Because There’s Nothing Sexier Than the MTA

You thought Cupid never sheathes his arrows? Valentine’s Day is apparently also National Condom Day, and so the New York City Health Department chose today to unveil — unfurl? unwrap? roll out? — its new NYC Condoms with a press conference at the Kenneth Cole store in Rockefeller Center. A triumph of branding, the new condom is actually not new at all: It’s the same lubricated LifeStyles model of which the city distributed 18 million last year. But, in an area where flashier is no doubt better, the hope is that the new wrapper will increase use and distribution. Cole, who co-chairs the condom campaign and introduced Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden, certainly understands the power of branding: He took the opportunity to unveil Condom Wear, his new line of black boxers and T-shirts with helpful little pockets for the main product. And as for that product? “You can try them on in the dressing room if you want,” suggested Cole. We didn’t. —Marc Tracy