The virginity myth

[Minerva1234]

Fascinating article about the myths around the hymen in today's times2 [https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-virginity-myth-and-the-gspot-shock-svdrpm7wp]

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-virginity-myth-and-the-gspot-shock-svdrpm7wp

Clicky link please. And is it behind a paywall...?

Thanks for the clicky link. Can't access the entire article, unfortunately. It looked interesting...

No, virgins don’t have an ‘intact’ hymen

Tbh I didn't think anyone believed that anymore, it was being debunked at least 30 years ago.

Couldn't read the whole article though 'cause I'm a tight-arse and won't pay

This TedX talk, , by a couple of doctors, isn't behind a paywall and is fab. (Specially the hoop with tissue paper versus the outsize scrunchy visual aids!)

Sadly people do believe it in a lot of cultures. "Hymen repairs" are big business in some parts of the world, and some women can find themselves shunned if there isn't blood on the sheets after their wedding night.

Yes, those are the doctors quoted in the article. Sorry, I don't have a non-paywalled link.

I had no idea 50% of women (or thereabouts) didn't bleed! I bled on the 3rd or 4th time i had sex, thought there was something wrong with me

I'm sharing the video with a heap of friends thanks Pricklyball and OP.

Great video prickly.

Except...I still don't know what a hymen actually looks like? Isn't it bizarre that a part of women's anatomy which has been used as a weapon against them for so long, is one which most women haven't even seen? I'm off to Google in fact.

This is the link with share token (I hope - first time doing it)

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-virginity-myth-and-the-gspot-shock-svdrpm7wp?shareToken=e1e560b91cefdbd8c90788237384e438

I found this (from the article) horrifying. It's an excellent example of how women are considered second class:

There was so little credible research on the hymen they had to consult forensic medical examiners to establish the truth. Medical textbooks are, they say, riddled with errors. It is “hair-raising to think that doctors have shown so little interest in a structure that can cause modern women to lose their honour or their lives”, they write in the book.

and this:

How many doctors, I ask, are aware of the true size of clitorises? Well, says Dahl, “it was news to us. I was sad about the way it was taught in medical school. There were three seminars on male sexuality and one on female, mostly focused on pain . . . Perhaps most younger doctors know.”

3 seminars on male sexuality and one on female sigh.