Physical, cultural, and economic factors have increased Tanzanian women’s vulnerability to HIV/AIDS infection. Although health communication campaigns have aimed to reduce infection rates and educate people about sexual health topics, little research has been done on the effectiveness and suitability of these campaigns in rural areas. Multiple in-depth interviews with 20 Tanzanian women from a rural village revealed factors that influenced how mass media health messages were perceived and how they fit with local health communication networks. Local belief systems and an adherence to male-dominated gender roles might have negatively influenced the effectiveness of health messages. Magazines and other mass media, though valued, were not seen as adequate replacements for declining traditional, community-enforced sexual health communication practices. The women felt that mass media messages should be supplemented with seminars and traditional performances and should incorporate more technical information about HIV/AIDS, physical pleasure, raising families, and other topics.