Quoting the theoretical paper “Development of the Virginity Beliefs Scale” by Jonas Eriksson and Terry P. Humphreys, “Carpenter (2002, 2005) suggested a model of three virginity metaphors that describe how individuals perceive their virginity: gift, stigma, and process.” To break it down, a universal culture cultivated over hundreds of years has made the concept of virginity contradictory to its own self; something is not to be spoken of, yet a precious thing to safeguard, as once broken can never be brought back. Interestingly, human society has succeeded in making this intangible concept an object, that too one of shameful desire.

Sex and love have been entwined by emotion for centuries, by factors ruling human community. It began with biological confusion, to protect a woman since there prevailed no modern understanding on reproductive health. Then came the concept of abstinence, as a religious affair driven by most aristocracies. Women were socially condemned and caged if these regulations were not followed seriously, even barred from marriage.

In the decades that followed, virginity was embraced to become a sign of loyalty and purity by most partners. If we oversimplify the series of events, we can say that the Renaissance also served to help widespread the idea of sex to be romantic. The romanticism of private relations soon spanned through popular media and literature all over the world.

We can see that sex and love are clearly linked in twentieth century sexual history, leading to the emergence of a paradigm Jodi Ann McAlister (Thesis 2022) terms “compulsory demisexuality”. The development of this paradigm – which dictates that for women, sex and love are intrinsically linked together, and that sex without love is unnatural and harmful – has affected the way women think about sex. This is not a study of empirical data: rather, it is a study of stories, and the way their evolution has impacted cultural attitudes.

Thus, through the study of historic culture and human emotion, we can say that sex and love are not just entwined with one another but are taught to be one and the same. If one does not abstain, one is unfaithful. Their character is decided as disgraceful and ugly, their worth not to be discussed on their work. Women have been devalued based on their sexual nature time and again, in most fields such as politics, STEM, education, business, etc. Their ‘purity’ is a sign of family honor, chastity and moral values.

Hence, the history of stigmatizing a woman’s body and modern dynamics all come into play to understand the concept of female virginity. Now we understand how these factors come together, teaching society how to view a women’s virginity as a sign of purity and love towards their partner.