The telling ofpersonal narratives is oneform ofpresenting self to others that begins early in lifie and crosses racial, ethnic, and cultural boundaries. Not only do we present ourselves through narrative, those with whom we are involved present us to others through narrative. The purpose of this study was to examine how well one's perception ofseyis communicated to fmiliar others. One hundred targets each brought a perm'ver to the experiment. The target and perceiver were separated and given a series of questionnaires to complete. The target and the perceiver wen? then asked to tell a personal narrative about the target. Findings include thefolluwing: (a) Self-concept is presented thmughpersonal narratk, fb) such self-plpsentations function as impression management, (c) view of other is presented through narrative, and (d) narrative presentation of a familiar other refects thefamiliar other's self-concept.Charkr L. Markhum Shaw (PhD, Louisiana State University, 1993) is an assistant professor of communication at the University of Texas at Arlington. The author would like to thank Renee Edwards for her guidance and gratefully acknowledges Cindy Gallois, the editor, and two anonymous reviewers for their suggestions.

This study examines newspaper and broadcast news depictions of the female condom from 1993 to 2009 in the three major television networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC), and in 8 of 10 top daily newspapers and 3 of 4 national newspapers published in the United States, according to circulation figures as of September 30, 2008. Given the high rates of sexually transmitted infections in the United States and their effect on women, particularly those between 15 and 24 years of age, it is important to examine media sources and the health information that the public is or is not receiving through these sources. This study (a) examines whether the female condom was depicted positively or negatively in broadcast and newspaper coverage, (b) determines the ways in which the female condom was compared with the male condom and with other contraceptives, and (c) identifies the sources used by journalists in female condom portrayals. The authors discuss the implications of the coverage of the female condom by broadcast and print news.

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This study examined how young adult college men and women (18 to 24 years of age) viewed the female condom, in terms of its viability as a technology to be used for protection against sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unplanned pregnancies. Patients and methods: Information sessions led by same-sex peer educators were conducted with 55 male and 94 female participants in same-sex, small groups, followed by completion of anonymous online surveys, during Spring 2013, at a large public university in the southwestern United States. Results: Using a grounded theory approach, the core characteristics of the FC2 ® female condom found to be important to the female participants were its design, lack of side effects, protection, and convenience; the male participants focused on the protection and design elements. Conclusion: Message-design implications for health promotion initiatives and practical implications for health practitioners were discussed.