate for the rest of your life).
After a few trips to your local Shoppers Drug Mart, I am not sure whether it gets any easier. For some, they have the confidence to take their sweet time reading all of the benefits to each of the new products on the market and then walking directly to the cash blatantly stating, “I'm going to go have sex!,” while others will continue to shy from the situation and walk out with their ‘tail' between their legs.
There are so many questions attached to condom purchases, definitely making it anything but a walk in the park. Although there is no right way or wrong way to pick up a box and walk to the cash, it's good to keep in mind that you are not the only one and it is better to be nervous about purchasing protection than be nervous about a bun in the oven.
If you are sexually active, this scenario will probably feel familiar. If sex alone doesn't cause people enough stress and anxiety, purchasing a condom in order to do the deed is there to make it that much more uncomfortable.
Although society continues to stress how important safe sex is, there is a stigma attached to this where people will place judgment based on the purchase of a little rubber.
It is no secret that the condom industry is booming as sexual activity continues and these companies are taking advantage of that by striving to please their devoted consumers.
Nowadays you can walk to the condom section and are overwhelmed by choices and options that you never thought possible. Size, colour and structure are all things that people are now required to take into consideration as condom companies attempt to revamp the standard condom and come up with more ways to reinforce its use, as well as make this a more pleasurable experience.
Remember your first time?
An empty isle is KEY - The thought of a stranger standing there as you wrack your brain trying to determine if it really matters whether it is yellow or blue, ribbed or smooth, regular or magnum is enough to make someone run the other direction. Your first thought is to stick your hand out as you walk past the section and grab the first box your fingers touch and keep walking.
The walk of shame
With the box in hand it is now time to try and avoid interaction at all costs as you make your way to the cash. Most likely the path you take is the longest one possible, as you attempt to keep your purchase out of sight from other people grabbing unnecessary items along the way.
The final encounter
At this point interaction is unavoidable as you walk towards the cash and are forced to decide which is best, the younger girl, who may snicker at the thought of you having sex, or the adult who may frown upon the thought of you having sex. Is one better than the other? Probably not, both can be equally as humiliating.
Paying up
Strategically positioning the box of condoms in amongst your magazine, gum, chips and other toiletries as you hope to have them slide by without getting caught by the price check or the unsolicited comment from the cashier.
Home free
Price check or not, you've made it through the check out and hope that the cashier was smart enough to desensitize your items in order to avoid stopping for security (yet another encounter that is just enough to make you celibate for the rest of your life).
After a few trips to your local Shoppers Drug Mart, I am not sure whether it gets any easier. For some, they have the confidence to take their sweet time reading all of the benefits to each of the new products on the market and then walking directly to the cash blatantly stating, “I'm going to go have sex!,” while others will continue to shy from the situation and walk out with their ‘tail' between their legs.
There are so many questions attached to condom purchases, definitely making it anything but a walk in the park. Although there is no right way or wrong way to pick up a box and walk to the cash, it's good to keep in mind that you are not the only one and it is better to be nervous about purchasing protection than be nervous about a bun in the oven.
