Ladies, let’s have a heart-to-heart talk for a minute. Guys you’ll have to wait a minute. Ladies, at one point or another we have all had strong feelings for a young man. It was mutual.
Picture this; if you weren’t on the phone with him, then you were probably in his presence. The “relationship” seems to be going well and the intimacy between the two of you grows every day.
For some let’s take into account the first time you decided to not use a condom during sex. In the back of your mind, you knew it wasn’t the right thing to do. It was weird at first, but at the same time, it felt so right. It’s not like you’re having sex with other people. Right?
You feel like you can trust this dude, so condoms are a thing of the past. You go in for your routine pap smear and you know for a fact you’re going to come out clean – never prepared to hear the doctor come back with your results and reveal that you have an STD. Especially if it is something you can’t get rid of. You’re in disbelief? You haven’t been with anyone but your “boo.” Now, you know you have been faithful throughout this whirlwind romance. But can you say the same for your man?
These situations happen to countless women across the world and nation. We are at a time when HIV/AIDS and STDs are on the rise, especially with black woman. Why are black women on the receiving end?
Denial and ignorance are the two culprits of our misunderstanding of sexually transmitted diseases. Some black women don’t believe it can happen to them, others are uninformed and don’t have the resources to make good decisions.
Women are emotional creatures and sometimes we tend to put the well being of our loved ones before our needs. Though it’s up to us to stand up and take control of our sexuality, some women choose to put that responsibility in the hands of men they know nothing about.
Don’t depend on a man to bring the condom, pack them in your purse because there is no reason not to use one. The saying “I’m too big for Lifestyles” line is truly played out. Love is blind and it’s up to us ladies to take the blinders off and use condoms regardless of what your man says.
If he loves you, he’ll respect your decision to wear condoms at all times.
On the other end, guys won’t even go to the doctor unless they see something clearly wrong with them. Even then, some choose to ignore the issue and continue to engage in sex.
Life is short and we shouldn’t let something as small as not using a condom take away the gift of life.
Corbin Robinson is a junior magazine production student from Milwaukee, Wis. She can be reached at famuanhealth@hotmail.com.