A couple of weeks ago I talked about the work that MTV’s Staying Alive was doing to encourage safe sex and spread the word about the projects being undertaken the world over to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
At that point they’d joined forces with Spotify, getting note-worthy onliners (and me!) to use the application to build “Play Safe” playlists. Now, in keeping with their pattern of working with the most interesting and innovative online technologies and projects, Staying Alive are up to something new.
Mario Cacciottolo’s Someone Once Told Me project has been running for over two years. A different black and white portrait is posted everyday with a subject holding a board bearing a phrase or expression that someone once told them. Since I’ve been aware of the project, I’ve seen it produce some beautiful pictures. I’m not even vaguely artistic enough to provide an educated commentary on the project – but I would advise anyone who hasn’t seen it, to go take a look at it and appreciate its simple, yet beautiful depiction of the human condition.
This week is Staying Alive week on Someone Once Told Me – and you *may* recognise the first subject. My Someone Once Told Me comes from something my nurse told me the last time I went for an STI screening and it stayed with me because I still can’t get over the contrast between my last time and my first time.
Campaigns such as MTV’s Staying Alive aim to educate people about the importance of learning about and practicing safe sex. But practicing safe sex doesn’t end with the last shuddering gasp of pleasure and a slightly frantic attempt to relocate one’s underwear – it carries on after that. Attending regular sexual health screenings is an important aspect of practising safe sex but it’s also one of the scariest.
I first went for a sexual screening when I was sixteen. I’d been sexually active for about three months. In a rare moment of decency (rare for him, that is), my boyfriend at the time accompanied me but still it was a terrifying experience. I had to go to the hospital and sit in a waiting room for almost an hour until I could be seen. I had to sit through an excruciating questionnaire about my sexual history and then underwent a blood test – for HIV – and then a full screening.
Two weeks later I had to call for my results. It took at least four attempts to get through and even then I was kept on hold for almost an hour. The whole experience was enough to have me start researching convents (turns out they don’t take atheists, in case you were wondering).
At my last sexual screening, I was in and out in ten minutes as part of a routine doctor’s appointment. Chlamydia testing has now progressed to the extent where people can do it themselves at home. Results are texted to you within a week. The process is so simple, it leaves very little reason for people not to get themselves tested.
On top of that, there have been a number of initiatives to further encourage people to get tested. The recent “Wee For a Wii” initiative was one such scheme. Doing exactly what it said on the tin, people who submitted themselves for sexual screenings were then submitted for a contest to win prizes including a Nintendo Wii. The name aside – “Wee For a Wii”? Guys, c’mon! – it spurned an impressive take up of the tests.
I chose my SOTM because I believe this is an important issue. Most people who have Chlamydia never know it. But with the sexual screening process being made this easy – there is little excuse. Can you honestly tell me you don’t have time to go to the bathroom and then receive a text message? You can even listen to a few playlists while you’re doing it. More importantly, you can get involved with MTV’s Staying Alive campaign – take the safe sex pledges and then start practising safe sex.
It’s so easy to look at, and even support charity initiatives, theoretically. Pictures of starving children in Africa may inspire you to send your cash, but MTV’s Staying Alive campaign is a personal thing. As much as some of us would like it, you can’t send famous people down there to reach out and touch……..yeah, I can’t finish that particular metaphor. Basically YOU need to take control of your own sexual health and the information being spread by MTV’s Staying Alive campaign – the playlists and the pictures and the pledges – can help you do just that.