Group Show at the URI Feinstein Providence Campus Gallery.

During WW2, soldiers were issued “pro kits” to protect themselves from Venereal Diseases that one might get from “easy women” that were depicted on blatantly sexist (with women being the primary culprit) propaganda posters. Putting a “face” with the names of Syphilis and Gonorrhea gave the diseases “brand recognition” that went along well with American ideals of monogamy and disdain for “loose” women (especially those who would challenge the fidelity of American men while they were serving their motherland).

In the early 1980's while European governments were educating people about AIDS (and AIDS prevention), Americans were left in the dark about what became known as Gay Cancer. The face of AIDS was a small margin of society that was of little interest to the mainstream. There was little need for brand recognition or propaganda because AIDS didn't affect “society” at large.

When Magic Johnson became infected by the disease, the mainstream media's publication of the fact helped people realize that heterosexual people could catch the disease.

In 2003, one of the countries hardest hit by the AIDS epidemic, Botswana, held an HIV Pageant to spread awareness of the disease. In 2005 Russia elected its first Miss HIV Positive, placing a young and attractive face with the disease, effectively eliminating all previous notions of what an HIV victim might look like.

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Aids Jeans
AidsJeans advert