We are SO excited to introduce the ONE® Dreamy Beanie. It’s hat-tastic, beanie-licious, cap-tivating – and every other dad joke you can think of. While the jokes are bad, the beanie really is quite dreamy.
Not only do the beanies come in three different colors and are made from 100% recycled yarn, we’re also all about giving a splash of something extra. Each beanie has a satin label with a smiley that winks at you. Every time you pull on the ONE® Dreamy Beanie, you get a lil’ wink to start off your day.
It’s plush, it’s cozy, it’s everything you want in a beanie. And while we do have MyONE® Custom Fit™ Condoms with 52 condom sizes, the good news is the ONE® Dreamy Beanie fits most heads. No measuring required.
Take your beanie to the great outdoors on a hike, a skiing trip, or a trip to Costco. Snow work? No problem. Our ONE HQ is in Boston and we know a thing or two about the absolute chaos that is shoveling snow. With the ONE Dreamy Beanie, your snow chores in negative temps suddenly have a splash of sunshine. Wear the beanie to work, a date, or a party to show off your impeccable style. Make it into a nest for a small pet, or give it as a gift.
What do you think of the ONE Dreamy Beanie? Do you have a sweet photo of you wearing the beanie? What other swag should we carry next? Send us a note at info@onecondoms.com – we would love to hear from you.
]]>To shine a spotlight on a specific community we love, the Los Angeles County’s Department of Public Health commemorated World AIDS Day on December 1st with public landmarks illuminated by red lights and the launch of the I’m+LA program for individuals affected by HIV. Additionally, the county not only partnered with social media influencers that published posts with respect to World AIDS Day, but they too took part in posting their own series of educational social posts on Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and Facebook. There were also public events within the community specifically focused on World AIDS Day, some of which featured thought-leaders and guest speakers. Read more about the commemoration of World AIDS Day in LA County DPH’s press release.
Combining fashion and public health, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health partnered with Gunnar Deatherage on a condom dress. The red-carpet-ready dress was handcrafted entirely from expired ONE Condoms (donated by LA County’s Department of Public Health) and fabric – a truly jaw-dropping creation for the fashion and “condom couture” industries. Check out the dress on YouTube and Instagram.
The designer behind the masterpiece, Gunnar Deatherage, is a local, yet widely-known designer within the fashion industry from Los Angeles. Gunnar was featured on not only Season 10 of Project Runway, but also Season 4 of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars.
Read below to see what Gunnar had to say about this dress!
What inspired you to create a condom dress?
As a gay man, growing up, the AIDS crisis was something I was aware of, and I think we’re in a place now where information is power, and my medium is fashion, so it felt like a no brainer for me to transform all of the expired condoms into a piece that could further advance the knowledge of World AIDS Day.
What do you hope this project teaches people about safer sex?
I’m really hoping that the message that there are free resources available gets out. I really love that LA County can provide them. Condoms can be really expensive as well, so the fact that they can be obtained for people is really incredible.
ONE® Condoms has a program called Project Condom that partners with colleges & organizations to host condom fashion shows. Do you have any tips for people aspiring to make their own condom dress/garment?
Yes! Hot glue does not work ha ha! Truly though, I think that finding out of the box and creative ways to attach them to another fabric is definitely the way to go. They have their own set of hurdles to jump overcome to engineer a garment.
What was the most difficult part of working with condoms as a creative material?
I have sensory issues, and I really had to jump a few mental hurdles to unwrap and manipulate 1200 of them.
How long did it take you to complete this dress?
This dress took me about 18 hours of work time.
What was your favorite part of creating a condom dress and working with the LA County Department of Public Health?
Truly, the reception of my audience was incredible and encouraging! Those moments are the reason I love to create!
“There was a record number of attendees, both from local schools and community organizations and this year, we facilitated the in-person attendance of youth based in Saskatchewan, the province with the highest HIV rates, providing them with the opportunity to come to Toronto and connect with fellow peers in the Youth-HIV advocacy space. All of the attendees were provided with leadership kits, filled with items to aid their participation in the event and resources such as ONE Condoms products. We want to thank all our generous supporters for helping bring to life such an important event.” - said Tad Chmiel, Development Manager at LetsStopAIDS.
Our team at ONE Condoms was ecstatic to work with LetsStopAIDS again on such a great cause. We also partnered with our friends at Pamco Distributing to provide conference attendees with thousands of condoms.
]]>After speaking with president Julia Bhuiyan about her goals for the week, we decided ONE’s expertise as condom fit professionals would offer a unique and fresh lens for students to learn about safer sex. On Monday October 30th, our team members Noah LeBlanc, Emily Segan, Emma Sturgis led “The Wrap, Unwrapped: Choosing the Right Condom With ONE.”
Our first goal was to disprove the common misconceptions around condom fit and provide students with fact-based research surrounding condom problems (that many of us, and many of them experience). We began with light-hearted Q&A ice breakers to set the sexy-time mood and get people’s mind’s racing about condoms. Next, Public Health and Outreach Coordinator Emily Segan led us through some of the most influential research surrounding condom fit and condom experience.
The first study we looked at was a 2002 study of college-age males, who reported about their condom use in the past 3 months. Among the participants, 32% had erection loss while applying the condom (Crosby et al., 2002). This is a problem we hear a lot about. Penises are working hard to maintain an erection, but an ill-fitting condom means it has to work even harder. In another study conducted by Australian researchers, five major factors were highlighted when it came to condom dissatisfaction. These factors, the condom being too loose, too tight, too short, slipping off, and breaking, all have to do with condom size (Smith et al., 1999). Lastly, researchers from Hunter College’s Center for HIV Educational Studies and Training (CHEST) surveyed nearly 500 gay and bisexual men to find that only 38.7% of the participants reported that finding condoms that fit their penis is “easy” (Grove et al., 2013)
Explaining the dissatisfaction and dangers of “one size fits all” condoms often garners positive feedback, and this audience was no different. It can feel liberating and comforting to know what 91% of condom wearers don’t fit into standard condom sizes (Herbenick et al., 2014). There is nothing wrong with you or your penis. Trust us (after all, we’ve talked to thousands of people about their condom fit challenges as we help them find their perfect fit condom).
Next, MyONE® Custom Fit™ Size Specialist Noah LeBlanc explained the five most common condom fit issues. “This is my favorite topic to get into. (INSERT FIT ISSUE PICTURE)
To solve these issues we created our own catalog of FitCodes that make up 52 unique sizes. A MyONE® FitCode (aka size code) is a combination of a Girth Number (ex. 53) and a Length Letter (ex. H) to get your FitCode (ex. 53H).
MyONE has nine different Girth Numbers ranging from 45 to 64. Those numbers also correlate to the Nominal Width (lay flat width) of the actual condom. We try to color code these widths in our materials, and also provide them with names to ease the process of finding a fit. We selected terms like snug, classic, and wide in order to reduce discomfort and take away the negative impact that words like small, and big/large can have.
MyONE has ten different Length Letters, ranging from C (4.7” in condom length) to M (9.3” in condom length). We didn’t use the letters A and B because one day we hope to introduce two shorter length options. Our snugger and wider sizes are the best sellers of course.
One of the most interesting things you can see here is how Magnum and other extra large condoms compare. Magnums are only about 0.5" longer than standard condoms, and the base width is only 2 mm wider. They are flared as well, but you know that if it's too snug at the base you'll still be dealing with a few of the problems we discussed before. And most people need a wider and shorter condom – not a longer condom.
Finally, Marketing Coordinator Emma Sturgis finished off the day’s presentation with a discussion about ONE® Flex™ - ONE’s newest condom technology. ONE® Flex™ is the first ever condom made with the wonder material, graphene. Graphene is the strongest, thinnest, most heat conductive material on earth. Most notably, graphene is known for being 200 times stronger than steel and 1 million times thinner than human hair.
After nearly a decade of research and development, ONE® condom scientists discovered how to molecularly bond our premium, vegan latex with the wonder material graphene — creating one of the world's thinnest condoms. Preferred 2-to-1 over standard latex condoms, ONE® Flex is paving the way towards a new world of safer sex innovation. Harvard student’s were more than excited to join the #FlexSex wave and grab handfuls of free samples.
And that's a wrap! We had an absolute blast speaking with Harvard students and hearing their experience with condom fit. Education and community engagement is what we’re built on here at ONE, and it was an honor to connect with students at Harvard University. Interested in having us visit your college or university? Reach out to info@onecondoms.com for more information!
Thank you to the Harvard Sex Week team for hosting us and helping us put on another ONE of a kind event.
Crosby et al. Condom use errors and problems among college men. Sex Transm Dis. 2002 Sep; 29(9):552-7.
Grov C et al. Self-reported penis size and experiences with condoms among gay and bisexual men. Arch Sex Behav. 2013;42(2): 313-322
Herbenick D, Reece M, Schick V, and Sanders SA. Erect penile length and circumference dimensions of 1,661 sexually active men in the United States. J Sex Med 2014;11: 93–101
RA Crosby et el. Does it fit okay? Problems with condom fit as a function of self-reported poor fit. Sex Transm Infect 2010 86: 36-38.
Smith AM, et al. Factors affecting men’s liking of condoms they have used. Int J of STD and AIDS 1999; 10: 258-262
]]>September 26th, 2023, marks a special day for ONE® and all of our loyal customers! We’re known for coming up with some pretty wild innovations over the years when it comes to products and programs. And now, we’re excited to launch our brand new Momentum® customer rewards platform!
For those of you reading this that are thinking, “what’s going on, and what is Momentum®?” we’ll catch you up to speed.
We’re thankful to have such an incredible, loyal fan base. ONE® is passionate about giving people opportunities to engage in conversation and education about sexual health. Many years ago, we launched the Army of ONE, our very first customer engagement platform. In 2015, we renamed it to Momentum®.
Momentum® “1.0" was our virtual, social integration platform for completing challenges, earning points, and redeeming them for free ONE® products and swag. Challenges included tasks like sending us a selfie with ONE, sharing a story about the first time purchasing condoms, or doing a focus group or product review. It’s all about starting conversations about condoms in a fun way – and earning free ONE Condoms & swag in the process!
While the objective of our Momentum® “2.0” remains unchanged, the new platform is astronomically better. It’s much more visual, easy-to-use and mobile friendly!
Does that sound interesting? We thought so. Here’s how it works: Sign up for a free account and get 250 points as a head start. Complete challenges, and watch those points start adding up! If you are already a Momentum user, log in with your existing Momentum® email address. Your points automatically migrated to the new platform.
A password reset will be required :) Questions or trouble logging in? We’re here to help, just email momentum@onecondoms.com.
Cash in those points for FREE ONE® products and swag! When you redeem a reward on the Momentum® hub, you will receive a unique code with a link to the product you selected. The email will include a direct link to checkout, or you can head on over to onecondoms.com and put those points to good use. You can always access your reward by navigating to the “Rewards” tab within the hub, and clicking “My Rewards.”
Connect your socials to your account and connect with other Momentum users!
Returning users, prepare to be wowed. To our new friends, get ready to sit on your booty for the foreseeable future answering all our challenges to collect points. ;)
As always, we love to hear back from fans like you. Our goal is to always keep improving! Drop us a line at momentum@onecondoms.com.
]]>We proudly stand with the LGBTQIA+ community – always have and always will. Our commitment to advancing the rights and well-being of LGBTQIA+ communities is in our DNA. Many of us, and the advocates we work with, are part of the community and are doing work within the community all year round.
Our mission of increasing access to safer sex practices dates back to the AIDS epidemic. Our parent company was founded in 1987 to get people talking about condoms and safer sex. Education and providing access to sexual health resources is at the heart of who we are as a brand. Last year, ONE became the first condom company to receive FDA clearance for anal sex, a critical advancement for sexual equity.
With all that said, let’s take a look at some of the amazing partners we were thrilled to partner with this June.
ONE at Boston Pride
ONE Condoms is Boston-based and Boston proud! This year we partnered with Boston Pride for the People to create 10,000 custom ONE condom wrappers with their logo to pass out during the event! We also had a booth in City Hall Plaza. Thank you to everyone who came by to snag some free condoms and sexual health supplies. We hope you had fun and can’t wait to see you next year! See our TikTok video about it here.
ONE and Planned Parenthood at Twin Cities Pride
We were also thrilled to partner with Planned Parenthood North Central States in supporting the LGBTQIA+ community at Twin Cities Pride. Health isn’t political, it’s a right. Which is why we donated 10,000 custom co-branded ONE + Planned Parenthood condoms for the event – and my goodness were the designs cute. The custom wrapper was designed by Ry Macarayan, who got their degree at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. The outreach team talked to 6,420 people! Between the Planned Parenthood table and info booths, all 10,000 condoms were handed out. Check out two tweets about it here and here.
ONE and Homoculture
Creating custom ONE Condoms, on our cute trademarked round wrappers, is one of the most fun things we do. Homoculture, led by Brian Webb, goes on tour across various Pride festivals in the USA and Canada. We were thrilled to provide ONE + Homoculture branded condoms for events at the White Party Palm Springs and Key West in the USA – and also at Fredericton Pride and Yukon Pride in Canada.
ONE and Prevention Meets Fashion
Nhakia Outland is the founder of the organization Prevention Meets Fashion, whose mission is to increase sexual health knowledge in Black, LGBTQIA & non-binary communities through Fashion, Advocacy, Community & Education (F.A.C.E.). At ONE we love creativity when it comes to sexual health education and are inspired by a partnership that combines sexual health with fashion. Check out some photos where co-branded ONE Condoms had the pleasure of making an appearance at Philly Pride!
Here’s just a small recap of the amazing partners we worked with in June for Pride. At ONE, we’re PROUD in June and in December, too. We’ll continue to work year round, as always, to spread love and joy.
]]>They are one of the few organizations that grants ‘unrestricted funds’ to partners, ensuring that necessities like utilities, transportation, hot meals and buddy programs are covered when otherwise they may have fallen through the cracks. DIFFA has been constantly fighting to close the gap left by insufficient and declining government funding in the wake of several public health crises.
We love the work they do, and in fact we even partnered together in the past for the ONE Makes a DIFFArence campaign where we came together with artists to create a sexual health education program for youth using art as a medium. Read more about that at onecondoms.com/diffa.
Thank you DIFFA for all your tremendous work, and happy Pride! 🏳️🌈
]]>This past month, ONE was proud to sponsor Boundless Theater in their production of Slap & Tickle: an immersive theatrical experience at The Eagle NYC. Written by David James Parr and directed by Adam Odsess-Rubin (Artistic Director of the National Queer Theater), the show is in partnership with GMHC, the world’s first HIV/AIDS service organization. Boundless theater generously donated $5 from every ticket sale to GMHC!
The show itself was a “thought-provoking, comedic & sensual exploration of how politics, drugs, HIV and social media dramatically changed the landscape for a generation of LGBT people in America who came of age in the wake of AIDS but on the cusp of GRINDR. The collective narrative is told by a spectrum of intersecting characters in the shadowy setting of a fictional NYC bathhouse.”
ONE was happy to support this theatrical experience and we wholeheartedly support the work GMHC is doing to end the AIDS epidemic and to raise awareness against hate crimes and legislation against the LGBTQI+ community.
Together we can start important conversations about sexual health and living authentically. Together We Are One.
]]>This semester's Harvard Sex Weekend provided attendees with a wealth of engaging, sexy, and informative experiences. From the thought-provoking seminar "The Intersection of Queer Identity, Policing, and Incarceration" featuring the distinguished speaker Jen Love Williams from Black and Pink MA, to the more laid-back Thursday night of Sex Trivia at the Cambridge Queen's Head's Pub, or Kinks and Fetishes for Beginners, there was something for everyone. Moreover, all participants received an assortment of ONE products, making the weekend both informative and practical.
ONE® is proud to support amazing organizations like SHEATH (Sexual Health Education & Advocacy towards Harvard College Students). For more than a decade they have been dedicated to empowering members of the Harvard community to explore their experiences with love and sex by providing comprehensive sexual education programming on Harvard’s campus and we’re happy to continue supporting their amazing work!
]]>Here at ONE Condoms, we’re so excited to have partnered with LetsStopAIDS again for this wonderful event. Together with our friends at Pamco Distributing, we donated condoms for the attendees.
Programming included sessions, practical workshops, expo booths, art, performances, networking opportunities and other social events. As a part of the conference, the first day concluded with INTERSEXTION, an inclusive party with an exciting lineup of musical and acrobatic performances. The second day of the conference began with a drag brunch hosted by DJ Sophie Jones, featuring remarks from the honourable Chris Glover, member of provincial parliament for Spadina-Fort York, as well as performances by Sanjina, Calypso Cosmic and Kingchella.
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The doctors are told they will be making social media videos informing teens about sexual health, and many of them are nervous. It’s a good look at how even medical professionals can sometimes get nervous when it comes to talking about sexual health.
Initially, the doctors read from pamphlets and the students look like they are falling asleep. Facts on facts on facts. Yawn!
But finally, they have a breakthrough by saying “Who wants to know where the clitoris is?” They talk about anatomy, and the inefficiency of the “pull out method.” Then they show how to use condoms on a banana (hello ONE!), and keep the teens laughing by (literally) throwing free condoms at them.
After that, the students are very engaged in the conversation. “Does anyone have any questions?” the doctors ask. And sure enough, everyone’s hands go up! There’s also topics covered including consent, pleasure, and how porn does not represent sex in reality. Check out their sweet dance moves at the end (32 minutes in), too.
When you make sexual health engaging, informative, and fun – we’re all for it.
Ready to get some ONE Condoms for yourself? Check out our store here.
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We interviewed Dr. Sophia Yen, MD,MPH, a Board Certified in Adolescent Medicine, serves as a clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Stanford Medical School and enjoys educating the about birth control, weight management, and other adolescent health topics. Dr. Yen is also co-founded Pandia Health and operates as the CEO.
I was giving a talk to a group of physicians on how to prescribe birth control and it came up “why don’t women take their birth control?”. One of the top reasons was: women didn’t have it in their hands. They didn’t have time to run to the pharmacy each month to go get it. My friend Perla Ni and I said, “We can fix this! We will ship women birth control and keep shipping it, until they tell us to stop.”. However, when we ran ads “free birth control delivery” 60% of those that responded did NOT have a prescription. I’m a doctor. I can write prescriptions. Thus, Pandia Health was born, the end-to-end solution for birth control from an online prescription from a doctor, if you need it, to birth control delivered by mail. This is what we call “Pandia Peace of Mind,” Set it and Forget it, let us worry, so you don’t have to.
Don’t ask. Don’t tell. Don’t talk about it. Our ads get blocked on Facebook, Google, and Google Display. But “birth control” is used for more than just birth control. It’s used for painful periods, endometriosis, PCOS, anemia, acne and more! Also, birth control is a good thing. We’re not talking porn or x-rated stuff. We’re talking about taking a pill to prevent babies or to have babies when a family decide they are ready. You can say that to a 5-year-old!
KNOW all your options. I like Bedsider or Planned Parenthood as information sources. For anything on the birth control pill, patch, ring, check out Pandia's blogs or our YouTube channel.
When you are choosing which method, generally family planning experts suggest: “Go with the best and work your way down. IUD, implant, shot, ring, patch, pill, condom, spermicide, FAM, etc.” Also, if you are having sex only once a month or less, then condoms and having some emergency contraception around is a good idea.
Find an expert. Someone who has used birth control themselves and knows what it’s like to worry about getting pregnant when you don’t want to be. Someone who has written LOTS of birth control prescriptions. Maybe an academic doctor or someone who has trained with such a doctor who has studied the side effects and considered the differences by age, BMI, race. That’s what we have at Pandia Health. We are the ONLY Academic doctor founded/led birth control delivery company. I’ve written 2000 birth control prescriptions and looked at the effect by race and know the effects by age and BMI. I teach other doctors how to prescribe birth control.
I always suggest condoms PLUS a hormonal method for the least risk of pregnancy and for STI protection.
Condoms: know that not all condoms are equal. Thinner is generally better for sensation and pleasure. Extra lubricated is good too. And always use extra lubricant with condoms to help prevent breakage and add more comfort! Just no oil-based lubes, as oil breaks latex condoms.
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After the massive success in the fall of the first Harvard Sex Week since the COVID-19 shutdown, the student organization Sexual Health Education and Advocacy Throughout Harvard College (SHEATH) returned to host Harvard Sex Weekend (April 1-3).
Sex Weekend 2022, the 10th Sex Weekend in SHEATH history since its founding in 2012, was a huge hit! They held events ranging from more serious topics, such as toxic masculinity and sexual assault, to more pleasure-focused events like “Banging Beyond the Binary: Trans Sex 101” and “Get Cliterate!,” and even “Feelin’ the Chemistry: Psychedelics and Sex” and “Pussy Portraits: Celebrating Genital Diversity!”
We saw 250 students at the events over the three-day sex-education-extravaganza, and gave away thousands of dollars of safer sex supplies (thank you, ONE Condoms!) as freebies, and larger sex toys in our raffles after every event!
SHEATH began in 2012 in order to bring sex education to campus through an inclusive, pleasure-centered narrative. Students come to campus with varying levels of sex education from high school–if their high schools even had a sexual education program–which tend to center only pregnancy and STI prevention. SHEATH was formed to fill this gap in students’ sex education and to empower students to explore their relationships to intimacy and love.
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The condom styles that the new anal use indication currently applies to are: Vanish Hyperthin, Super Sensitive, and myONE Custom Fit condoms.
What does this mean for us, for you and for future great sexual experiences? Let us explain, and by the end of this post we think you’ll be just as excited as we are. Who knows, you might even want to celebrate by slipping ONE® on and doing your own in-depth study. *wink*
You may be wondering what the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has to do with condoms, and it’s a fair question. After all, they are a federal agency generally responsible for regulating the safety of everything from pharmaceuticals to cosmetics to pet food. But trust us, their involvement will make complete sense in a moment.
It may surprise you to know that condoms are classified as a class II medical device by the FDA, which is why they’re so closely regulated. This regulation includes determining what the approved “intended use” is for products under their purview, such as medical devices like condoms.
Until this week, condom companies like ONE® were not allowed to list condoms are “safe and effective” for sexual practices beyond vaginal sex. This new approval means that ONE® Condoms and myONE® Custom Fit Condoms are labeled as safe and effective for vaginal sex – and now they also have FDA authorization for anal sex.
The reason no condom brands could not market their condoms as intended for anal intercourse is because no one had ever done a study to test and confirm condoms are safe for anal sex. Emory University did a study that found ONE Condoms and myONE Custom Fit Condoms have a less than 1% failure rate during anal sex. This data made it possible for us to send a request to the FDA to allow us to market our condoms as safe for anal – and the FDA approved!
The condoms that were tested in the clinical trial were our thin, classic and custom fit styles. So these are our Vanish Hyperthin, Super Sensitive, Classic Select (distributed through our public health channel), and myONE Custom Fit condoms. MyONE is hyperthin, has 60 sizes, and we offer sample kits to test out before you buy.
We should make one very important clarification: FDA listed us in their press release as “One Male Condom.” An unintentional faux pas, certainly – our brand is, always has been and will continue to be ONE® Condoms, because we truly believe that the sexual health needs of our community extend across all genders, expressions and identities. And besides, we know lots of people enjoy anal sex who don’t necessarily identify as men! That’s why we like the terms external condoms vs internal condoms – instead of male vs female condoms.
On another note, some press unfortunately mis-reported the story that we “designed a condom specifically for anal sex.” This is not true – so help us correct it if you hear that. The story is: We took our existing ONE and myONE Condom brands, Emory University conducted a clinical trial to confirm our condoms are safe and effective for anal, and now the FDA approved for us to market our condoms as safe for anal.
And even bigger news, we’re the only condom company to receive this stamp of approval! We see this as yet another example of our commitment to always innovating and expanding access to critical, premium and reliable sexual health supplies and education. It’s a big win for public health, and we hope this continues to generate important conversations around safer sex practices.
If the FDA has the power to grant this type of approval, what took so long? There’s a bit more to the approval process than a review by the FDA. Despite the rigorous testing and safety procedures during the manufacturing process for our condoms, FDA approval for a new intended use requires a peer-reviewed, medically sound and applicable study to be conducted for the products under review.
This opportunity presented itself to ONE® following the completion of a study by researchers at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University (and some stellar results, if we don’t say ourselves).
This study was the largest clinical trial to date for the effectiveness of condoms for anal sex, and it set out to determine the success and failure rate of ONE® and myONE® Custom Fit Condoms. As a refresher, you may remember from some previous blog posts on our site, condom failure is typically defined as the condom breaking, slipping off or otherwise failing to provide the greater protection you should be able to rely on.
So just how did they study condom success/failure? It’s almost as simple as it sounds. With funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the research team provided ONE® (both standard and thin) and myONE® (custom sized) condoms to participants to test out and digitally record their results after each sexual encounter. Participants were categorized as either men who have sex with men (MSM) or men who have sex with women (MSW) and the data was analyzed.
We were thrilled when the research team found that ONE® and myONE® condoms failed less than 1% of the time (0.7%) during anal sex. That means that over 99% of the time, partners were able to complete their sexual experience with successful condom use.
Given that over three hundred condom brands have been approved for use with vaginal sex based on a threshold of less than 5% failure, this was outstanding to see. Can’t argue with those numbers! Beyond the effectiveness of ONE® and myONE® condoms, lube was a surprise standout! The study confirmed how important it is to use lubricant for vaginal and anal sex to help prevent condom failure (and we love lube).
Taking a step back, the results of the study gave an optimistic look into what more widespread condom use could mean for those practicing anal sex. In a previous Emory University study, more than two-thirds of MSM participants said they would be even more likely to use condoms more frequently with anal sex based on the FDA approval.
As a relatively small community which is disproportionately impacted by STIs like HIV, this could have widespread and lasting positive impacts for sexual health across the country. It certainly provides a whole new way to talk about safer sex practices during anal!
Curious to learn more? Don’t worry, there’s been a ton of great buzz around this announcement, including this great piece in the The New York Times, BuzzFeed, Homoculture, VeryWell, and even Saturday Night Live!
Excited to try out some of our premium condoms? Whether you’re a returning customer or a first-timer with ONE®, we have a broad and ever-evolving collection of condoms on our site, from our Vanish Hyperthin to Super Sensitive. Customize your condom fit with myONE Custom Fit.
And you know what pairs well with condoms? Lube! We’ve got you covered when it comes to silky, smooth lube, too – don’t just take our word for it. Shipping is always free, convenient, and discreet (plus you can even get samples if you’re not sure right away). See you there!
More Reading:
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ONE® supplied Bre with condoms and condom tins to provide as giveaways for her upcoming sexual health outreach events as a CDC Ambassador and advocate.
We interviewed Bre to learn more about her, her role as a CDC Ambassador, and sexual health advocate.
I’m Bre, a 32 year old Afro Latina from Paterson, NJ. I actually began my studies in forensic psychology and criminal justice because my dad wanted me to become an attorney – so I kind of ended up in this field because the universe pushed me here, there's no other way. Growing up, I didn't really know much about sex, our sex ed was pretty much "don't do it or you'll end up pregnant, get AIDS and die" which is absolutely NOT how it works. While many of my friends were participating I wasn't because I have this thing where I don't like to do things wrong & who was I going to ask? I didn't know there is no such thing as the right or wrong way to have sex. While I was in school I worked as a paralegal to pay myself through school; but I was really unhappy and after talking to my dad, I never forget, he said he would be proud of me even if I was selling flowers at a cemetery, I just quit.
Shortly after that I applied to Integrity House for a Prevention Specialist position and honestly I had no idea what prevention was. On my first day on the job I was asked to cheek in front of a group & I had no idea what that even was. I was running various support groups for those living with HIV as well as people who are not. I saw one thing we all had in common: the ignorance around sex and sexual health. I know people hate that word, but it's the only way to describe it. I was very ignorant and naive, and I was embarrassed to ask questions because I thought everyone just knew but I didn't know. So my groups began to all have that underlying theme, I was able to create a safe space & we all kind of learned together. We shared experiences, shared our questions. I would go home and just immerse myself in all things sex related. I took a course to become a sex counselor.
So I was recently selected to be one of the CDC's ambassadors for the Let's Stop HIV Together campaign which is really an honor for me. I get to partner up with them and share the resources through my platform. I've hosted lives with my fellow ambassadors. Basically sharing the message that of really taking charge of our own sexual health.
I'll be honest, I was 26 the first time I ever got tested for anything. The CDC is now making it easier than ever to get tested, they even provide free at home testing kits. All someone would have to do is go on the website and find a testing center close to them or order a self test kit. Here's the HIV Testing website.
If someone is already HIV positive, getting into treatment is so important for their own health – to become undetectable so that you don't transmit the virus to anyone. That's what the U=U campaign is, (Undetectable= Untransmitable) but it all starts with YOU taking charge.
There is so much stigma still around HIV and it's because we're not having these conversations that it's still being transmitted. Just like AIDS is not transmittable; it's only a syndrome developed from not managing your HIV and one can come back from an AIDS diagnosis to an untransmittable status.
That's one of the reasons I personally love ONE® Condoms, you all have the absolute cutest designs and that has proven, in my experience, to be so effective for my youth especially. I'm so grateful for the condoms you have sent me in the past. I'm available to talk to anyone's group or child, just let me know!
The stigma! The embarrassment, sex is so taboo. I'm Pentecostal, could you imagine me at a youth group asking my pastor about a possible odor/bump/lesion I may have developed from having hooked up with someone? There's not a class in high school or grammar school that explains to you how to take care of yourself sexually. That explains to you how to make condom placement fun! How to have non-penetrative sex – --maybe how to make a dental damn out of a condom or saran wrap. The importance of getting tested – --with your partner, and considering PrEP.
Coming from Paterson, NJ we're already underserved as a community so I make it my business to share all I know with my community, with my youth. As an organizer with BLM Paterson, we do so much to directly uplift our people and one of the things I am so proud of our team for the willingness to hand out the safer sex kits as part of our harm reduction efforts. My DM is filled with so many people asking about how food affects their sex drives, how to speak to their partners about getting tested & so forth. Even survivors of sexual assault, who now need to nagivate their sexual health life in a different way.
ASK ALL THE QUESTIONS. I know it's difficult but honey, closed mouths don't get fed. Sex is meant to be enjoyed, so you want to make sure all the pipes are working properly. Get tested every 3 months because remember there's things that a condom doesn't protect you against. Still, USE CONDOMS!! They will save you so much. Find what you like and don't be ashamed. Get all the orgasms you can and remember, not everyone enjoys sex with people or penetrative sex. There are so many different forms of sex, so explore what is it that makes you come alive. I just want people to make educated decisions that best work for them and their lifestyle.
SEX! I'm kidding but I'm not kidding. I like to build things, I think in another life I must have been a carpenter or something because I love to build things and I mean like go get wood and build it from scratch. Like Bob the Builder except I'm Bre the Builder.
During quarantine I was forced to learn how to do my own nails & it's now become my thing – especially because I've worn the same color Red for at least 9 years, OPI Big Apple Red ( so if anyone from OPI is reading this, send me a contract *wink wink* ) so I have these really long red nails.
I wouldn't call it a hobby, it's my passion; helping people take charge of their sexual health, & empowering them to advocate for themselves. If I died today, I'd be proud of the work I do. Yes, my work bag consists of dildos, pocket pussys and cockrings & I am damn proud because at least I have super cute condoms & condom cases. I’m super humbled by everyone who allows me to be part of their journey, their story. I thank everyone who gives me the time of day and allows me to come into their space because this is all super personal. So yea, if anyone needs me, I'm @HereisBre on Instagram & I'm more than happy to help in any way I can.
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ONE® partnered with Prevention Meets Fashion, Inc. to provide a variety of safer sexual health products, such as condoms and raffle prizes, for their upcoming 5th Annual Condom Fashion Show and Community Education event.
We interviewed the incredible Nhakia Outland, Founder and President of Prevention Meets Fashion, to learn more about the organization.
Prevention Meets Fashion (PMF) began out of my frustration that BIPOC and LGBTQ+ folx were not getting culturally appropriate sex education and were being treated as "others."
I remember a physician coming to get me to talk to a gay Black male about the type of sex they were having. I was confused why a doctor would come and get me. The doctor said it was because they were uncomfortable asking about that "stuff." I knew I had to do something. It was not fair. What if I had not been there? That patient would have left uneducated and under-resourced.
The more that I thought about it, I realized that many of the organizations that already existed and that were receiving funding to provide these services were white founded and dominated organizations. BIPOC, especially Black and LGBTQ folx, were clients that were not authentically being themselves with these organizations and not represented at "the table."
PMF has been around since 2017 but in 2020 during the pandemic, PMF shifted to becoming a non-profit in order to address a greater community need for Black and LGBTQ+ folx. PMF received emails and calls from the community to look into these challenges, so we began to organize to meet the sexual health needs of the community (i.e., condoms and accurate, inclusive sex education).
My favorite things about hosting Project CONDOM is educating, myth busting and de-stigmatizing condoms. Also, collaborating with the community and community organizations.
Also, I enjoy working with the designers and seeing the faces of the attendees when the garments come down the runway. Many people do not expect to see condoms used in this way and others are shocked because they thought a condom fashion show was going to be explicit in nature.
As a social worker, sexuality educator and professor, I often see and hear the same thing regarding sexual health and that is: young children do not need to know about this "stuff" or that this information doesn't apply to me because I am in a committed relationship or I am not in the LGBTQ+ community. For some reason, the way sexual health has often been framed is to only target LGBTQ+ people. Therefore, many sexual health lessons are ignored because people do not see themselves represented. Sexual Health is health and should be treated as such. It is treated as this and/or situation – often even by medical professionals.
Shopping, of course!
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To hold herself accountable and continue her work in sexual health education advocacy Elizabeth has begun hosting BTB Book Club series. We sat down with Elizabeth to learn more about what inspires her to do this important work.
After starting Beyond The Beez, I thought the book club was the perfect way to bring the content I’ve been teaching online to life. I wanted to engage people and create an in-person community around sexual health and sex positivity.
I start with friends and then I post it on social media and encourage friends to spread it around!
My goal is to give people a place where they can engage in the topic of sex in an approachable, open, and comfortable way. I want to normalize the discussion and allow people to feel safe to ask questions and reflect on their experiences.
Furthermore, I hoped to show attendees that they matter in their sexual experiences. So often, the typical sex script is penis and vaginal intercourse until the man finishes (if you are in a hetero-experience). BTBz is here to remind you that sex is just as much for you as it is for your partner. Therefore, one of my favorite parts of book club is the raffle because it allows people to walk away with concrete tools to better their sex experiences and open doors to a new sex script where foreplay and external play are just as central. And finally, book clubs are also meant to bring people together, build a community and make new friends.
Beyond the Beez is a sex-positive online resource that helps you answer those hard-to-ask questions and build confidence in your relationship with sex through the power of information, all in one easy-to-navigate and approachable place. We curate research and recommendations to help you explore sex at your comfort level, and we also host events and create educational programs that help make sex education engaging, informative, and free of judgment – the way we think it should be. As I continue growing I am focusing on expanding on the events and building out the NYC community with book clubs, as well as artistic experiences (such as drawing bodies, clay molding, boob molding, etc). I am always looking for new and fun ways to make sexual health activities engaging, informative, and fun.
Want to partner with ONE Condoms or have an idea for an outreach event? Contact us!
Photographing cylindrical packaging with a shiny metallic lid isn’t that easy, but Analicia was up for the challenge and captured ONE’s products in their most authentic form.
I was always really artistic when I was younger, and I actually started painting in high school. Growing up, art was never really a career path that I could consider. So I enrolled in Michigan Tech to study engineering. I realized that my passion didn’t lie in engineering, so I transferred to Northern Michigan University and enrolled in classes that aligned with my interests. I took a photography class with a friend who said, “Oh it seems like you really get this!” I clung to that comment and just went from there. I have always had a camera in my hand growing up, so photography felt like a natural fit.
ONE’s Packaging is bold and unique. I have never seen condoms with such distinctive packaging. The colors on the packaging stood out to me, especially the Tattoo Touch line.
Capturing the lubricants was the most challenging part of the shoot. The lubricants were placed in front of a white background, but since lubricant is clear, it was tricky replicating that in the shots. Another challenging moment was capturing the tubes on an angle as they rolled around a lot. I ended up jerry-rigging the tubes with anything I could find and was able to perfect the look after the shoot.
ONE sent me some Custom Condoms® as a thank you for the shoot, and that for me was really fun and exciting. It’s difficult being creative with product photography, but I had fun experimenting with different lighting styles and working with the ONE team to determine what direction ONE was looking for.
Fun fact: Analicia’s favorite ONE® product to shoot was FlavorWaves as it reminded her of a lollipop.
I not only do product photography, I also do portraits, weddings, and other events. I am also a contract photo retoucher, where I make a product look as realistic as possible in the environment. I work to make the environment lighting reflect on the product in the most natural way. I also started video last year, which has been keeping me busy!
I am the chapter leader for an environmental organization called Citizens’ Climate Lobby. I also love to ski, and just started as a high-school ski coach. At Citizens’ Climate Lobby, we are working to create a carbon fee and dividend, which would put a fee on any form of carbon at the source. As we move away from carbon, placing a fee will shift innovation towards more renewable energy sources.
Analicia was excited to hear that ONE’s new packaging is made out of recycled cardboard! Learn about our sustainability efforts, here.
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Analicia Hazelby and AMH Creative can be found on Instagram and on their website.
]]>Every year McGill University in Montreal hosts an orientation event for Freshmen. The McGill Science Frosh allows freshmen to connect with each other and organizations on campus. ONE® partnered up with Sex and Self to sponsor the event for students.
ONE® was proud to partner with Felicia Gisondi, the representative for Sex and Self at the McGill Frosh booth. Over 200 students attended and participated in “Two truths and a lie: Sex Edition.” Students were challenged with common misconceptions and other sex facts to learn safe and consensual practices. One specific example was about consent under the influence. Gisondi educated students about the importance of consent and brought to light how consent can only be given while sober.
Have an idea how to bring sexual health education to your community? Tell us about it! ]]>While sex education is a fundamental component of public health, many students found themselves unable to access information in the same way as before. For other college students access to shame-free, inclusive sex education on campus was never a reality.
To help fill the information and pleasure gap ONE Condoms teamed up with Cassandra Corrado, the educator behind Feminist Sex Ed, to launch the Feminist Sex Ed Scholarship Contest. Students, faculty, and staff members from across the United States wrote-in to nominate their colleges and universities. Twenty-six colleges and universities were nominated, each with their own reasons why bringing sex ed programming to campus was a challenge.
For some schools the restriction was budgetary.
“Our campus has gotten better but we don't have a budget or an office that specifically focuses on this. We have started by creating a ‘Sex Month’ where we try to have educators (1 a week) for the month of March. We succeeded in 2019 but then COVID hit and all programming was reduced due to that, and our budget was taken away.”
For others, the institution’s religious affiliation made inclusive, pleasure-positive sex education impossible.
“I would say the biggest barrier is the fact that we attend a Catholic college. The administration is very clear about the fact that we must follow the Catholic Church and their teachings. Therefore, no comprehensive sex education.”
Additionally for some of these religiously-affiliated schools it wasn’t just about institutional policy — it was about the culture those policies created, too.
“We are in DESPERATE need for any amount of sex ed here. The majority of our faculty and students are heavily blinded by purity culture. Girls not wanting to ‘lose their virginity’ have unprotected & uneducated anal sex to ‘stay pure’, no one is on birth control, and everything is done in secret. Shame and guilt are everywhere. No condoms in sight. We need help!!”
Every single nominated campus deserves access to comprehensive sex education, but ultimately, only one winner could be chosen. Or so we thought!
Two ‘sister schools’ which shared academic and student life facilities were nominated and the campus representatives from each agreed to work together. The winners of the Sex Ed Scholarship Contest were St. Mary’s College and the University of Notre Dame: two Catholic-affiliated institutions with policies that prevent comprehensive sex ed from taking place on campus when the content isn’t aligned with the Catholic church’s values.
The campus representatives chose Queer Sex 101 as their workshop topic with the hopes of providing information for students of all genders and sexual orientations. In addition to their live online workshop, the campus representatives were provided with sexual wellness kits to distribute around campus. Each wellness kit contained condoms, dental dams, and lube sample packs so that attendees could have physical items to see and touch throughout the workshop.
The Queer Sex 101 workshop took place for the St. Mary’s and Notre Dame students online at the end of September 2021. Although moving to online events has been challenging and frustrating for many students, online sex education creates an additional level of safety and comfort. Students’ names were anonymized in the live chat, cameras were off, and no one could see the attendee list — that meant students could participate without the fear of receiving conduct sanctions from their school, or being outed.
Here are some of the questions they asked:
Without the Feminist Sex Ed Scholarship Contest these students wouldn’t have had an opportunity during undergrad to ask a sex educator these questions. By focusing on high-need, low-access institutions, ONE and Feminist Sex Ed were able to reach students whose typical sex ed context is shame and judgment — not compassion and honest information.
“Thank you so so much! As someone who barely even received ‘normal’ sex ed this was so informative and affirming for me as a queer person. ❤️” — student attendee
“Thank you very much! I learned a lot and this has been so affirming!” — student attendee
Comprehensive sex education has the potential to change lives, but only if the students who need it can access it. The Feminist Sex Ed Scholarship Contest helped bridge that gap for this group of students, and ONE is proud to have supported and facilitated this educational opportunity.
]]>ONE® Condoms is excited to have donated condoms to eight Planned Parenthood Generation (PPGen) campus chapters across the country for the launch of Condoms to Colleges, a program to increase access to condoms and educate young people on safer sex.
As sexually transmitted infection (STIs) continue to climb and the pandemic makes it harder than ever to access sexual and reproductive health care, Condoms to Colleges is education and community activism at work.
"We were thrilled to be able to make this partnership happen. When student leaders told us about their challenges with condom access on campus, we knew we had to find a way to take action. It was powerful to see Planned Parenthood affiliates, seven Planned Parenthood Generation Action chapters, and three condom companies all come together to meet the needs of students. Sex education and access to condoms are so critical at this moment — when sexually transmitted infections continue to rise and the pandemic has made it harder than ever to access sexual and reproductive health care. Planned Parenthood is proud to do all we can to ensure students have the resources they need to practice safer sex, heave healthy relationships and plan for their futures. This is an example of ways how powerful it can be when the private sector, non-profits, and activists all come together!” - Morgan Callahan, Manager of Corporate Engagement, Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
Starting in October, donated condoms will be distributed on eight college campuses — five of which are Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
Access to condoms makes a difference. Everyone should have the information and tools they need to practice safer sex, have healthy relationships, and plan their futures. Thx @ONECondoms & @bcondoms for these #CondomstoColleges for #FAMU! #plannedparenthood #ppfa #sexeducation pic.twitter.com/7LPhXtNra9
— Planned Parenthood of South, East + North Florida (@PPSENFL) October 5, 2021
The initiative launches at a time when instances of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) occur at over 2 million per year across the country, and the COVID-19 pandemic has changed sexual behaviors and limited access to STI testing. The participating campuses have a combined 70,000-student population of undergraduates across seven states.
Each institution received customized condoms, distributed with wallet cards with details about local Planned Parenthood health centers on one side. The other side of the wallet card features information about Chat/Text — a program that allows young people to get answers to all of their most pressing sexual health questions during private, live-chat sessions with a Planned Parenthood health educator. ONE printed customized wrapper designs that feature message about consent, in addition to cheeky designs with each school's colors.
"As the co-president of PPGA's UCSB Chapter I am ecstatic that we were selected to participate in the condoms to colleges campaign. According to the CDC, 20% of people in the US have a sexually transmitted infection. Given this information, it is so important to have resources and safe spaces to get sexual health products, especially on college campuses. I believe the campaign is important for these reasons, but it is also important to have college students looking out for each other and normalizing safer sex practices." - Allison Khadoo, PPGen Chapter Co-President, UCSB
The participating Condoms to Colleges PPGen chapters are at the following institutions: Hampton University (VA), Lincoln University (PA), Florida A&M University (FL), Christopher Newport University (VA), UC Santa Barbara (CA), University of Hawaii at Manoa (HI), North Carolina A&T University (NC), and Clark Atlanta University (GA). These eight campus chapters were chosen for this pilot initiative based on expressed need and demonstrated ability to distribute condoms, through PPGen campus outreach campaigns.
We're so thankful for this partnership, and for the amazing student leaders who are helping educate fellow students about sexual health!
Check out her ONE Condoms highlight video on Pornhub, where she goes through our lubricants and condom styles. (Note: it’s a porn site, so some of the ads around the video will be naked people). Whether we’re educating in person or online, we’re all about new avenues and ways to bring sexual health info to people.
Also! See interview with Michaela below to see what inspired her to become an educator, and what advice she has for sexual health. Then go follow on Twitter and Instagram.
"I wish the answer was very straightforward and easy, but honestly… It really boils down to my four favorite topics: education, law, politics and the adult industry.
When I first started going to college, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I knew I loved educating others, I knew I had an interest in the law/legal system, and I regularly talked peoples ears off about politics.
I decided to major in law/political science because I saw an opportunity to help others. Whether it was helping those who face oppression, helping educate people on their legal rights, or help give people support and opportunities they may not have originally had access to, and to hopefully change the world for the better.
In short, I wanted to help people. Now, we get onto the portion about the Adult Industry.
When I was growing up, I always had a fascination with the Adult Industry… Dancers, Cam Girls, Porn stars, or the urge to be on a Playboy magazine. It didn’t matter, I loved it all. I should point this out, I was not involved in it until 2020. I just remained an outside admirer until then.
Back to the topic of college! I soon realized I loved what I was studying but college was not meant for me. So, what do you do when you drop out of college? Simple… You go out and you find a job.
In February 2020 I applied at Lover’s Lane to be a Romance Specialist. Basically, my job was to sell sex toys, lingerie, BDSM gear, sexual enhancers, lube, games, etc. Now, aside from just selling I also had to be an educator. Most of our customer base were people who were unfamiliar with sex or who were familiar with sex but needed some specialized help. We were there to help them have a better quality of life with themselves and their partner.
I really loved working at Lover’s Lane because I got to network with those in the Adult Industry, and educate people at the same time. This was the first place where I felt like I had found where I belonged.
While I was working at Lover’s Lane I was also hosting a political livestream on Twitch. Now here’s the ironic part of my story…
It was on my off day and I had put on the schedule that I needed to do a livestream. I don’t know why I woke up that morning having the urge to talk about lubricant. But, I decided to give in and just livestream about lube.
Honestly, I was expecting maybe 1 or 2 people to drop in and it be pretty uneventful. But I was way off! My livestream had an actual audience and everyone wanted to be involved!
The stream was very successful and left me with a strange realization. I realized for the first time in my life… I actually knew what I wanted to do and what my legacy was going to be."
"There are two pretty big ones that I notice and hear a lot. Both are so prevalent that I have actually fallen victim to these two challenges.
On the Topic of Sexuality: One of the biggest challenges is allowing ourselves to be ourselves when it comes to sex and not letting outside sources dictate how we should be.
In my opinion most people think that the term sexuality only applies to how you express your “sexuality”. What I mean by that is most people think that “sexuality” only has to do with the LGBTQ+ community or being heterosexual.
However, the topic I am talking about is: How do we express ourselves sexually, not attraction wise, but how we choose to be sexual? As I’ve grown over time, I’ve learned that many people have a lot of opinions, and a lot of those have to do with what they think is the “right” and “wrong” way to have sex. We can find a lot of these ideas/discourse in the topic of “Purity Culture” or the almighty war of Abstinence vs. Non-Abstinence.
I have noticed an issue on both ends, especially because both Abstinence vs. Non-Abstinence have the same problem. This problem being social pressure! There is pressure to wait until marriage or there is pressure to lose your virginity right away. This kind of pressure can cause a lot of mental harm and trauma.
I have found that there is no right answer.
To explain this, I’m going to share a personal story which pairs with the advice concerning this topic.
When I was growing up, I was very religious. I still am and it still plays a big part in my sexual journey and how I view the world. The interesting part is: my family was not as religious as I was. They were spiritual, but there is a distinct difference between being spiritual and being religious.
I had the idea that I was going to save myself for marriage. And not only was it and idea, but it was something I was going to follow through. I had made this decision very early on in my lifetime but even though I made it at such a young age I knew it was what was best for me. I brought this up to my family mainly because I was proud of the decision I made and I thought they would be proud of me too.
So, I told my family what I wanted to do. I am sure a lot of people are expecting my family to be very prideful about it. What I unfortunately received was a lot of questions, bullying, invalidation, and some light laughter.
I found that my mother was the one who found my idea to be… Well for lack of a better word… She thought it was stupid. As I began to get older and deal with being a teenager and all the horrible things that come with it, I found myself making the worst mistake of my life.
I internalized what my mother had said. I naturally did because I loved my mom and looked up to her and I was raised to believe that what she said was right.
Now, I would like to make a point that parents, religious figures, our peers, the media, and people we look up to play a large role in our “sexual” development. Since we look up to these people/things we see them as being very influential and who we should model our lives after. The issue is sometimes these people are either not looking out for us, or they suffer from trauma, preconceived notions, or outdated ideas and values, or they are possibly pushing an agenda onto you.
With this being said I am sure we all know what comes next. I allowed myself to have my morals and boundaries violated.
I will put this very bluntly. I have worked through a lot of the trauma of it all, and I have learned many valuable lessons from my past. And so can you. But I will leave you with my advice!
Advice: There will be people who will try to tell you what’s right and what’s wrong. There will be people who will try to make you feel like what you are doing is wrong. When it comes down to sexuality the wonderful thing about it is… we are all unique! There is no right or wrong answer. The truth is we must do what is best for us and what makes us feel whole. As someone who’s life revolves around sex I will admit, sex is what makes the world go round and everyone will have something to say on it. However, one of my favorite quotes of mine is… “Sex is subjective.”
There is no right or wrong way to have it, there is nothing wrong with saving yourself or having multiple partners! As long as you are safe, sane, consenting and happy; that is what is most important.
Lastly, allowing “influential figures” to dictate parts of your life can be dangerous. I’ve seen this with adults and younger people too. I think it is important to mention that we are not a monolith, we are people with all kinds of different thoughts and feelings. At the end of the day, you know what is best for you! I could have saved myself a lot of trauma and hardship if I had stayed true to myself. Sex is amazing and it is even more amazing when you do it on your own terms. You are wonderful because you are you!
The two challenges I stated earlier are actually one and the same. In my mind the sexuality portion is more of a sociological/psychological perspective and the topic of sex it is more psychological/physical! Both however pertain to the challenge(s) of outside sources that may cause problems in our sex lives.
Working for Lover’s Lane has allowed me to really get a good view of how most people view themselves and sex. The other interesting part is I began to learn how the porn industry affected them too.
I’ve noticed a lot of people want to be the sex icons they see in movies, TV, and porn. I understand that completely because I have fallen victim to that too. So much in fact that I actually thought there was something wrong with me when I started having sex! It's sort of funny because I wasn’t alone on this issue. I have found that many people share some of these thoughts with me:
These are just a few! But I am sure you are going to have no problem expanding that list. I definitely know that I left out the male perspective, but… YOU ARE NOT ALONE EITHER!
A lot of this can do a major amount of damage to our self-esteem and it can really cause us to have an unfulfilling sex life! Especially because we are not appreciating the beautiful body that God has gifted us! We spend so much time comparing ourselves to others that we hardly have time to notice what makes us so amazing!
My Advice…
As someone who works in the Adult/Porn world let me spill some beans for you…. EVERYTHING IS STAGED. E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G
A lot of work goes into producing porn, whether it is made by a studio or an amateur! Even when I am posting videos to my OnlyFans I still do a lot of editing. Now it’s not because I am trying to seem unauthentic, but it’s because I know no one is going to want to see the “slow” moments.
Most people don’t want to see the transition between shots, toys, positions, me telling my partner where to put the camera, me hiding pain because one of my toys just sucks today, or the occasional run to the bath room, or me CONSTANTLY fixing my outfit, or the hair I accidentally forgot to remove.
Porn/movies/TV shows are meant to sell a fantasy in some sense. The realistic things that people do will not sell that fantasy. Porn/certain media is not real, and the best thing we can do is admit that to ourselves. There is so much going on in the background that we don’t see. In my eyes all people are beautiful but let me tell you: A good makeup artist and a $500+ camera/well-placed iPhone can work wonders.
The best solution is realism and understand that somethings are fake. Not all things, but let's not act like that $15 battery operated jelly vibrator is going to give you the most amazing orgasm ever. And we have to admit that our bodies are different!
Aside from that I have taken on a task to help me with this issue, because let's be real: Even though I’m in the Adult Industry I still have these thoughts from time to time.
The Task: Stop giving a…Well you know. In one of my videos on OnlyFans I posted a video of me with a certain toy and the camera was zoomed in. It was the perfect image it was AMAZING, except that my razor only did so much the night before and I was left with a lot of hair (catch my drift?). I could not edit it out and the scene was too good to remove…. So, I told myself to put my big girl panties on and just leave it in. I was ashamed and embarrassed but the funny part is that nobody cared. Everyone on my OnlyFans loved it and thought it was great!
So basically, I just had to get over my ego. The goal of the task is to help let yourself go and be free, because honestly who cares if you have a lil extra hair.
All in all, your partner doesn’t and shouldn’t care, and if they do…Well they aren’t meant to be with such a beautiful person like you."
"I know a lot of people have that same question. I have had way too many people ask me why I’m on PornHub and not YouTube. And usually this question I have found is not out of curiosity.
I have been asked this question by a lot of potential business partners and other brands, and I have come to learn that it’s not because they are genuinely interested as to why I’m not on YouTube, but because they feel as though they can stick their noses up at Pornhub.
Short story long, I find that a lot of people like to belittle and be snide about Pornhub and my career on it. Strictly because it’s a porn site.
Before I get into my reasons why I chose Pornhub, I would first like to mention my appreciation to ONE Condoms. I think it's wonderful that such a large company is willing to support someone on Pornhub. In my eyes it shows a true desire to educate and help others.
I think a company that does not acknowledge all its markets and yet preaches about sexual education and wellness is really hypocritical. Just because a website produces pornography does not make it any less valid than a website that doesn’t produce pornography. Lastly, I feel like companies want to use the adult industry as a marketing tool but does not want to actually work with anyone who is in the industry or someone who is loud and proud to be a “Sex Worker.”
This is one of the big reasons why I love ONE Condoms. They take their job of sex education seriously, they don’t use it as a marketing ploy, and they fall into one of my mission statements. This is: EVERYONE DESERVES THE RIGHT TO GOOD SEX EDUCATION. Whether it’s Sex Workers or the general public, everyone deserves good quality education.
Now onto my reason for using Pornhub! Fair warning, we cannot talk about this without speaking on some politics. I will keep this as short and sweet as I can.
The first two points I will bring up is the passing of the Fosta-Sesta Bill which was passed by Congress in March 2018 and was signed into law April 11th of that same year. Also, 47 U.S. Code § 230 - Protection for private blocking and screening of offensive material, is another important topic that pertains to why I chose Pornhub. Please do note that the legal citation has to do with section 230 that was part of the Communications Decency Act. That portion 230 of the Communications Decency Act has been amended by Fosta-Sesta.
Let's get into the basics. Fosta-Sesta was created to help stop online sex trafficking. Which is very noble and extremely important because due to the evolution of the internet it has given criminals a new way and potentially easier way to harm others. So, the bill was originally created to fight back against criminals.
However, what this bill failed to speak on was the difference between consensual and non-consensual sex work. Which causes a very large issue. Due to this failure ,Fosta-Sesta manages to protect people and damage a marginalized community at the same time.
It also contradicts the right to free speech. In basic terms, it is allowing heavy censorship and discrimination towards those who do consensual sex work and work in the Adult Industry. Section 230 originally stated that websites would not be held responsible for what a user has posted. However, Fosta-Sesta has now made platforms responsible!
To sum up the issue at hand, I am placing in two quotes from vox.com:
“But FOSTA-SESTA creates an exception to Section 230 that means website publishers would be responsible if third parties are found to be posting ads for prostitution — including consensual sex work — on their platforms. The goal of this is supposed to be that policing online prostitution rings gets easier.”
“In the immediate aftermath of SESTA’s passage on March 21, 2018, numerous websites took action to censor or ban parts of their platforms in response — not because those parts of the sites actually were promoting ads for prostitutes, but because policing them against the outside possibility that they might was just too hard.”
So, I’m sure we all have a clearer picture of why I chose Pornhub. Sex education is something I am passionate about, and when I am passionate about things I like to give 110%. Due this worsening of censorship I would never be fully able to teach how I want on other platforms. Twitch made that abundantly clear when I was banned for a few days earlier this year.
My personal belief is that education should not be censored and I refuse to be censored when I am trying to teach people how to have better quality of life.
I chose Pornhub for 4 very specific reasons:
In conclusion, we may only think that Fosta-Sesta only applies to Sex workers. That however is not the case; It applies to educators, brands, and to others who are in the Adult Industry. The “Porn” Industry has had a revolutionary impact on our society, though it does have its pitfalls and issues. Let’s not forget that porn has paved the way for many companies and technologies over the years. We may not always want to admit where our roots began but we do owe a lot to the industry for helping our art and products to make it to mainstream attention."
"I really have only one and the reason she became one of my heroes is because everyone said I was a younger version of her…
A little backstory:
On my first Sex ed Twitch stream where I talked about lube I found myself being compared to a woman I had never heard of. Naturally I was curious for several reasons.
The compliment was:
“You remind me of a young Dr. Ruth”
At the time I had no idea who Dr. Ruth was and so the compliment didn’t really compute when I first heard it, but now when people tell me that compliment it brings me to tears…in a good way!
When I learned I was being associated with someone I didn’t even know I instantly went into research mode, and I found several interesting facts.
Lastly, the heights she has reached are the places I soon hope to go in my lifetime. She has changed the world and I hope to live up to the amazing things she has done. She is truly an inspiration and I pray that one day I can ask her to sign my Eroscillator box. I think she’d get a kick out of it! I know I would."
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It’s a part of ONE®’s mission to build a community where we share knowledge, passion, and ideas. We were so excited to partner with Blue Puffin Media, as they educate, inspire, and entertain amateur filmmakers.
Growing up, my dad used to tell my sister and I stories every night. I picked up storytelling from him, and always thought his stories were really cool as he would make them up on the spot and they were hilarious. He gave me a camera when I turned ten, and even though it was a dinky little camera and wasn’t very good, I started filming videos around the house with family and friends. Fast forward to junior year of high school, my dad pushed me to take my passion for film and turn it into a business, and that turned into Blue Puffin Media! I started doing event work, and eventually transitioned into other variations of film including real estate, music videos, corporate events, and video advertisements. During the pandemic, I started a TikTok account where I create educational videos for amateur filmmakers. I want to share the knowledge I have, in the hopes that it inspires other people.
I get sporadic inspiration throughout the day, and one day I was on YouTube where I saw a light reveal technique. I set out to recreate this technique throughout the commercial. When I learned of the goals for the commercial, the technique seemed like a natural fit!
The most challenging part was getting the one shot of the rotating condoms. I originally wanted to have a massive waterfall of condoms in the shot, but the shot didn’t turn out how I wanted it to. I ended up piercing a bamboo skewer through a few of the condoms, attached it to a drill, and then individually recording a few condoms spinning. In the editing process, I stitched them together and speed-ramped it to mash up with the music. Figuring out that workaround was definitely the most challenging part of the process.
Want to see the bamboo sticks in action? Check out the behind the scenes video here.
@onecondoms Behind the scenes from the latest ONE commercial! @bluepuffinmedia #RufflesOwnYourRidges #behindthescenes #commercial #fyp ♬ original sound - ONE® Condoms
Can't see the video? Click here.
The most fun part for me was involving friends and family in the filming process. It was fun having people with me on the shoot, getting into it even though they weren’t filmmakers themselves. It was fun for me as it was another instance where I was able to teach certain techniques to people who don’t have a background in film.
The whole experience of working with ONE was incredibly exciting. At first it was a little daunting, but the process was smooth and easy, and the entire team was excited with the result. It didn’t really feel like work! Blue Puffin Media can be found on TikTok @BluePuffinMedia or online at Blue-Puffin-Media.com.
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Here at ONE Condoms, we encourage open and honest conversations about safer sex, and part of that is talking about the embarrassment we felt purchasing condoms for the very first time, a feeling most can relate to.
We got the conversation started, by asking Momentum users to share the first time they purchased condoms, and ONE way they have become more confident and empowered when purchasing condoms. Momentum is our advocacy program, where you complete challenges for points. You can then use those points for free condoms and lubricant – and you also get access to giveaways! (Pssst, signing up for Momentum is free!)
"I'm 34, so back when I started buying condoms, there was still a lot of stigma about females taking responsibility for their sexual health. I was 18, had just graduated high school and moved out on my own, and met this guy who NEVER EVER had a condom when we needed one. It was annoying AF, so I went to an Allsups (gas station) across from my apartment and bought a 4-pack. The cashier was a guy and made some dirty joke, and I just remember being so humiliated that I didn't even wait to get my change. Honestly, back in the day, I don't remember condoms really even being readily available. I don't remember ever seeing them in Walmart or a grocery store. And every time I bought them, I had to ask someone for them because they were behind a counter. I'm married now, and we are using them as birth control, but I'm so glad that things have progressed the way they have. We have an 11-year-old daughter who, whether we like it or not, maybe having sex in a few years, and I'm so thankful that she lives in a world with technology and online shopping and free shipping" - Kristy L.
"The first time I purchased condoms, I walked into the aisle and didn't go directly to them. I walked near them and pretended to look at the shampoo for a while until the aisle was clear, then snatched the first box I could read without caring which brand it was because I was so scared. Then I went to the self-checkout, and as soon as I was about to ring them out after my other purchases, the machine stopped working, and a boy I went to high school with had to come and help me. I was mortified. Now, I try to tell myself that sex is a natural thing that everyone does. It isn't shameful, and even if the person knows you're having sex, at least they know you're being safe about it. Also, I say to myself, what is worse, five minutes of feeling awkward while buying condoms or unintentionally getting pregnant." - Michaela G.
"I grew up in a small town, and I never was one to have socialized much in my life. I grew up always having something done for me, and so I never learned how to do or ask something for myself. Because of this, trying to buy a condom of any type was very difficult. After having met the right person that finally made me want to go for gold, I decided to get over my social anxiety and go out and buy a pack of condoms. This was before I even knew how to drive, and so I walked to the local gas station. I entered the store and pretended to browse around for a while. I waited until there were no other customers in the store, all while picking up a few snacks here and there so that I don't look too suspicious. After there were no customers left, I went over, picked up the condoms I wanted, then went to the counter. Not much conversation was had. To the cashier, it was just another customer. I got out my wallet, paid for the condoms, snacks, and drink, and had the cashier put it all in a bag. After leaving the store, I went through the bag and situated everything to cover the condom box as much as possible, then walked home. Coming home, I went to my window and carefully opened it to drop off the bag before entering the house like normal through the front door so that I didn't have to deal with anyone asking what I bought. To this day, I still sometimes follow this anxiety-filled extra purchasing need, but after having done it several times, I feel more accustomed to the idea of buying condoms. I still tend to wait until I'm relatively alone, I make my purchase, then I head home. Sometimes I might buy an extra snack or two, but with every experience, I have gotten better at it. I still am very shy about it if confronted about it by anyone other than my closest friend or girlfriend, but it is very relieving to feel like I can have a normal sex life with my girlfriend. It just makes me feel normal, and that I can simply be my true self in the bedroom." - David H.
"The first time I bought condoms, I was very nervous because there was a guy behind the counter, and I am a woman. He was older than me and could tell I was nervous. As soon as I paid and got my change, he gave me a smile and said 'have fun.' I was so embarrassed but looking back I think it's so funny." - Kelsey K.
"I honestly didn't think much of getting them the first time. I didn't feel like hiding myself or the condoms. The problem came up when I got to the checkout and the only available cashier was the chick who had an obvious crush on me. She rang it up and stared at it for a good minute before scanning the rest of my stuff. Was a pretty awkward minute, even after we tried just going back to simple small talk." - Anthony B.
"The first time I bought condoms alone was a few months ago. To give you a little picture of myself, I'm an awkward 21-year-old female who is painfully shy. I've always heard the phrase "fake it 'till you make it" in regards to confidence, so I thought that I would try that. I knew I wanted to buy ONE condoms, and finding them wasn't an issue, the issue was having to face the cashier and stand there while they scanned and bagged my condoms. I kept certain thoughts running through my head to make me feel more confident. "I'm an adult, and buying condoms is responsible! It means I'm having safe sex!" and "The cashier helping me has probably had sex as well- so what If I'm sexually active?". I think what was scaring me the most was the stigma associated with women buying condoms, which is ridiculous. Women and men both have sex. Women and men should both be allowed to purchase contraception and not fear judgment. I walked into the store and found them in the "family planning" aisle and walked over to the check-out register and of course, a male cashier would be helping me. I feared he would give me a little chuckle or a sideways glance, just something to show he was judging me hard, but he didn't care. It was actually much more simple and less awkward than I had imagined, and the cashier was totally cool about it. Hopefully, every time I buy condoms is as uneventful as the first!" -Suryna S.
The consensus? Yes, buying condoms can feel embarrassing especially when it's your first time, but you are not alone in that feeling. The more practice you have buying condoms in person, the less awkward or nervous it will feel. Sign up for Momentum and share your story about the first time you ever bought condoms. Let's continue having these discussions to break down the stigma of practicing safer sex, buying condoms, and such.
]]>Part of the ONE® Condoms mission is promoting physical and emotional health by encouraging open conversations about sex and sexuality. We loved working with Sex Positive Me as their work aligns with our mission and helps create positive conversations around sexual experiences.
Listen to Milla Impola, Director of Communications for ONE® Condoms, talk about condoms, condom fit, and sexual health on the Sex Positive Me podcast, below.
]]>To celebrate Valentine’s Day, we’ve partnered with Slutty Girl Problems for an awesome giveaway! Head over to their Instagram account to enter: @sluttygrlprobs
Slutty Girl Problems is a sex-positive, feminist, judgment-free zone with daily content to entertain, educate, and empower.
Learn more them at sluttygirlproblems.com.
Winners will receive a special ONE® prize pack including:
Mixed Pleasures™ 24-Pack
All your favorite ONE® Condom Styles in a variety pack!
The 24-Pack contains Vanish® Hyperthin®, Super Sensitive™, Super Studs™, Tattoo Touch®, Pleasure Dome™, Pleasure Plus®, FlavorWaves™, Glowing Pleasures™, and Move® Lubricant
UltraFeel™ 10-Pack
ONE® UltraFeel™ condom + lube combo is the perfect little party in one convenient wrapper!
Move® Lubricant 100ml - Our top selling lubricant!
Super long-lasting, silicone lubricant that leaves skin soft. And of course, compatible with condoms ;)
Vanish® 40-Pack
Our top selling condom style, ONE® Vanish® Hyperthin® Condoms are 25% thinner and made with a softer latex for a more comfortable intimate experience. Enhanced with our premium Move® Lube!
.....And more fun ONE® goodies!
The good kind of fine print:
Our condoms are made from natural rubber latex, are Vegan-friendly, non-GMO, lubricated with premium silicone lubricant, and free of any parabens, glycerin, gluten, spermicide, and fragrances.
RipplePHX is a back-to-grass-roots project created for the LGBTQ+ Community to help address HIV through impact-focused events of awareness, love, and celebrations of individual sexual expression. Their team focuses their efforts on giving access to condoms and lubricants, PEP/PrEP, U=U, and Testing PODS throughout the communities they serve — keeping people informed and sharing knowledge.
One of their creative solutions is RippleBriefs, Facebook Live videos to educate people about sexual health trends and important news (since their live events have been put on hold). They also send out Free "Mail-Order-Briefs," a package of rotating condom styles and lubricants including ONE® products. Those are complemented by really fun “Condom of the Week” features, like ONE® Tattoo Touch, Glowing Pleasures, UltraFeel, Vanish, and Legend XL. In the free Mail-Order-Briefs, they provide "bite-sized info about HIV, safer-sex tools, product samples, activities, and even sweet treats" to help their communities take charge of their sexual health.
RipplePHX even highlights finding your perfect fitted condom through myONE. Their emphasis on fit, style, and sensation of condoms — as well as the importance of lube during sexual intercourse — is an essential ripple toward their fight against HIV within their communities. For more information on RipplePHX and their amazing outreach, click here.
]]>Victory Programs has helped individuals and families in crisis for over 40 years. Some 3,200 people turn to them yearly for shelter, sustenance, recovery, care, and professional, compassionate support. Their Mobile Prevention Team brings community-based harm reduction to the streets. As things became increasingly challenging for individuals at high risk for infectious diseases and overdose, the Victory Programs team provides resources such as syringes and Narcan, harm reduction counseling, and linkage to medical care.
Executive Director Sarah J. Porter expresses they are trying to weather their way through this crisis as “food, cleaning supplies and services, protective gear, enhanced technology, and increased staffing needs – all are absolute necessities now.” Porter notes that, “when families in our shelters have lost jobs and their children can’t go to daycare or school, it’s our job to keep them well fed and supplied with diapers and formula. When the Boston Living Center is no longer able to serve congregate meals each day, we’re providing ‘to go’ breakfast and lunch daily to those living with HIV/AIDS.”
To support people who are looking for sexual health resources through Victory Programs, ONE helped donate condoms to the program. As a community member, ONE is happy to support this organization that is actively working to relieve the additional stress and anxiety that Covid-19 has added to lives of people across the city.
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"A Night In Hollywood '' was an event used to spread awareness of the alarming HIV and STI rates in their state of South Carolina. Each team strutted the runway promoting open and honest issues surrounding sexual health in their community. ONE is thankful to partner with EMPOWERR for an inspiring event! To learn more about the red carpet extravaganza, click here!
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