Consent has been a hot topic of late, and there are some companies that are getting in on the conversation.
Viral marketing is a thing, after all.
Tulipan, an adult toy and condom company, recently started advertising their condoms coming in a "consent pack" that was designed by the ad agency BBDO Argentina.
The pack requires four hands to open, presumably meaning that both parties work together to access the condoms.
The ad uses the hashtag #PlacerConsentido (permitted or consenting pleasure) and phrases like:
"If it's not a yes, it's a no."
"Without consent there is no pleasure."
¿Por qué esta cajita solo se puede abrir de a dos? Porque así funciona el consentimiento en las relaciones. Todo ti… https://t.co/wplq5WkYI3— Tulipán Argentina (@Tulipán Argentina)1553712794.0
BBDO Argentina's creative directors spoke with CNN about the campaign:
"Tulipan has always spoken of safe pleasure, but for this campaign we understood that we had to talk about the most important thing in every sexual relationship: pleasure is possible only if you both give your consent first."
En el sexo vale todo solo si se respeta una regla: el consentimiento de ambos para hacerlo. #PlacerConsentido 🌷 https://t.co/RuIjvbL1yg— Tulipán Argentina (@Tulipán Argentina)1553696072.0
"In sex, everything is worth only if a rule is respected: the consent of both to do it."
While the ad campaign is definitely well-intentioned, it kind of misses the mark when considering consent.
Anyone who doesn't think consent is important is unlikely to consider a condom particularly important either.
@KellyShibari If a man doesn't care about a woman's consent, he won't care to put on a condom.— Hafiz Shariff (@Hafiz Shariff)1554934152.0
The box also prevents the use of the condoms in any situation where both parties don't have full use of both of their hands, whether due to disability or alternative bedroom activities.
Just because someone consents, that doesn't meant that they have two free hands to open a pack of condoms.
@KellyShibari What if one of the people only one hand???— #releasetheSnyderCut (@#releasetheSnyderCut)1554934887.0
@jaypugz Also, the ableism radiating off of this...— Stephanie. (@Stephanie.)1554932227.0
Anything that makes condoms harder to use makes people less likely to use them.
If the goal is to spread awareness about consent and safe sex practices, adding a step to the process of having safe sex might not be the best way to do it.
@KellyShibari This is harmful if anything. You want to promote the use of condoms as much as you can, making them h… https://t.co/HfIq1S6yox— 🔥 (@🔥)1554923710.0
@h0llyb4xter Bloody hell. Making condoms harder to use isn’t going to encourage consent!!— sianushka (@sianushka)1554920271.0
Another problem is that consent can be withdrawn at anytime during sex.
Just because someone is happy to participate at the beginning of an encounter when it's time to put on a condom, that doesn't mean that they can't change their mind later.
@YEVG3NIYA 👏👏👏 Stunned at this. This doesn’t prove consent in the first place, and consent can change at any time… https://t.co/wCaT20HfZQ— Lara Belle (@Lara Belle)1554871842.0
@MissLaraBelle @YEVG3NIYA Completely agree. I once had the condom all the way on and little johnny was ready for p… https://t.co/lD17PcXmZT— WalkswithBuffalo (@WalkswithBuffalo)1554936590.0
I know this is probs just a way to try and go viral but: 1. This dumbs down the idea of healthy communication re:… https://t.co/BUdFi8Mfkf— Julia Pugachevsky (@Julia Pugachevsky)1554917890.0
Anything that encourages discussion and education about consent is a good thing.
But it is also important to make sure that the way you encourage that conversation doesn't create potential harm.
Consent is key, buf so is safety.