Not Your Grandma's Condoms

Yet these are the rationalizations that people use. I've personally heard from both men and women over 50: "He [I] will lose an erection if he [I] put a condom on." Now I am sympathetic to that one—men's erections get particularly tricky as they age—but even if a condom has a certain deflating effect, I challenge men (or women with a partner who has performance issues) to seek a condom solution rather than a condom evasion. Most single older men and their partners probably haven't looked at condoms for about 40 years—during which they've gotten better and sexier.

There really are new, super thin, and not-so-tight condoms on the market these days. The thinner condoms balloon slightly over the penis, with a layer of lubricant, and then there's an outer thin skin that makes sure that sperm can't leak out. Men tell me they feel great and are very sexy and effective ... and besides all that, they are not optional until you are monogamous—and so is your partner.

Want a more adventuresome condom? Manufacturers are so clever these days, knowing their clients clamor for glow-in-the-dark condoms to spice up dark, cold nights. Not into the glow? Pick your favorite flavor—mint, banana, orange, strawberry, chocolate, grape, etc.—or pick the ever-handy sampler pack to make both of you happy. Still not impressed? Try condoms with vibrating rings—some one-sided for her pleasure, some two-sided to double the pleasure.

So singles, listen up: Show how cool you are by coming prepared. To use a phrase coined by Gen Xers, "No glove, no love." Carry condoms as a mark of your sexual maturity and as proof of your commitment to your own and your partner's health. I don't know about you, but I think that's a very big turn-on.