Virginity Lost: An Intimate Portrait of First Sexual Experiences (60 page)

Great Awakening, 23

Great Depression, 35

Great Migration, 33

Greece, ancient, sexual traditions,
18 Grounded theory,
11,
220n. 37

“Hali Meidenhad” (poem),
19 Hall, G. Stanley,
228n.
117
Halloween
(movie), 166

Hand holding,
24, 34

Happy Days
(series),
230n.
141
HBO Real Sex
(series),
94 Health reform movement, 24

Health, physical: effects of abstinence,
19,
24; effects of virginity loss,
6,

181–184,
191–193,
195–197; and

metaphors for virginity loss,
195–198; uncompromised by

Health (
Continued
)

virginity loss,
194–195.
See also
HIV/AIDS; Sexually=transmitted infections

Hecht, Ben, 34

Heterosexuality: assumption of,
6,
44–45,
147,
178; need to prove,
245n.
56.
See also
Sexual identity

Hinduism, and virginity,
219n. 23

Hispanics.
See
Latinos/Latinas Historical record: limitations, 18,

223n. 33

HIV/AIDS: concern at virginity loss,
66,
71–72,
185; conservative re-

sponses,
3,
42,
70,
74,
250n. 16;

education,
70,
74; generational ef-

fects,
5–6,
9,
73–74,
99,
207; as

public problem,
219n.
27.
See also
Health, physical; Sexually-trans- mitted infections

Homosexuality: history,
21,
25, 29,

35,
37; legal responses to,
35, 41,

43; linked with virginity,
60, 108,

131; in mass media,
35, 42–43;

medical responses,
41,
229n.
134; as stigma,
108,
117.
See also
Com- ing out; Gays/Lesbians/Bisexuals; Same-sex partners; Sexual identity

Honesty: advantages,
78,
97; with

friends/peers,
64,
111–112, 127,

151,
159–160; with parents,
67,
159–160; of researchers and par- ticipants,
9,
210–211; about

stigma,
102–103,
124; with strangers,
119; of virgin, ques- tioned,
85; with virginity-loss part- ner,
64–65,
78,
97,
113,
118, 127,

148,
151,
157, 163

Honor, and women’s virginity,
45,
224n. 45

Hooking up,
77,
119,
237–238n.
43 Human Sexuality: Values and Choices

(curriculum), 191

Hymen,
47,
233n. 8

Ideal types, 12

Identity: actual vs. virtual,
137, 241n.

5.
See also
Social identities Immigrants,
26,
226n.
78.
See also

specific racial/ethnic groups

Incompetence, sexual,
114,
118, 120,

134.
See also
Awkwardness Individualization: of approaches to

virginity loss,
55,
176–177,
207; of social identities,
206,
240n. 82

Industrialization,
26–27 Inevitability, of virginity loss, 145,

167

Inexperience, sexual,
157–158; part- ners’ ability to detect,
117,
121 Inheritance, and valuing virginity, 25,

225n. 66

Internet, virginity hoaxes on,
101–102,
241n. 3

Interpretations of virginity: and agency,
198; choosing among,
98–99,
138–139,
162, 175–177,

206–207,
221n.
45; confirmed by

experience,
89–90,
123, 150,

158–159; exposure to diverse, 98,

105,
139,
153–155,
162, 170–171,

175,
183; resistance to revising,

90,
123; revised,
109, 115,

128–129,
135–136,
140, 152–155,

161,
210.
See also
Metaphors, the- oretical approach

Interviews.
See
Research methods Intimacy.
See
Emotional intimacy Intrauterine device (IUD),
39.
See also

Birth control

Irrelevance, of virginity to gays/les- bians,
45–46, 204

Irrevocability, of virginity loss,
65–66,
71,
72,
155,
172, 185

Islam, and virginity,
219n. 23

Jackson, Janet, 59

Jay-Z, 201

Johnson, Ben,
20 Johnson, Magic,
219n.
27 Johnson, Mark, 11

Joy of Sex, The
(advice manual),
41 Judaism, sexual traditions, 18

Kelly, Kathleen Coyne,
20 Kinsey, Alfred,
37, 142

Kinsey Reports, 37–38

Kinship systems, threatened by pre- marital sex, 6

Kissing: before marriage,
184, 188;

before virginity loss,
63–64, 83,

112,
126,
133,
146,
155,
185; his-

torically,
24,
28, 34

Knowledge: motivating virginity loss,
146,
155; and power, 143–144,

148,
155,
165, 171

Krafft-Ebing, Richard von, 18

L.A. Law
(series),
42 Labeling, and stigma,
102 Lakoff, George, 11

Last American Virgin, The
(movie), 172

Last Picture Show, The
(novel),
6,
231n. 158

Latinos/Latinas: approaches to virgin- ity/sexuality,
26,
40,
98,
170; di- versity among,
239n.
76; stereo- types,
240n.
83,
245n.
50.
See also
Race/ethnicity

Learning experience.
See
Rite of pas- sage

Lesbians.
See
Gays/Lesbians/Bisexuals Lesbigay: defined,
218n.
17.
See also
Gays/Lesbians/Bisexuals; Homo-

sexuality; Same-sex partners; Sex- ual identity

Levi-Strauss, Claude,
235n.
16 Lewinsky, Monica,
9, 50

Life course, unpredictability of, 203

Like a Virgin
(song), 2

Little Darlings
(movie), 103

Locations: for sex, difficulty of find- ing,
72,
114,
186; romantic pre- ferred,
160; of virginity loss en- counter,
65,
71–72,
128,
157, 169,

185–186

Lorber, Judith, 11

Losing It
(movie), 172

Love: distinguished from physical de- sire,
30,
184; necessary for virgin-

ity loss,
61–62,
69,
75,
83,
98; as

turning point,
160,
164; unneces-

sary for virginity loss,
2,
113, 118,

148; virginity loss justified by, 30,

32,
37; for virginity-loss partner,

64,
70,
83,
92,
97,
146,
167; vir-

ginity loss without,
74,
78.
See also
Emotional Intimacy; Girlfriend/Boyfriend

Lynd, Robert and Helen, 34

MacKinnon, Catharine, 42

Madonna, 1

Making out,
36.
See also
Petting Malinowski, Bronislaw,
141 Marginalized groups.
See specific

groups

Marks, Percy,
29–30, 32

Marriage: companionate,
31,
224n.
39; eroticization of,
31–32; lesbi- gay,
154; linked to virginity loss,
80,
118,
141,
236–237n.
26; as

rite of passage,
142; timing, 4,

35–36,
199–201,
236–237n. 26;

unnecessary for virginity loss,
61–62,
69,
75,
83,
100, 146;

among women,
22,
29 Marvell, Andrew,
223n. 28

Masculinity: compromised during vir- ginity loss,
124; new models, 39,

73–74,
99; and presentation of

self,
68,
91; relationship to sexual

prowess,
20,
24,
29–30,
38, 108,

110,
232n.
174; and sexual iden- tity,
73.
See also
Gender; Men

Mass media: condoms in,
201; as data,
18; definition of virginity loss in,
50,
53; homosexuality in, 35,

42–43,
248n.
31; influence on vir-

ginity loss,
69,
94,
98,
125, 139,

206–207; personal experiences

compared with,
106,
121, 146,

150,
166,
172; sexualization of

women,
31,
38; U.S., Europe com-

pared,
192; virginity in,
1,
3–4,
187; virginity loss/sexuality in,
3–4,
6,
16–17,
22,
24,
27, 36–38,

41,
57–60,
62,
82–83, 101–103,

141–143,
164,
166,
218n. 13,

230n.
141,
230n.
146,
236n. 25.

See also specific titles

Masturbation,
19–20,
105, 200

Mauss, Marcel, 60

Mead, Margaret,
31,
141 Meanings.
See
Interpretations of vir-

ginity; Metaphors, theoretical ap-

proach

Medicalization,
227n.
98,
229n.
134 Memory: accuracy,
220n.
35; and

partner selection,
172; intensity and indelibility,
66,
165–166; and

truthfulness, 210

Men: invisibility of nonvirginity,
225n.
56; lustful natures, 23–24,

142–143; nontraditional ap-

proaches to virginity loss,
74, 96,

174; nonvirginity preferred in,
32; preference for virgins/nonvirgins,
20,
32.
See also
Gender; Mas- culinity

Mental health: effects of virginity loss,
6,
181–182,
192–195; and

metaphors for virginity loss,
195–198.
See also
Health, physical

Metaphors, theoretical approach,

10–11,
17, 206

Metaphors for virginity: and gender equality,
195; health effects,
193–198; in sex education, 181,

195,
198.
See also
Interpretations, of virginity;
and specific metaphors

Methodius,
222n. 15

Mexican Americans.
See
Latinos/Lati- nas

Mickey Mouse Club, The
(series),
57 Mills, C. Wright,
219n.
26 Minorities.
See specific groups Moon Is Blue, The
(movie),
36–38 Moral conservatives: influence over

sex education policy,
180–181,
183,
189–190,
199–200; opposi-

tion to sexual liberalization,
41–43.
See also
Conservative Christians; Religion, religious be- liefs

MTV, 187

Multiple partners: before virginity loss,
77,
92,
112–113,
172, 176;

desirability of,
108,
125,
162; dis- advantages,
188.
See also
Experi- mentation, sexual desirability of; Promiscuity; Technical virginity

Mutual virginity loss: advantages,
148; as ideal,
63,
70,
92; not de-

sired,
114; among participants, 64,

66,
70,
83–84,
92,
157, 173–174.

See also
Reciprocation

‘N Sync, 57

National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy,
252n. 38

National Coalition Against Censor- ship, 201

National Health and Social Life Sur- vey (NHSLS),
230n. 147

Native Americans: approaches to sex- uality,
21,
23.
See also
Race/ethnic- ity

Necking,
28,
34,
185,
226n.
76.
See also
Petting

Nervousness, at virginity loss,
120,
148–149,
158, 168

Newsweek
,
1–2, 4

Nonvirginity: abstinence after,
94; as- sumed,
76–77,
107,
118; as status