Ever heard the phrase “popping the cherry” as a euphemism for losing one’s virginity? Well, I’m here to tell you that that phrase is based off some seriously inaccurate misconceptions about the hymen.
What is the hymen? It’s a thin membrane that partially covers the opening of the vagina. Why is it important? Actually, it’s not, but a lot of people believe that the presence of the hymen indicates a woman’s virginity.
Let’s get a few things straight, shall we?
1. Hymens can be naturally worn down by really any strenuous physical activity. Gymnastics, biking, horseback riding, and other sports can wear down the presence of the tissue and make it minimally visible.
2. Hymens do not “pop” during the first act of vaginal penetration. Hymens should stretch. The tissue may tear if it’s stretched without proper lubrication, but it won’t pop.
3. A minimal or worn-down hymen does not equate to a loose vagina. Firstly, vaginas are incredibly elastic and recover to normal size after being stretched to twenty times its original size. Secondly, the “tightness” of a vagina is mainly genetic and changes with various states of arousal.
Why is it important to know about hymens? For starters, misconceptions about the hymen perpetuate falsehoods about the concept of virginity. Virginity, in general, is a myth that degrades a woman’s worth to the first time she engages in heterosexual penetrative sex and wears down her hymen, which is pretty exclusive and sexist. The minimal appearance of a hymen was reason enough to kill a woman back in the day because people would assume she had experienced penetration.
Even scarier is the fact some cultures still hold these misconceptions about the hymen and literally sew women’s labia shut to prevent any wearing down of the tissue. This process is done in order to prove that the woman is a virgin before her marriage. Many of these cultures also engage in female genital mutilation, which involves removing the clitoris in hopes of lowering a woman’s sex drive and, again, prevent the wearing down of her hymen to prove her virginity.
So yeah, it’s important to clear up these misconceptions about the hymen. The entirely untrue phrases such as “popping the cherry,” and the concept of virginity rely on a small tissue that really doesn’t have much of a purpose. The inaccuracies about the hymen reduces a woman’s value down to the presence of a tissue that will wear down naturally throughout a woman’s life, so it’s about time we clear them up and stop relying on the presence of a minimal tissue to prove a woman’s worth.