Meet Angelikah and Slim, the focus of Me, Myself and HIV, a new reality TV show that debuted on World AIDS Day 2010 on MTV. 


Angelikah is a U.S. college student in the Midwest considering a new tattoo. She calls the parlor, asks for an appointment. Oh, by the way, she says, “I’m HIV positive.” (Tattooing is safe for all involved as long as clean needles are used.)

Slim is an aspiring musician in Zambia fretting over disclosure while on a lunch date. Nerves are high, and time is running out. Finally, he tells his date, “I’m HIV positive.”

By showing real-life circumstances of people with HIV, the special one-off episode hopes to motivate viewers to get tested. Angelikah and Slim experience stigma and discrimination surrounding the disease and discuss how HIV has affected every facet of their lives. The show is also intended to inspire young people to think about HIV prevention.

“To anyone who is HIV negative, I would like to suggest that you assume everyone is HIV positive and protect yourself every time, in everything you do,” Angelikah says. “HIV can happen to you, but it doesn’t have to.”

Go to hiv.staying-alive.org to watch the show.