Fox & CBS Say Disease Prevention is Good, Pregnancy Prevention is Bad

CBS and Fox have both rejected a Trojan condom commercial that features a woman in a bar surrounded by pigs (representing men); when one “pig” visits the restroom to procure a Trojan condom, he transforms into a handsome man who is now attractive to the woman – you can watch the ad on the Trojan site.

Note that the ad tells viewers to “Evolve: Use a condom every time,” and does not explicitly state that the condom should be used for pregnancy prevention as opposed to disease prevention – in reality, it would be for both. This makes it especially puzzling that Fox’s written response to Trojan, their rationale for rejecting the spot was that “Contraceptive advertising must stress health-related uses rather than the prevention of pregnancy.” CBS reportedly stated, “while we understand and appreciate the humor of this creative, we do not find it appropriate for our network even with late-night-only restrictions.”

Fox’s rationale makes no sense, nor does CBS’s. Go back and watch the ad again, catchy song and all, and let me know if you find it more suggestive or explicit than what you see on prime time television. Does it suggest sex more than Cialis or Viagara commercials do? Or is it that the Trojan ad suggests that two consenting adults meeting in a bar (i.e. not married, unlike the happy home couples in the erection drug ads) might have sex – safer sex, that is?

Carol Carrozza, vice president of marketing for the company that makes Lifestyles condoms, hits the nail on the head – “We always find it funny that you can use sex to sell jewelry and cars, but you can’t use sex to sell condoms.” That’s not so much funny as profoundly hypocritical.

Feministing, Our Bodies, Our Blog, and Broadsheet have more.