Why Herpes Jokes Are Harmful: Understanding the Impact on Stigma and Isolation
It’s April Fools’ Day, which means you’ll likely step into a joke or two. Here’s why you should reconsider your herpes jokes.
90% of people living with HSV-2 (aka genital herpes) don’t know they have it. This could be due to a lack of symptoms or mistaken symptoms. (Thomas, Dutchman, & Beedle, 2020).
The World Health Organization estimates that 67% of the global population is living with HSV-1. This is the virus responsible for cold sores (aka oral herpes), but some genital infections, too.
Both HSV-1 and HSV-2 share more similarities than differences - but you probably didn’t learn about that in health class.
Society’s discomfort and shame around herpes and other STIs doesn’t stem from the infections of their symptoms, but their association to sexual origin and genital shame.
Stigma is something we’re taught. The lack of factual education around herpes and other STIs contributes to the negative beliefs and feelings you have about herpes and people who have it.
A herpes diagnosis often leads to feelings of isolation, worthlessness, and shame. Especially when it comes to dating and relationships.
The jokes you make and laugh at about herpes reinforce the narrative that it’s a sex and dating death sentence.
I get it. I’ve been there, too. Before I received my diagnosis, I laughed, made jokes, and used STIs as punchlines. It wasn’t until I received my diagnosis that I was able to unpack and unlearn the beliefs I was taught about herpes and STIs.