TikToker Chris Olsen recently shared that he has contracted chlamydia three times. It’s a surprising admission considering how rarely other social media influencers talk about contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
“So I had chlamydia three times,” Olson said Recently posted video“Stop the stigma,” he quickly added.
“The nurse [at the STI clinic]”All I’ve ever seen before was… ‘Oh, I haven’t seen you in a while,'” he continued. “And I was like, ‘Yeah, it’s a little dry out there.'”
Olsen said the nurse tried to connect him with her gay son. When Olsen later caught up with him on Instagram, he learned that her son was the ex-boyfriend of the dude who had impressed Olsen last year. “The world is too small,” he wrote in the video’s caption.
The influencer also said that the nurse called him later and revealed that the chlamydia test was negative. “Little wins!” he said at the end of the video.
@Chris This world is very small
Olson’s entry is noteworthy, especially considering the 25-year-old influencer has more than 9.6 million TikTok followers. His video has received an estimated 8.2 million views as of Tuesday, January 24, 2023 – enough for every New York City resident to see it once!
It is not surprising for a sexually active queer person to contract an STD. Between 20% and 50% of Americans will develop an STD in their lifetime. According to the CDC and the Kaiser Family Foundation.
But, even though it’s common, it’s rare for a queer person to discuss having an STD on social media, especially when they have as many followers as Olsen. This is because people still feel a lot of stigma and stigma around STDs, as they seem like moral punishments for “bad behavior” rather than common illnesses.
A friend of mine compared STDs to colds and flu – diseases that can be caught in the playground – except the adult playground is the bedroom and STDs affect your genitals instead of your respiratory system.
“We’re not ashamed of having the flu, so why should we get STDs?” said the friend. it has.
STI Project board president Janelle Marie Pearce says the STD conversation is wrapped up in “a lot of fear, dread, morals and ethics.” that’s why She praised Olson’s video. and the use of verbal humor.
“What I love about this video is the casual conversation between the influencer and the audience, which isn’t too different from a typical pitch,” said Pierce. “In some ways, it’s hard, yes, but it can also be fun and affirming. It is a conversation where information is exchanged and decisions are made and then hopefully entertained. What’s not to like about that, right?”
Pearce said more people should be talking about chlamydia, considering more than 1.8 million Americans. He caught chlamydia in 2019. But “surprisingly, we don’t have many examples to refer to,” she added, noting that celebrities are sometimes applauded or embarrassed when they discuss their own STDs in public.
As Olson puts it, it’s time to “end the stigma.” Friendly conversations like his can help normalize STDs, change people’s attitudes about them, and help keep their friends and community healthy and informed, stigma be damned.