Why all girls should carry condoms in their purse

It’s normally the guys who carry condoms in their wallets, well, it’s time for a change. Girls everywhere should put them in their purse too. Seriously it is 2016, why rely on the guy?

First of all, it is probably the most liberating thing you will do this year. Nothing screams “sexually-liberated-independent-women-who-takes-responsibilty-for-my-own-sex-life” more than always being prepared, and carrying protection.

Carrying condoms with you has nothing to do with how much sex you’re having. It is just a precaution and you should never feel ashamed for having a safety measure in place to help you look after your own sexual health. The fact that most girls would feel embarrassed about carrying condoms in their purse just goes to prove what a taboo it still is for girls to be having and enjoying regular sex. It’s widely known that at university a lot of students are engaging in casual sex. There’s no good in brushing it under the carpet, it happens, so we should embrace it and all carry protection, regardless of gender.

Just picture it, you were planning on writing your 5000 word essay of North American poetry and class struggle tonight, but then your flatmate Emma comes in and begs you to go clubbing with them. She’s had a crap day because Nick didn’t reply to her Snapchat, and she thought he really liked her. Eventually you agree and a few vodka lemonades later you find yourself in a hot nightclub surrounded by gyrating teenagers. Spontaneous nights out are the best, right?

But, oh wait, there is that really fit guy from your seminar, and he’s coming over! You have a nice dance and some drinks and eventually one thing leads to another and you are kissing. You start flirting a lot, after all you haven’t gotten laid since term one. He asks you back to his place and you agree (while mentally questioning if you remembered to shave your legs or not). You get back to his and one of you initiates sex.

However, fit seminar guy is all out of condoms and you shouldn’t have assumed he would be providing  them. Now you have to sit there and feel flustered and sexually frustrated.  If only you had discreetly kept a condom in your purse for such an occasion? Then you both would have been able to enjoy protected sex, which might have even led to more than a one night stand. But you didn’t and now you have to leave and inevitably never say two words to each other again for the rest of your university life because the situation was way too awkward.

On the other hand maybe you had sex anyway with the fit seminar guy, despite the lack of condom. And let’s be honest this is incredibly risky and a small decision like this can have really big impacts on your life.

Carrying condoms is just a precaution. There is no harm in erring on the side of caution and it definitely doesn’t make you a slut (because that’s a social construct).

Just remember to replace the condoms regularly because the wear and tear on your purse can cause condoms to deteriorate if they aren’t frequently changed.