Educating Women

Educating women about AIDS transmission was such a struggle due to the social stigma that surrounded the disease. To combat this, pamphlets like the one shown below were distributed by public health organizations. It gets straight to the point, highlighting information such as modes of transmission, symptoms, and information related to pregnancy. Instead of highlighting the passivity of women, it takes an active approach, not censoring any language or issues regarding sexual intercourse. This rhetoric, while seemingly unfeeling, had a great impact on destigmatizing AIDS as a social construct and reframing it as the public health crisis it was. Placing an emphasis on the medical aspect of the disease does not just raise awareness but pushes women to get tested and take control of the situation themselves.