Virginity Lost: An Intimate Portrait of First Sexual Experiences (62 page)

121,
124,
134, 137

Riessman, Catherine, 209

Risky Business
(movie), 102

Rite of passage:
141–143,
245–246n.
2; assistance with,
169; coming out

as,
41; concurrent,
160; dangers,
246n.
2; emphasis on first times,
151; virginity loss as,
31–33,
136,
142; virginity loss compared to others,
39,
143,
167.
See also
Process metaphor; Turning points

Roiphe, Katie, 42

Role models, celebrities as,
57–58 Romance.
See
Girlfriend/Boyfriend;

Dating; Love

Rome, ancient, sexual traditions,
18
Room with a View, A
(movie),
160
Roseanne
(series), 42

Rothman, Ellen,
225n.
57 Rowson, Susanna,
22–23 Rubin, Gayle,
233n. 4

Safer sex: factors impeding,
106–107,
149,
158,
196; among lesbians,
163; by interpretation of virginity,
66–67,
106,
137,
158, 168,

195–197; nonuse at virginity loss,
120,
149; in sex education,
179; and virginity pledges,
197.
See also
Birth control; HIV/AIDS; Sexually transmitted infections

Sale, of virginity,
101–102,
236n.
21 Same-sex partners: definitions of vir- ginity loss,
4–7,
20,
35,
37, 41,

44–47,
55,
101,
157; experimenta- tion with,
125; power between,

165.
See also
Gays/Lesbians/Bisex- uals; Homosexuality; Sexual iden- tity

Sampling,
10,
220n.
32.
See also
Re- search methods

Sanders, Stephanie, 54

Sanger, Margaret,
229n.
132 Satcher, David, 194

Satisfaction, with virginity loss experi- ences,
80,
88–89,
93,
130, 137,

165,
195–198.
See also
Disap- pointment with virginity loss

Schwartz, Barry,
235n.
16
Scream
(movie),
248n.
36 Scripts, sexual,
220n.
39 Secondary virginity,
2,
8; beliefs

about,
53–54; origins of term,
40; as response to disappointing vir- ginity loss,
90; in sex education,
251n.
24; usefulness,
95,
239n.
64.
See also
Born-again virginity

Secrecy.
See
Concealment

Secularism, secularization: approaches to virginity loss,
14,
20–21, 100,

190; born-again virginity,
94; and sex education,
197–198; tension with conservative Christianity, 190

Seidman, Steven, 17

Selectiveness: among gifters,
62–63,
77–78,
81; among processers,

147–148,
156–157,
172; and sex-

ual identity,
147–148, 156–157;

among stigmatized,
110,
137.
See also
Partners

Self, virginity as part of,
61–63,
69,
81, 86–87

Self-esteem,
87,
253n.
5.
See also

Mental health Separate spheres, 23–25

Seventeen
,
4, 125

Sex: biological models,
224n.
48; de- fined,
9,
50, 207

Sex and the Single Girl
(book),
38 Sex education: books,
166; federal policies,
3,
192–194,
199; geo-

graphical variation,
248–249n.
37; history,
229n.
130; participants’ experiences,
46,
70,
106,
118, 145,

166,
172,
175; politics around, 42,

199–200; in public schools, 80,

179; program types,
13–14,
179; metaphors for virginity in,
181,
195,
198; public opinion about,

200–201; scientific evaluations,

180,
191,
199–201; self-censorship by teachers/schools,
179–180; U.S., Europe compared,
191–192,
198.
See also
Abstinence-focused sex ed- ucation; Comprehensive sex educa- tion

Sex in the City
(series), 59

Sex research,
6,
18,
37,
218n.
15 Sex Respect (curriculum), 70,

178–179,
181,
191,
201, 249–50n.

7

Sex workers.
See
Prostitutes/prostitu- tion

Sexual activity: after virginity loss,
72,
86,
150,
173–174; ambiguity of,
65; essential to human happiness,
247n.
14; frequency after virginity loss,
72,
150,
186; incremental ap- proach before virginity loss,
64,
70–71,
146–147,
159,
167, 173;

and reproduction,
20,
28; as sec-

ondary virgin,
96,
187–188.
See also
Experimentation, sexual; Fore- play; Petting; Premarital sex;
and specific types of activity

Sexual assault, among participants,

52.
See also
Rape

Sexual culture: diversity of American,
1–2,
10–11,
16–17,
37–38, 40,

204; U.S., Europe compared,
191–192, 200

Sexual double standard.
See
Double standard

Sexual identity: and ages at virginity loss,
51; approaches to virginity loss by,
68,
73,
100,
108–109, 152,

160,
198,
216,
220–221n. 41;

change over lifetime,
218n.
20; constructed through virginity loss,
117,
152,
155–156,
159,
164, 176;

dating opportunities by,
147,
156–157; and definitions of virgin- ity loss,
44–48,
50,
54; designation of participants,
218n.
20; and gen- der,
73,
161,
207; and gift metaphor,
237n.
39; and religion,
154–155,
157; and safer sex,
163; and sex as virgin,
154–157,
162–163; in sex education, 181,

201; similarities across,
137,
159.
See also
Coming out; Gays/Les- bians/Bisexuals; Heterosexuality; Homosexuality; Same-sex partners

Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS),
191–192,
250n. 20

Sexuality: commodification, 27,

37–38; as dichotomous,
94; med- icalization,
227n.
98; modern theo- ries, 31

“Sexually active” person, how desig- nated,
94,
218n. 12

Sexually-transmitted infections: as dis- incentive to virginity loss,
118,
183–184; effectiveness of prophy- lactics,
198; false alarms,
122–123; lack of concern,
106; rarity at vir- ginity loss,
5,
194; undesirable in

partners,
32,
101; U.S., Europe

compared,
191,
198.
See also

HIV/AIDS; Safer sex

Sexual orientation.
See
Sexual identity Sexual repression, as harmful,
31–32 Sexual revolution,
3,
38–41,
83 Sexual scripts,
220n. 39

Shakespeare, William, 20

Shalit, Wendy, 42

Shepard, Matthew, 43

Shields, Brooke, 60

Significance: attributed to virginity loss,
6,
14,
16,
39,
73,
88–90, 128,

131,
136,
161–162, 165–166,

195–196, 202–204

Simon, Neil,
246n. 4

Simon, William, 39

Single sexual standard,
28–29, 179.

See also
Double standard

Sister Carrie
(novel),
26–27,
30, 231n.

157

Sixteen Candles
(movie),
166 Smith, Bessie, 29

Social class: approaches to virginity loss by,
7,
20–21,
37,
40, 175,

236–237n.
26; and dating,
228n.
116; measurement,
218n.
21; per-

ceptions of women,
23,
32, 223n.

34; and race/ethnicity,
25–26, 33,

40,
232n.
174; and same-sex part- ners,
25.
See also
Economic oppor- tunities; Education; Social identities

Social identities: changeability over lifetime,
221n.
48; and choice of metaphors,
12–13,
138–139,
206; constructed through virginity loss,
12–13,
100,
137–139, 175–176,

203,
205; defined,
221n.
46; flexi-

bility,
206; intersections among, 9,

12,
99; privileged, and rejecting

traditional ideals,
130,
152, 174;

of participants,
8,
212–215.
See also specific identities

Social purity campaigns,
28, 31,

249n. 4

Social Security Act (1996),
180 Social solidarity: fostered by gift giv-

ing,
60,
80,
95.
See also
Emotional intimacy; Reciprocation

Social status.
See
Social identities Spears, Britney,
57–60,
63,
73, 100,

102

Special Project of Regional and Na- tional Significance-Community Based Abstinence Education (SPRANS-CBAE), 180

Splendor in the Grass
(movie), 230n.

146

Spontaneity: as impeding safer sex,
106–107,
149,
196; of virginity

loss encounter,
71,
92,
106, 114,

128,
149,
158,
163,
169, 173

Staples, Robert,
242n.
25 Statistics, use of,
219n. 30

Status passages,
246n.
8.
See also

Process metaphor; Rite of passage STDs.
See
HIV/AIDS; Sexually-trans-

mitted infections

Stereotypes.
See targeted groups
Sterk-Elifson, Claire,
110 Stigma: and age at virginity loss,

113; by association,
117; conceal-

ment of,
102–103,
105; concur-

rent,
102,
111,
132,
242n.
19; en-

during effects,
122; and gender,
31,
59,
103,
130; of homosexual-

ity,
108; mitigating factors, 106,

114,
127,
244n.
38; new, imposi-

tion of,
115,
121,
124; perma- nence,
102; and race/ethnicity,
109–110,
130; and rape,

134–135; reactions to, 113–114,

123–124,
127,
244n. 42

Stigma metaphor: as alternative to gift metaphor,
178; and power at vir- ginity loss,
196,
244n.
45; and

safer sex,
106,
137, 196; and satis- faction with virginity loss, 196

“Stigmatized,” defined, 103

STIs.
See
Sexually-transmitted infec- tions

Stonewall Inn riots, 41

Strangers: virginity loss with,
105,
119,
247n.
17; face saving among,

243n. 36

Strauss, Anselm,
220n.
37,
245n.
2 Study participants,
8–10; interactions

with researcher,
211; social back- grounds,
212–215.
See also
Re- search methods

Summer of
’42
(movie, novel), 6,

231n. 158

Summer Place, A
(movie),
230n.
146 Swazey, Judith,
237n. 30

Sympathy, for stigmatized,
124, 127,

244n. 42

Take Back the Night marches,
52–53 Teachers, and sex education,
179–180 Technical virginity: among conserva-

tive Christians,
154; critiqued, 49,

229n.
128; delineated,
113; and oral sex,
41; origins of term,
34; secondary,
96; among participants,
49,
77,
92.
See also
Petting; Sexual activity

Teen-Aid (curriculum),
191 Telephones, and dating,
33 Thompson, Sharon,
79, 93

Timberlake, Justin, 58–59

Timing, of virginity loss,
51, 112–113,

118,
125–126,
129.
See also
Age;