Virgin

From ArticleWorld

A virgin, when used in the sexual sense, is anyone who has not yet engaged in sexual intercourse. This can refer to either a male or a female, although historically, the term has primarily referred to females. The term “anal virgin” refers to an individual who has never engaged in anal intercourse. Although it depends on the social circumstances, the status of “virginity” or of being a virgin carries a respected status identifying someone as being pure or uncontaminated by sexual activity.

History

Historically, virginity carried great religious significance in many cultures. In some of these cultures, virginity is defined specifically as the condition in which a person’s bloodstream has not been contaminated by another person. In recent history, some Chinese airlines carried virginity in such high regard that they required all of their flight attendants to be virgins.

Anatomy

In males, virginal status cannot be determined by physical examination. In females, it is possible to determine whether or not she is a virgin by examining her external genitalia. When a female child is born, her vaginal opening is partially covered by a ring-like piece of tissue called the hymen or the hymeneal ring. During the first episode of sexual intercourse, the hymen is usually broken, resulting in a small amount of localized bleeding and what is known as a “loss of virginity”.

The problem with using the hymen as a measure of virginity is multi-fold.

• First of all, not all women are born with a visible hymen.
• Second, the hymen can be disrupted through local trauma or by the insertion of a tampon.
• Lastly, while tradition has held that victims of rape are not virgins following the incident, many people today believe that virginity is a spiritual term and that forcible rape doesn’t affect a woman’s spiritual purity or virginity.

Religious Significance

Several major religions touch on the issue of virginity. Among Christian believers, virginity equates with a state of sexual holiness before marriage and is held in high regard. In some conservative Islamic cultures, a woman who is not a virgin is considered unmarriageable. Very rarely, certain strict Islamic cultures allow families to kill unmarried girls who are not virgins. Jewish practices put great significance on a woman’s virginal status. Many Biblical references as to the purity and importance of being a virgin exist and refer exclusively to women.