Condom Ad Campaign Turns STIs Into Tinder Dating Profiles To Promote Safe Sex

World, meet Chlaramydia.
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UPDATE: This campaign has since been pulled after facing a public backlash for "stigmatising" people with infections and the company behind the campaign, HERO Condoms, has issued an apology.

Chlaramydia's Tinder profile suggests she likes gin and piercings.

While she might look like your average Tinder user from her profile pic, the reality is that Chlaramydia is part of a campaign educating users about sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

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HERO Condoms x Aaron Tyler

To combat a rise in infections, Australian condom brand HERO teamed up with artist Aaron Tyler to create a series of Tinder profiles based around diseases such as chlamydia and gonorrhoea.

Herpez, Johnorrhoea and Chlaramydia are just some of the personified infections you can match with.

The idea is that people match with the STIs on Tinder and are then informatively taught about the health implications of infections via the messaging tool. 

The condom brand has attributed a number of factors to the rise of some STIs in Australia, including a lack of new models of sexual health education and the advancements in medication which can mean sexually transmitted diseases are viewed as "mere infections".

They also wrote that "there appears to be a direct association between Tinder and other dating apps and the rise of STIs globally".

The condom brand has attributed a number of factors to the rise of some STIs in Australia, including a lack of new models of sexual health education and the advancements in medication which can mean sexually transmitted diseases are viewed as "mere infections".

They also wrote that "there appears to be a direct association between Tinder and other dating apps and the rise of STIs globally".

The images used for each profile were distorted using the profile editing app Facetune to give them authentically filtered looks. 

Their bios were then created to be engaging, while communicating the specific symptoms that each STI has. 

So far, hundreds of people have swiped right for the fake profiles without even realising they are STIs.

A spokesperson for HERO condoms wrote in a blog that some Tinder users cottoned on to the campaign early and branded it "really clever". While others invited Chlaramydia (and co) out to dinner.

Behind each fake profile is a real person who informatively chats about sexual health and the importance of contraception - acting as a reminder that people could be matching with more than they bargained for. 

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HERO Condoms

CEO of HERO condoms, David Wommelsdorff, said: "Critical to our efforts to reach youth and to de-stigmatise the use of condoms, is to encourage young people that being prepared is actually being sexy.

"Carrying a condom should not be seen in anyway a sign of bravado or promiscuity but rather a symbol that you as an individual are in charge of your own sexual health and that of your partner/s."

The Huffington Post UK has reached out to Tinder for comment on the campaign and is waiting to hear back.

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