The New York Times has an article this week about a condom commercial from Trojan Condoms that has been rejected by both CBS and Fox. Neither station wants to show the commercial on their networks. Why? The commercial depicts pigs in a bar with beautiful women. One pig goes to the bathroom and buys a condom from a vending machine and is transformed into a handsome man. Now, the women will look at him. The tagline is: "Evolve: Use a Condom Every Time"Despite the stereotypical messages around sexuality and the heteronormative bent of this ad, I like the message. It doesn't use scare tactics and it's not goofy to the point where you giggle and discount the whole thing. It's sexy. In fact, it may be one of the first times that sex is actually used to sell... sex. This could be a beer commercial, but it's better than a beer commercial. If we want to send a message that condoms make you sexier, I'm all for it.Naturally, that is the problem that CBS and Fox have with these ads. They would prefer the scare tactics and shame. In fact, Fox says that they rejected the ads because:

?Contraceptive advertising must stress health-related uses rather than the prevention of pregnancy.?

Since when was pregnancy prevention not a health-related use? Last time I checked, pregnancy carries health risks just like STIs and relieving all of those fears, not just some of them, is what condoms are all about. Do CBS and Fox think that anyone who is against condoms will stop watching all of the programs on their network? Are they really going to get that many angry letters? I personally don't see people who are opposed to condoms drawing a distinction between one condom ad and another.In fact, the Trojan website for this campaign says the following

"America is not a sexually healthy nation. It's time we evolved the way we take care of ourselves and our partners. It's time we evolve our ideas about sex and condom usage. It's time we evolve for a healthier sex life"

I know that at the end of the day it's all about selling more condoms than their competitors but, I like Trojan's style here. They've come along way from the "Trojan Man". This campaign is about healthy sexuality, not fear and misguided moralism.While we're on the subject of ads that will our puritanical habits will oppose, I ran across some hilarious condom advertisements from other countries on Yuxt.com. My favorite ad is the last one which I have included below - it's incredibly cute and surprising and hilarious. This is what condom advertisements should be like all the time. Check these out and tell your friends.And if you want to see the pig commercial:Argentinian condom ad: