Virginity

Virginity is a term used to describe what a person has when he or she has not yet engaged in sexual intercourse. A person who still has his or her virginity can accordingly be described as being a virgin. In broader usage of these terms, they can characterize a state of unimpacted purity. This purity can be based around something's contents, such as a margarita being described as virgin when it lacks alcohol, or around a lack of experience, such as a player of bingo being described as virgin when he is a newcomer to the game. In other contexts, these terms can apply to someone who has not engaged in sexual activities in general, or to more specific activities such as how anal virgin can apply to someone who has not engaged in anal sex.

With the standard usage of these terms (where the state of purity is thought to come from a lack of sexual intercourse), they have been more commonly applied to women than to men, both historically and in many present-day situations. In fact, the terms traditionally were used to simply describe a female unmarried person or a young girl (lat. "virgo, virginis", as an opposite to "vir" meaning "man" or "husband"). However, applying them to men as well has become common in modern times, as the word "maid" lost currency in reference to men. During the Middle English period, the word "maid" referred to a person, whether male or female, who had never been married or sexually active. Geoffrey Chaucer, for instance, used that word in reference to Christ and St. Paul.

The status of virginity is respected and valued in certain societies, particularly when there are religious views regarding sexual conduct before marriage. A woman who is a virgin can also sometimes be referred to as a maiden, although women who are simply unmarried can be referred to as maidens as well.

Physiology

Among human females, the hymen is a membrane, part of the vulva, which partially occludes the entrance to the vagina and which may be physically torn when the woman first engages in sexual intercourse. Hymens vary in thickness, shape, and flexibility. The presence of an intact membrane is often seen as physical evidence of virginity in the broader technical sense.

In some women the hymen is absent from birth, or sufficiently vestigial to pose no obstruction to the entryway of the vagina. The presence of a broken hymen may indicate that the vagina has been penetrated, or it may indicate damage caused by strenuous exercise or the forceful insertion of a tampon.

In contrast to the cases of absent or partial hymen's, rare cases a woman may possess an imperforate hymen, such as prevents the release of menstrual discharge. Surgery to create an opening in the hymen is then necessary to avert deleterious health effects.

The presence of a hymen is a possible indication, but not a guarantee of virginity, given that it is speculated that some degree of sexual activity may occur without rupturing the hymen, and given that there may exist varying definitions as to the type and extent of sexual activity that is required to terminate the state of "virginity". This is further complicated by the availability of hymenorrhaphy operations to repair or replace the hymen.

In some cultures, women are not regarded as virgins after a sexual assault, but some people disavow this notion. There are also those who take this "spiritual" concept of virginity to its maximum, considering "born again virgins" to be virgins, regardless of their past sexual conduct. However, the word "chastity" is often used in this context rather than "virginity".

In males, there is no physically visible indicator of virginity; however, there may be social indicators, such as possible sexual anxiety and a lack of sexual knowledge.

In culture

Female virginity is closely interwoven with personal or even family honor in many cultures. Traditionally in some cultures (especially those dominated by Christianity, Islam and Judaism, as also Hinduism and the other Indic religions) there has been a widespread belief that the loss of virginity before marriage is a matter of deep shame. In some cultures (for example the Bantu of South Africa), virginity testing is commonplace. This would typically involve personal inspection by a female elder.

Traditionally in Western marriage ceremonies, a veil is taken as a symbol of the bride's virginity; the white dress is also commonly considered a sign of virginity. The extent to which this symbolism is accurate is unclear, given that some women may choose to wear white even if they are no longer virgins. This may even hold true for women who are assumed to be non-virgins (for example, those involved in a second marriage), but the practice is not universal.

The philosopher Bertrand Russell, in his book Why I Am Not a Christian, argued that to avoid sexual relationships before marriage was naive and unwise, and that to do so would in the long run lead to far more unhappiness than if sexual activity is engaged in. This is based on the idea that if one is ignorant of sexual desire and fulfillment, one will not be able to distinguish between a deep infatuation and what may be known as true affection, and thus may make an unfortunate choice of partner based upon misconception — a mistake that would not be committed by those aware of the distinction.

Some historians and anthropologists note that many societies that place a high value on virginity before marriage, such as the United States before the sexual revolution, actually have a large amount of premarital sexual activity that does not involve vaginal penetration, e.g., oral sex, anal sex and mutual masturbation. Some refer to this as "technical" virginity.

Loss of virginity

The act of losing one's virginity, that is, of a first sexual experience, is commonly considered within Western culture to be an important life event and a rite of passage. It is highlighted by many mainstream Western movies (particularly films aimed at a teenaged audience). The loss of virginity can be viewed as a milestone to be proud of or as a failure to be ashamed of (particularly if a lack of self control was involved), depending on cultural perceptions. Historically, these perceptions were heavily influenced by perceived gender roles, such that for a male the association was more often with pride and for a female the association was more often with shame. (See Double standard.)

The partner during the loss of virginity is sometimes colloquially said to "take" the virginity of the virgin partner. In some places, this colloquialism is only used when the partner is not a virgin, but in other places, the virginity of the partner does not matter. The archaic term "deflower" is sometimes used in modern times to also describe the act of the virgin's partner, and the clinical term "defloration" is another way to describe the event.

One slang term used for virginity is "cherry" (often, this is the term to refer to the hymen, but can refer to virginity in males or females) and for deflowering a virgin is to "pop their cherry," in effect, a reference to destruction of the hymen during first intercourse.

Religion

Mythology

Virginity has been often considered to be a virtue denoting purity and physical self-restraint and is an important characteristic of some mythical figures such as the Greek goddesses Athena, Artemis, and Hestia. The Vestal Virgins were strictly celibate priestesses of Vesta. The Maiden or Virgin is one of the three persons of the Triple Goddess in many Neopagan traditions. The constellation Virgo represents a wide selection of sacred virgins.

Christianity

Medieval Christian society regarded the loss of virginity outside of marriage as sinful, but not the worst of sins. In Dante's Inferno fornicators occupied more comfortable spaces than sinners of violence and deceit. In his Canterbury Tales , Geoffrey Chaucer's Wife of Bath remarks that if virgins are so special, then where do they come from?

Until today, Christian states have or have had laws protecting virginity. Germany abandoned a law (§1300 BGB) only in 1998 that entitled the deflowered virgin to compensation if the relationship ended. (former) situation in other countries needed

Some Christians today say that virginity indicates a requisite state of holiness in terms of sexuality before marriage. More fundamental Christians believe the New Testament of the Christian Bible forbids pre-marital sex of any form. Nevertheless, these ideas are more openly discussed throughout the Old Testament as it is there that most of the rules for Christianity are set, phrases that describe sex as the union of both man and woman in one flesh exemplify how important it is for both sexes to remain celibate until the day they find the right person to share their bodies with.

Islam

Islam provides very strict conditions that sexual activity must occur only between married individuals. Quotes such as 'Do not even go near Fornication' (Al-Israa 17: 32), are testament to this. While a young bride's virginity has traditionally been very important in Islamic societies, the common practice of divorce and remarriage, even in very traditional societies, means that many women enter marriages having had previous permissable sexual experience. Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, as a forty-year-old widow, was not a virgin when she became the first wife of the Prophet Muhammad; this was not any bar to their marriage.

Judaism

One of the most fundamental aspects of Jewish tradition is the great significance attached to virginity. It appears in Judaism as early as the verse in Genesis, referring to Eliezer's encounter with Rebekah: 'And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her' (Genesis 24:16) and is a recurring theme throughout the Bible, especially with regard to the laws governing betrothal, marriage and divorce.

However, in practice, Judaism is fairly lenient about sexual relations, and has been since its early days, fairly pragmatic about the realities of sex and sexuality. Sex in Judaism is not seen as dirty or undesirable — in fact, sex within a marriage is considered a mitzvah, or desirable virtue. Jewish law contains rules related to and protecting female virgins and dealing with consensual and non-consensual pre-marital sex. The thrust of Jewish law's guidance on sex is effectively, that it should not be rejected, but should be lived as a wholesome part of life. The more liberal denominations (Reconstructionist Judaism, Reform Judaism, and Conservative Judaism) are relatively open to pre-marital sex: while it isn't encouraged, per se, it is not ignored, either — rules governing sexuality still apply, etc. In stricter denominations, sex before marriage can be relatively uncommon, as religious practices of modesty, marriages at a younger age, and other practices, may apply.