“Virginity” and its so-called gatekeeper—the hymen have always been a yardstick to determine the character and purity of womxn.

Prospective brides, newly-married womxn and even rape survivors being subjected to unscientific and humiliating 'virginity tests', such as the '2-finger test' (in which elder womxn/doctors probe the womxn's vagina with two fingers to detect the presence of a hymen) and inspection of the sheets after a couple's wedding night to determine if the bride broke her hymen and bled, proving she was a virgin, is not uncommon.

Patriarchy tends to view sex as a way of claiming ownership over womxn. Sita having to prove her ‘purity’ in the Ramayana is an example of how deep rooted the mindset is in our culture.

Here are some reasons why “virginity” is well… bullsh*t!

Breaking of hymen during first sex is a myth and medically inaccurate:

The hymen is an anatomically useless piece of tissue that “surrounds” a womxn's vaginal opening, not “covers” it and already has a hole in it. In babies, the hymen is thick, but with time the tissue stretches, thins and the hole widens. Daily activities such as walking, running, sports, swimming, menstruation, can make it wear off. Just like in men, first sex doesn’t leave a physical evidence in womxn.

First sex might not cause bleeding or be painful:

The bleeding is far rarer than we've been made to believe because the hymenal tissue is capable of stretching, like a rubber band to accommodate the penis. The bleeding, if it happens, is more likely to be caused if the womxn is too dry during intercourse, if the movements are too rough, lack of foreplay or enough arousal. Yes, that's how normalised it is for men to not consider female pleasure.

It perpetuates the cycle of sexual shame for vagina owners:

In our society, virginity is still seen as the height of purity for vagina owners. It is a blatant double standard as penis owners are not taught about staying “pure” for your partner. Vagina owners are shamed if they have multiple sexual partners, but penis owners are celebrated.

Virginity is a homophobic concept

The conventional definition of virginity is completely heteronormative. You lose your virginity when you have penetrative, vaginal sex with a penis. Vaginal sex is the only sex legitimatized in modern society. This alienates LGBT folks and deems the value of sex within the LGBT community as less than and not legitimate.

Virginity is just a barbaric patriarchal concept to control and possess womxn’s s sexuality with zero biological significance. It is a myth constructed to perpetuate a homophobic, sexist and disgusting narrative, and this is a good time to do away with it.