Monthly Topic #21: c

How do one classify virginity? Is it a matter of a few drops of blood or is it a state of mind that refuses to be corrupted? Can we claim back what's been lost? Here's a careful consideration of ongoing trends of "revirginisation" and what exactly it involves.

~Image Source: The Redwood Bark~

A Spiritual Restart

For many, the significance of virginity is far greater than a simple loss of naivety. It is a physical state of purity and moral righteousness. Following an existing but hush-hush trend, a number of women feel that virginity, both the physical and mental states, can be reclaimed and have gone to great lengths to do so.

Across cultures and countries, the concept of virginity as something scared that should be maintained till that fateful wedding night is prevalent. Not all women may subscribe to the concept and there are those who feel that in the event they do not have their virginity intact when they meet that right person, they should be allowed a 'do-over'.

The trend in seeking this sexual restart really started to kick off in the early 90s when women sought the spiritual path to reclamining their virginity. By taking a vow of abstinence till marriage, they believed that at least mentally and spiritually, they were recovering that state of purity which should only be shared with their future spouse.

Some even practised this when married with kids with certain Christian followers believing that refraining from sex after being married and having children will allow them a form of spiritual virginity.

Rewrapping a Gift

These days, plastic surgery has become more and more accessible and radical, prompting women ro consider a more extreme method of recovering their virginity. The Hymenoplasty (the surgical reconstruction of the hymen) has become a popular request for those seeking to improve the cosmetics of their vaginas.

This procedure started gaining steam amongst those who come from strict religious backgrounds and are worried that not being intact on their wedding nights will get them into serious trouble among their religious communities. To many, the lack of bloodstained sheets on the first wedding night is a case of serious shame and can even lead to a situation where their lives may be at stake. It is a popular procedure amongst the conservative communities in India and gaining notoriety with Muslim women the world over.

However, the trend isn't confined to those from morally strict or religious backgrounds. More and more women are looking into 'revirginisation' surgery as a form of enhancing the sexual experience. Married woman or women with children see this as a form of 'sprucing up' and giving their partners (and themselves) more sexual gratification. It won't come as a surprise that there are women who decide to go under the knife just to present their husbands with an anniversary gift.

A Real Deal

Whether you choose to undergo such drastic measures, for the sake of regaining something most would say isn't reclaimable, is really a question of how you view the concept of virginity itself. It can be disputed that virginity is something sacred and the whole point in its significance is that it isn't something that can be 'put together' again. However, the concept of virginity isn't as black and white as we may think it is. Perhaps it is simply a state where purity of mind and body are apparent. If so, why not recapture the essence of purity instead?

Whatever the case, we should consider how worthwhile a few drops of blood or the recreation of the mark of sexual awakening is. Is it worth it if it could save your life (in the case of girls who face the threat of honour killings should they not be virgins when they marry)? Can you put a price on recreating that first sexual experience? If there are those willing to go through mental and physical trauma for the sake of that all-encompassing concept, then perhaps we never put enough weight into the true value of virginity in the first place.

Like a Virgin?

What does revirginisation really entail? Here's the bare details on the surgery that makes you a "virgin" again.

Hymenoplasty: This is the surgical repair of the hymen (a thin layer of tissue covering the entrance of the vagina). Whilst the hymen can tear due to any number of reasons, many believed that a woman is not a virgin unless her hymen is intact. There are 2 popular types of this surgery.

Basic Hymenoplasty: The surgery involves piecing together the remnants of the original hymen to recreate it. The edges are brought together so to form a 'ring' as it was prior to the tear. It is a simple procedure that can be done under local anesthetic and with either no or minimal hospitalization.

Hymen Implant: This surgery is for hymens that cannot be restored. A biomaterial can be inserted to act as your hymen. Tissue can also be used from other parts of your body. In this case, the surgery can be done under local anesthetic and takes 1 to 2 days for recovery.