Read Virginity Lost: An Intimate Portrait of First Sexual Experiences Online
Authors: Laura Carpenter
Virginity Lost: An Intimate Portrait of First Sexual Experiences (58 page)
Adolescent Family Life Act (AFLA),
3,
42, 180
Adulthood: postponement of,
33,
38–39,
203; virginity loss as transi-
Advice literature,
5,
32,
38,
49, 141,
182,
228n.
101.
See also
Mass media
Advocates for Youth,
192 Affection: as precondition for sex,
39–40,
185; for virginity loss part-
ner,
78,
163.
See also
Emotional intimacy; Love
African Americans: approaches to vir- ginity/sexuality,
21,
33–34, 39–40;
gender differences,
98–99,
109–111; religious beliefs,
240n.
77,
245n.
50; sexual conservatism
of middle-class,
25–26,
33; sexual-
ity under slavery,
25–26,
243n. 29;
stereotypes,
21,
23,
25,
100, 130,
152,
245n.
50.
See also
Race/eth- nicity
Age: and concealing virginity,
121; ideal for virginity loss,
244n.
43; and imperative to lose virginity,
71,
111–112,
117,
125–126,
132, 205;
mitigating stigma,
106,
114, 127;
at virginity loss,
4,
43,
51,
58, 113.
See also
Timing Age of consent, 28
Agency: by interpretations of virginity,
195–198; not exercised, 86–89,
124,
134; and satisfaction with vir-
ginity loss,
80,
88–89,
93,
130,
195–197; and secondary virginity,
95; at virginity loss,
80, 129,
also
Power
Aging, confounded with generation,
219n. 25
AIDS.
See
HIV/AIDS
Alcohol consumption,
5,
72,
112
All’s Well that Ends Well
(play),
20 American Academy of Pediatrics,
201 American Civil Liberties Union
American Graffiti
(movie),
230n.
141 American Medical Association,
201
American Pie
(movie),
6,
16–17,
102 American Psychiatric Association,
41 American Public Health Association,
Anal sex: before virginity loss,
117; and definitions of virginity loss,
44–45,
49,
54–55; preferences of gay men,
48,
157.
See also
Fore- play
Anderson, Elijah,
109–110 Anthropologists, on virginity loss, 31,
Asian Americans: approaches to vir- ginity loss/sexuality,
40,
91,
97,
247n.
22; history in U.S.,
226n.
68,
229n.
121; stereotypes, 26,
152,
245n.
50.
See also
Race/eth- nicity
Auction, of virginity,
101–102 Augustine, Saint, 19
Automobiles, and sexual intimacy,
33, 36
Awkwardness: acceptance of,
168,
196; expected at virginity loss,
146,
163–164,
166; of virginity-
loss encounter,
129,
136, 158–159,
Beach Party
(movie),
142–143, 146,
Behavior, sexual: relationship to be- liefs,
4,
18,
25,
28,
33,
37,
76, 78,
99.
See also
Sexual activity;
and specific behaviors
Beliefs about sexuality: relationship to behavior,
4,
18,
25,
28,
33,
37, 76,
78,
99.
See also
Interpretations of virginity; Metaphors for virginity
Beverly Hills 90210
(series),
3,
4, 58,
Biloxi Blues
(play),
6,
246n.
4 Biography, influence on beliefs/experi-
Birth control: abstinence as,
42, 197;
factors facilitating,
67,
71,
158,
195–197; failure during virginity loss,
92–93; impediments to use,
106–107,
149,
158,
196; informa-
tion censored,
200; parental aid obtaining,
151,
168; rates of use,
40,
192; in sex education,
179–180,
191; and sexual liberty,
acceptability,
28,
31,
227n.
80.
See also
Condoms; Pill, the; Safer sex
Blacks.
See
African Americans Blau, Peter,
235n. 16
Blood: and virginity loss,
85, 128,
Blues music,
29,
228–229n.
121.
See also
Mass media
Born-again virginity,
93–98; factors facilitating,
94; and gift metaphor,
90–91,
95; origins of term,
40; sec-
ular vs. religious motives,
94, 184,
186–189; sexual activity during,
96,
187–188.
See also
Secondary virginity
Boyfriend.
See
Girlfriend/Boyfriend; Partners
Boyz N the Hood
(movie),
3 Bragging, about sex/virginity loss, 30,
Breakfast Club, The
(movie),
3, 108,
Breaking up, with virginity-loss part- ner,
67,
73,
87,
93,
114, 151,
Breasts, touching,
63,
112.
See also
Necking; Petting
Britain, sexual culture,
20–22 Britten, Florence, 31–32
Bromley, Dorothy,
31–32 Brown, Helen Gurley, 38
“Bull Dagger Woman” (song),
35 Bundling,
21.
See also
Petting Bush, George H. W., 199
Calderone, Mary,
230n.
142 Cannon, John, 21
Captive, The
(play),
35 Casanova, Giacomo, 20
Casual sex: attitudes toward,
39–40,
77,
105,
108–110,
114,
119, 146,
Celibacy.
See
Abstinence; Chastity Censorship,
28,
38,
180,
200, 207,
Centers for Disease Control (CDC),
191, 200
Charlotte Temple
(novel),
22–23,
27 Chastity: belts,
38; distinguished from
secondary virginity,
94–95; gen- dered understandings,
19.
See also
Abstinence; Premarital virginity
Childhood, sexuality during,
105 Chinese Americans.
See
Asian Ameri-
cans
Christianity: early/medieval beliefs about virginity loss,
18–20, 223n.
26.
See also
Conservative Chris- tians; Religion, religious beliefs
Chrysostom, John, Saint,
223n.
22 Church of England, 58
Civil Rights movement,
39,
177.
See also
African Americans
Clinton, William: affair with Monica Lewinsky,
49–50; definition of sex,
9,
49; sex education policy, 199
Close calls,
65,
195 Clover, Carol,
248n. 36
College: attendance, and timing of vir- ginity loss,
76,
118,
126,
167; stu-
dents, sexual customs,
29–30, 39
Coming out: ages at,
7,
41,
43,
156; and definitions of sex,
45,
50; gen- erational differences,
248n.
28; links to virginity loss,
108–109,
160,
162–164,
248n.
29; and part-
ner availability,
147,
156; and rein-
terpreting virginity, 108–109,
153–154.
See also
Gays/Lesbians/Bisexuals; Homo- sexuality; Sexual identity
Commitment: needed before virginity loss,
63,
75.
See also
Emotional in- timacy; Love
Comprehensive sex education: de- fined,
179; effectiveness, 191,
198–199,
201; gender/sexual iden- tity in,
181; politics around,
200–201; process metaphor in,
195,
198.
See also
Sex education
Compulsory heterosexuality, 44–45,
147.
See also
Sexual identity Computers.
See
Internet, virginity
hoaxes on; World Wide Web Comstock Act,
226–227n.
79 Concealment: disincentives, 102–103,
Concealment (
Continued
)
importance of success,
115; of non- virginity/circumstances of loss,
87,
107,
114,
122,
128,
135,
173; of
paid sex,
24; and safer sex,
137,
158,
196; of same-sex sexuality,
25; by stigmatized,
105,
137; of virginity from partner,
106,
119–120,
133–134; of virginity
among peers/friends,
76–77, 104,
Condoms: effectiveness,
198,
252n.
40; in mass media,
192,
201; in
sex education,
191,
200; unused
despite intentions,
120,
148; used
at virginity loss,
65–66,
71, 78,
185.
See also
Birth control; Safer sex
Conservative Christians: beliefs enter- ing mainstream culture,
5, 53–55,
74,
99; defined,
217n.
4; preva- lence,
251n.
27; promotion of sec- ondary virginity,
40; sex education policy,
3,
181–182; spiritual defini- tion of virginity loss,
54; teachings on premarital sex,
81–82,
186–187; tension with secularism,
190; traditional gender norms among,
189.
See also
Moral con- servatives; Religion, religious be- liefs
Consumer economy, effects on dat- ing/sexuality,
27, 39
Contraception.
See
Birth control; Safer sex
Cornworth, Francis D.,
101–103,
111,
126, 137
Cosmopolitan
,
4,
38,
125,
139 Cott, Nancy,
224n.
48 Courtesy stigma, 117
Courtship,
21,
25,
27–28,
33.
See also
Dating
Culture: metaphors as resources in,
221n.
43; and public policy, 192;
Curiosity: motivating virginity loss,
78,
112–113,
163,
171–172, 185
Dating: as cheating on future spouse,
188; disinterest in,
105,
137; reli- gious prohibitions,
81–82; and sex- ual identity,
147; and sexual inti- macy,
28,
34; and social class,
27–28,
30; timing and nature,
35–36.
See also
Courtship, Girl- friend/Boyfriend
“Dating: Predator or Partner” (video), 178
Dawson’s Creek
(series),
201
Dear Abby
(advice column),
41
Deep Throat
(movie),
41 Defense of Marriage Act, 43
Definitions of sex,
9,
50,
207, 234n.
Definitions of virginity loss: ambigu- ity/diversity,
4,
10,
44,
55, 207;
and anal sex,
44–45,
54–55; an-
cient/medieval,
18–20; equation