TikToker Chris Olsen is using humor — and his platform of nearly 10 million followers — to talk openly about sexual health.
In a recent video post, Olsen, 25, told a hilarious story about going to get a routine STI test, during which he revealed that he’s tested positive for chlamydia three times in the past. (STIs, short for sexually transmitted infections, are transmitted through sexual contact; when left untreated, they can develop into a sexually transmitted disease, or STD, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.)
“So, I’ve had chlamydia three times — end the stigma,” Olsen began the video in a joking tone, referring to the treatable STI that's the most frequently reported bacterial infectious disease in the United States, per the CDC. Then the social media star, who identifies as gay, breezily went on to share that the female nurse who was drawing his blood at the time of his recent visit attempted to try and set him up with her gay son.
“I’m like, 'OK, reel it back, reel it back. What’s his name?'” he said in the video. “Because I know my hacking skills can find this man in a second. As I leave, she tells me his name. When I find this man on Instagram, I found out that he is the ex of one of the men who has ghosted me this past year — and in their story, they’re hanging out.”
The story did have a happy ending, though.
“Anyway, she just called me and I do not have chlamydia, this time, so, little wins!” he said.
Responses to the video have been wide-ranging, with many commenters praising Olsen’s bravery for being open about his STI history without layering it with the stigma, shame and fear that is so often attached to disclosure stories.
Singer-songwriter Jewel even weighed in, writing, “Omg I love you.”
“We love a queen that takes care of themselves!” one another admirer added, referencing Olsen’s message to routinely get tested for STIs.
The truth is that sexually transmitted infections are quite common, with the CDC surmising that "1 in 5" Americans will receive a positive STI diagnosis in their lifetime; other sources, including the Kaiser Family Foundation, put that even higher, estimating that over half of people in the U.S. will have an STI in their lifetime.
Meanwhile, positive cases reached an all-time high for the sixth year in a row in 2019, with more than 2.5 million reported cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea & syphilis reported that year — and half of all new STI cases found in young adults ages 15 to 24, according to the CDC. Though that took a sizable dip during the pandemic due to social distancing, by the end of 2020 (the most recent stats available), cases of STIs like gonorrhea and syphilis continued to surge. Still, many find the topic too taboo to discuss.
It’s why Olsen’s video is so important, says Jenelle Marie Pierce, board president of the STI Project, an organization that aims to de-stigmatize STIs through sex education, and spokesperson for the dating site Positive Singles. She argues that telling personal stories in such an open, accessible way — with humor, if possible — creates a good model for how young people can have complicated conversations about sexual health.
"What I love most about this video is the casual conversation that's taking place between the influencer and the audience, which is none too different than a typical disclosure conversation," Pierce tells Yahoo Life. "In some ways, it's serious, yes, but it can also be fun and affirming. It's a dialogue where information is shared and decisions are made and then, hopefully, fun is had. What's not to like about that, right?"
Oftentimes, conversations around STI disclosure get "wrapped up in a lot of trepidation, fear, ethics, and morality," she notes. And while some of that fear and shame is unavoidable, what people often forget is that disclosure can be a simple conversation among partners — something which Olsen’s candor demonstrates.
