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Andrew Leonard's excellent article on the issue of specialty condoms (pleasure plus, inspiral and twisted pleasure) makes reference to two studies showing that men in Jamaica and in Africa seemed less interested in these specialty condoms, designed to stimulate the glans penis.
I suggest that a significant factor in the lack of popularity of these condoms is related directly to the fact that these condoms are aimed at providing stimuation for circumcised men. Those men who are intact, i.e. who still have foreskins, may be less inclined to use these condoms. It is movement of the foreskin over the glans penis (common for intact men during intercourse) that provides significant stimulation. In essence, the original Pleasure Plus condom was attempting to provide the type of stimuation that most American men lack because they were deprived of their foreskins as infants.
I have to respond to a letter complaining about "titillation" posted anonymously below, because comments like this have become a pet peeve of mine.
I've been employed by Salon for nine years, so I can say this pretty authoritatively -- stories about sexual issues have been a staple of our coverage from the very beginning. We've had at least three columnists who wrote about nothing else but sex. Our founding editor, David Talbot, wrote a book called "Burning Desire: Sex In America."
Alas, advertisers tend not to like sex, even if readers manifestly do, so it's always been a struggle to keep writing and reporting about what we want, which, in addition to politics, technology, entertainment and everything else, includes SEX!
