How to Define Virginity: Then and Now

The Past 

As written in “Mary’s Form of Virginity in Early Christian Writings”, an early Christian theologian named Origen was one to form the concept of virginity when him and another theologian Tertullian were debating the state of Mary’s virginity after the birth of baby Jesus (Kelto, p.65, 2022). Tertullian's work will not be of focus as he believed that Mary was no longer a virgin after giving birth to Jesus, because her anatomy has been 'opened' (Kelto, p.65, 2022). Origen’s works were to become highly influential and controversial in following centuries (Kelto, p. 65, 2022). In the 4th century, when text were resurfacing around virginity, many authors perpetuated Origen believed that Mary remained a virgin throughout her life, because of her devotion to sexual abstinence throughout her life (Kelto, p.82, 2022).

The definition created by Origen and adapted by many authors, then implies that instead of any sexual experience and/or lustful acts, it narrows the focus to the first act of specifically vaginal penetration (Kelto, p.84, 2022). "In these texts, female virginity is defined by genital condition: a virgin’s reproductive system is shut or sealed until—or unless—it is perma-nently opened by sexual intercourse" (Kelto, p.84, 2022). This definition focuses purely on sexual inexperience but narrows the focus to the absence of intentionally sexual, penile vaginal penetration (Kelto, p.84, 2022). This was the beginning of the culturally constructed feature of virginity that was known, was now a crucial part in the widespread danatomication of virginity, near the dawn of the 5th century (Kelto, p.84, 2022). 

The definition however is not as broad as it should be, because then there are a large amount of 'what if' questions? What does it mean for non-vaginal penetration? Are other acts perhaps allowed as a 'loop hole'? Of course homosexual sex is not spoken of in the bible so it will be covered in the present category.

The Present

Today, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary has five Definitions for “Virgin” as a noun. “1) a person who has not had sexual intercourse, 1a) a person who is inexperienced in a usually specified sphere of activity” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). The next three definitions have some kind of connection to religion, directly or indirectly. “2) an unmarried woman devoted to religion (Merriam-Webster, n.d.”). “3) an absolutely chaste young woman, 3a) an unmarried girl or woman” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). “4) Virgin Mary” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). Lastly, “5) being a female animal that had never copulated” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.).

I found it to be interesting that 3 out of 5 (or 60%) of the definitions of virginity are rooted in religious contexts, while 4 out of 5 (or 80%) are specifically applicable to women. If the loss of virginity is traditionally tied to the hymen being broken, how do men experience the loss of their virginity? Furthermore, since men can't experience "breaking their hymen" in the same way, there is ongoing debate about what constitutes sex and how virginity is lost. Virginity, as a concept, is inherently ambiguous and leads to unclear definitions. When vaginal intercourse is viewed as the sole way to "lose your virginity," it excludes and erases the experiences of homosexual individuals. Given these conflicting and harmful definitions, it’s crucial to rethink and redesign the concept of virginity to make it more inclusive and accurate—at least as much as any social ideology can be.

How Do They Compare?

In both time frames, we have come to the conclusion that it is essentially narrowed right down to the first act of vaginal penetration. On page 84, Kelto (2022) says that this was the beginning of of 'the notion of hymenal integrity'. Although, today it is being more widely understood and accepted as a only a socially constructed ideology instead of “a mechanistic destruction or removal of anatomical virginity,” (Kelto, p.72, 2022). Western culture today is beginning to break stigmas, increase inclusivity, and create new boundaries when it comes to the concept of virginity. Unfortunately this does not completely erase what has been embedded in cultural understanding, but it is making progress.