Do men skip condoms with pretty women?

STUDIES have long shown that people tend to have a positive perception of those who are considered attractive by societal standards, such as believing that they are kinder, more honest, and somehow “better”, and treat them differently because of these notions.

That perception spills over into other areas such as sexual practices among men, and the risks many are willing to take with a woman who is “hot”, compared to a less attractive woman.

A study published last month in BNJ Open, an online-only general medical journal, among over 50 heterosexual men between the ages of 18 and 69 years, found that the more attractive they judged the woman to be, the more willing the men would be to have sex with her, and the less likely to intend to use a condom during sex.

The study, Does attractiveness influence condom use intentions in heterosexual men? by authors Anastasia Eleftheriou et al from the University of Southampton, sought to better understand the relationship between perceived attractiveness, perceived sexual health status and condom use intentions in a heterosexual male population. Men were asked to rate the attractiveness of 20 women on the basis of facial photographs, to estimate the likelihood that each woman had a sexually transmitted infection (STI) and to indicate their willingness to have sex with or without a condom with each woman.

It found that the more attractive a woman was judged to be on average, the more likely participants would be willing to have sex with her and the less likely they were to intend to use a condom during sex. Higher condom use intentions towards a particular woman were associated with lower ratings of her attractiveness and higher ratings of her STI likelihood. It concluded that male perceptions of attractiveness influence their condom use intentions.

With the “gyal in a bungle” culture still very much influencing much of the sexual behaviours of so many Jamaican men, All Woman asked men, Are you more likely to think a woman is clean if she’s hot?

Stefan, entertainment coordinator:

I don’t think it’s a situation where a man sets out not to use a condom because the woman looks hot. I think what happens a lot of times is that he doesn’t have the condom but because he is so anxious to have sex with the “hot girl”, he’s willing to take the chance as opposed to if she’s not so hot, he may say, ‘it’s alright, when I have the condom’.

‘Archie’, sales rep:

This can happen to anybody. A number of influencing factors can cause one to make a mistake. But if you’re not inebriated or under the influence of anything that may sway your thinking, then personally, I would under no circumstance just have sex with a woman without a condom because she is attractive. I don’t believe in seeing a woman and because she is so hot, I need to have sex with her because I have to grab the chance now. But I can see why men can fall into that trap — that they have to strike while the iron is hot. You’re a man and a hunter, that kind of thing. If somebody really appeals to me, of course they are going to influence me, which brings me back to the whole point of influence again. But as I said, all things being equal, I wouldn’t just bend the rules because she’s hot. But we are all human and things can happen and because things can happen, let’s just say just maybe I may fall victim to that.

Daniel, 46, advertising agent:

I don’t think like that. I’m not going to say because you’re pretty you’re clean. I’m going to think that because you are pretty, chances are you are not clean. That won’t fool me. The person who is the ugliest woman might very well be the cleanest. Chances are I may probably take the risk with her, as opposed to a beauty queen. I’m going to fret that I don’t know anything about this woman, and the amount of men who probably try to get at her, and the amount who probably get through. If a hundred try at her, 20 may get through and with the 20, she may not be keeping it real with them, or herself. That creates exposure. My mind is going to go into overdrive and think all manner of evil where that pretty woman is concerned, so I may not jump and leave myself careless and say I really don’t need a condom because she is so fine, she has nothing. Not at all.

Dean, barber:

Back then, I would. But right now we nah run dem risk deh because the pretty girl dem more infected than the one dem who less attractive. We would more run the risk wid a ugly gyal.

Sham, university student:

No, we nuh think she clean if she hot. We probably just more willing to take the risk because we feel she wi give wi a pretty baby.

Defon, 34, videographer:

It’s stupid logic, but yes, I would, easily. Worse, if she has the body to match the face.