Dear Clueless,
A female condom is a female initiated barrier method.  What’s female initiated mean? It means you want to use it because YOU are the one who uses it.  Who likes hearing the “Baby, I don’t use condoms, they decrease the feeling” or “I don’t use condoms because there aren’t any big enough for me.”  When I used to teach sex ed., in order to demonstrate the strength and capacity of condoms my colleagues and I used to pull an Average Joe condom from our fists down to our elbows, no problem.

There are dozens of sexy and unsexy ways to negotiate using a condom, but to be quite honest, a female condom would be the better option because it’s in you…literally.  They are large enough to accommodate some of the biggest visitors or some of the least sensitive participants.  The nitrile material works as a heat conductor creating more warmth and adding sensitivity that can be taken away with the “snugger” male condom.  It is not only good for vaginal intercourse but, because of its durable material, very effective for anal intercourse.  However, upon its official FDA introduction in the early/mid-nineties, it immediately fell into obscurity becoming the laughing stock of the barrier method office party.  Dental dams had a better reputation and you could make one of those out of plastic wrap.
There are a lot of questions, objections, fears, etc. about the female condom out there that prevent its use for more than a party joke, one of the main ones being its appearance because it looks like a bag.  It is true that the FC’s appearance is a little off-putting with its large opening that tapers off creating a narrow bag-like appearance, however that part can be hidden from the non-receptive partner by placing it inside 5 minutes to 8 hours before intercourse (I do not suggest 8 hours considering you really shouldn’t urinate while wearing the FC, for obvious reasons and you should definitely be going more than once every 8 hours).

During a make-out session or heavy frottage activity one can simply excuse themself for a trip to the bathroom and insert one in no time.  Then when the business gets underway, you are all set and ready to go.

In the end it all comes down to what you feel most comfortable with personally.  Think of it this way, did you think boys knew exactly how to put a condom on when they started having sex?  I’m willing to bet they unraveled them and shot them around like elastic bands the first couple of times… at least that’s what I did.  These things take practice (either alone or with a partner) and practice makes perfect, confidence and most importantly safety.  So give the Female Condom a shot before you shelve the idea completely!

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Sex Edna is 28 years old.  She started dating at age 15 and subsequently lost her virginity at the end of that year.  From then on she started having and talking about sex.  At the age of 25 she began teaching sexual education to incarcerated youths as well as other inquiring adolescents.  Currently she is attending graduate school for Public Health Education, so don’t be afraid to ask because she’s either done it or heard of it.