Condoms played a crucial role from the 60’s to the 80’s in the protection of sexually transmitted diseases (syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhoea,…) and the main use of a condom remained also really important for contraception.
At the beginning of 1980’s, American doctors received in their cabinet many young homosexuals’ men affected by rare diseases as the Kaposi sarcoma, resulting to death. This type of syndrome was identified under the name of GRID (Gay Related Immune Deficiency) before doctors realized that there was no link between this virus and homosexuality. On May 20th, 1983, a team of French researchers of Pasteur institute identified an unknown virus, a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), suspected of being responsible for the syndrome of acquired immunodeficiency (AIDS).
Nowadays, AIDS killed 35 million people in the world. About 34 million live with the virus, among which 70 % in sub-Saharan Africa, and 1,8 million persons continue to die from it every year. This is one of the most devastating diseases to affect humanity.
Number of HIV-positive people in the world, in millions
However, the number of recently infected people did not stop decreasing between 2001 and 2009. Europe and the United States managed on their side to divide by both the number of deaths linked to this disease between 1991 and 2009 (from 80.000 to 35.000) while limiting its spreading. We can thus say today that AIDS pandemic is stabilizing.
Thus, at the moment, condoms manufacturers try to erase the medical aspect and the prevention of the product to put forward the “sensations” aspect with the launch of new products. These products are supposed to bring more pleasure to the users. Condoms « as instrument of pleasure », this is the image that the manufacturers try to give to the condom. The condoms manufacturers then gave a new dimension to the condoms that was before only considered as a product of protection and contraception. So, the decline phase of the classic condom is almost compensated by the launch phase of the playful condoms which knew an immediate success.
Indeed, condoms manufacturers decided to launch pleasure-oriented condoms in total contradictions with conventional condoms in latex rubber, lambskin polyurethane, lubricated,… Nowadays, condoms are more and more thinner and are totally dedicated to the younger generation. Packaging and labelling were also totally reviewed to attract customers.
Written by E.G
Sources:
T. Vey, A.A Louarn, « La croissance de l’épidémie mondiale de sida se stabilise », Figaro.fr, June 6th 2011.
Belliard, «Sida: la pandémie se stabilise », Alternatives Economiquesn° 309, January 2012
Roure, « Sida : 30 ans de pandémie, de recherches et d’évolution », Metronews, May 20th 2013
A.De Angelis, Global Condom Industry, September 2013, http://www.companiesandmarket.com
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