The Condom in the Age of AIDS: Newly Respectable or Still a Dirty Word? A Discourse Analysis

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Abstract
The condom has been the subject of much publicity over the past five years because of its role in preventing the spread of HIV: However, despite the attempts of health promoters and condom manufacturers to make condoms respectable, they still seem to suffer from stigmatization. This article discusses the representation of condoms in the Australian press. A discourse analysis approach is used to identify the prominent topics, the manifest and latent themes, and the rhetorical devices used in press accounts to portray condoms in the age of AIDS. The results provide some explanation for the continued lack of popularity of condoms by demonstrating the deep cultural anxieties and negative meanings that still surround them. Until these are challenged, it is unlikely that the general population will adopt the use of condoms to protect against the spread of AIDS.