Science communicator makes the case for practicing safe sex with one-of-a-kind fashion statement

Even with her mom’s help, Alexandra Russell spent weeks collecting, unwrapping and rinsing the lube off 2,000 condoms that she then hung up to drip dry all around her home.

“My uncles would drop by and laugh at what we were doing,” says Russell.

Her 87-year-old grandfather, who lives with Russell and her mom, was supportive right from the start. “He knew it was for a good cause.”

Russell’s cause was changing Gen Z behaviours around practicing safe sex. Winning over teens and 20-somethings who think they’re invincible when it comes to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) was the focus of Russell’s semester-long project in the School of Interdisciplinary Science’s creative science communication course.

“It’s important that our generation gets comfortable talking about our sexual health with our partners. We shouldn’t be ashamed to get protection – it should be as natural as going to the drugstore to buy a bottle of shampoo. We shouldn’t be afraid to get tested and we need to educate ourselves about the signs and symptoms of sexually transmitted infections.”

For her project, Russell focused on syphilis, a STI caused by a bacterium that’s transmitted through vaginal, anal and oral sex. Infection rates are soaring to levels not seen since the 1950s – it’s the fastest rising STI among young Canadians. If detected early, syphilis can be cured. If left untreated, syphilis can cause serious long-term health problems, damaging the heart, brain and other organs – it can also pass through the placenta to a developing fetus.

With Gen Z as her primary audience, Russell created a syphilis-themed ‘zine. She knew her self-published publication needed an attention-grabbing cover. She could’ve used a stock photo or A.I.-generated image. But Russell saw an opportunity to combine her passions for science, fashion and art.

She decided to replicate the cover of a high-end fashion magazine, with a model wearing a one-of-a-kind safe sex-themed dress. And so began the collecting, unwrapping, rinsing and air-drying of 2,000 condoms.

It would be the second eye-catching dress Russell designed in under a year. She’d spent the fall term at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore on an exchange program. She’d taken a course in body-centric design that examined how tech complements the body. Russell had to research, design and create a reactive wearable project. She decided to turn the body’s lymphatic system inside out and put it on a dress.

Ordering supplies from Amazon wasn’t an option so she scrounged up whatever materials she could find on campus, using cables, beads and toile coated in jelly wax. The dress was a hit and wound up being displayed on campus.

Ordering from Amazon for her second dress still wasn’t an option even though she was back at Mac. A box of 1,000 condoms cost $300. So Russell reached out to sexual health clinics, explained her science communication project and asked for donations. A couple of clinics were happy to help, giving Russell condoms that had passed their best before dates and could no longer be used as intended.

Russell designed the dress to communicate both the problem of sexually transmitted infections and the solution. She wrapped the corset in news headlines and stories about the return of syphilis. The 2,000 donated condoms and dental dams – the best way to curb the STI’s spread – were sewn together to make the skirt.

She chose a Victorian-style dress to underscore how the stigma and shame that surrounded syphilis in the 19th century continues to this day. “We’re still uncomfortable talking about it.”

The reaction to her dress was both expected and unexpected. Russell knew some people would be offended and trolls would weigh in. “I think I riled up a bunch of 13-year-old boys online.”

And while her dress also got rave reviews, it grabbed attention without sparking as many conversations as she had hoped. “People looked at the dress but didn’t always see the underlying message I was hoping to get across.”

Russell says the months spent making the dress were well worth the time and effort. “I was very shy growing up and stayed in my comfort zone. But I pushed myself with this project. I learned how fulfilling it is to come up with a big, bold and controversial idea. With the right idea, you can grab attention, start conversations and change minds.”

Assistant professor Alexander Hall, a science communications expert in the School of Interdisciplinary Science, supervised Russell’s project. He says he had to flip the script with Russell. “With most students, I’m pushing them to bring more technical and scientific data into their projects. With Alexandra, I kept encouraging her to be more creative. The problem isn’t that people need to know everything about the biology of syphilis – the problem is how to change attitudes and behaviors around practicing safe sex.” Hall also told Russell that yet another public service announcement on social media likely wouldn’t cut through the noise and get noticed by her target audience.

Hall has supervised many students  – Russell was the first to communicate science through fashion. “What Alexandra did went so far beyond what I’d originally imagined she could do. Her work is truly impressive.”

He’s encouraged Russell to continue bringing together science and fashion. “Alexandra has a unique perspective and there’s definitely an opportunity there to carve out a niche as a science communicator by combining those two worlds.” He can see high end fashion brands promoting Russell’s creations to associate with causes that matter to their customers.

After graduating in June with an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, Russell enrolled in the Fine Arts program at York University. She’s now the mature student in classes full of 17-year-olds. She’ll complete the four-year program in two years thanks to all the credits she was able to transfer from her Mac degree.

Her long-term plan is to build a career out of exploring both the interdisciplinary connections between biology, healthcare, visual arts and the role of creativity in shaping how science is communicated.

For now, she’s teaching herself Adobe InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator – software that she didn’t know how to use when she created her ‘zine. Ever the perfectionist, Russell went back and redesigned her ‘zine.

And looking ahead to next summer, Russell plans to finally learn how to sew. “That should save me some time if I make more dresses.”

To see more of Russell’s work, including videos of her working on the dress, check out her Instagram feed at @joyxiaoart.