The New York City Department of Health is tackling the issue of unprotected post-menopausal sex head-on with an ad campaign that has now hit the Upper West Side. An illuminated bus stop poster with a comely picture of a nude woman tells baby boomers who think that being over 50 means sex has no consequences that “Age is not a Condom.” (Just try walking past it with your mom, or your kid for that matter, without even a slight blush.)
Giggling aside, the poster is targeting a serious and growing problem. AIDS and HIV are becoming a more widespread concern in the over-50 community — the number of people who contracted HIV at the age of 50 or older jumped 16% between 2005 and 2008. There is something strange about seeing a message like this, however, for a guy who spent his formative years in New York in the 1990’s, getting safe-sex messages drummed into his ears by baby-boomer authority figures. Now they’re the ones who need to be told how to act.
The sign above was on a bus stand at West 72nd Street near West End Avenue. It’s no secret that the Upper West Side residents are slightly older (and much sexier) than the city as a whole, so they’ve picked a good spot.
Update: The Village Voice points out in a post based on our story that the ad is playing off the famous Got Milk? ad campaign.
Photo by Avi.
Dang! Wouldn’t it be great if it were!!!