'Ultra Shape' condom

Carton containing 1 'Ultra Shape' condom, with instruction leaflet, Barnetts Europa S.L., Spain, c1998 (expiry date April 2003)

Part of a small personal collection of condoms and packaging dating from around the 1990s, this product is an example of the increased use of condoms internationally following the emergence of HIV and AIDS. Previously marketed as contraception, condom products diversified as they began to be targeted at a wider range of people, which led to new flavours, textures, and colours.

Due to mass-production, latex condoms became more affordable in the 1920s and were advertised to be used once and then disposed of. Previously, condoms were cleaned and reused multiple times.