Friday, April 1, 2011

That old obsession with virginity

It's interesting that working in a sex shop we meet real, live adult virgins all the time.  And what do I say to these folks when they disclose this fact?  Good for you!  Not because they've fulfilled some ridiculous religious or cultural goal, but because they probably missed more of the bad sex many of us have as young, ignorant lovers.

When folks wait till they're older to have sex, they can be more self aware and know more about their bodies before they share with others.  Masturbation can be fun and provide years of self love and learning what healthy pleasure feels like in a safe environment.  If only this was the more practical message of the purity movement.  If only abstinence-till-marriage crusaders just told young adults the smart reasons to wait.   Instead there are purity father-daughter rings and widespread, unsafe anal sex practices in an effort to maintain 'virginity.'  Great.

Our culture's obsession with purity, virginity and waiting until marriage for sex is a sexist, complex, ugly and impractical angle.  Filmmaker Terese Schecter is finishing production on a documentary you'll want to see.


The "How to Lose Your Virginity" trailer from Trixie Films on Vimeo.

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