CREDIT: DYLAN CHARETTE
Opinion: "Losing" one's virginity is just another part of life.

Virginity is a social construct used as a means to control. What it’s meant to control is dependent on the source of the pressure influencing you to keep it or not.

I am not writing this in hopes of being a part of that influence but rather be a part of changing society’s frame of reference when it comes to the idea of virginity.

For many religions, cultures and value systems, virginity is seen as a something sacred, and I can respect that. However, I believe virginity is just a fancy word for sexual inexperience.


Whether it be in the group chat, a Friday night out with friends or any locker room, sex is always a topic of conversation in one way or another. It’s a part of our relationships, our music, our media, our jokes, and our culture. It’s a means to reproduce.

Sex is everywhere.

Life is one big experience but because there is so much to sort through, analyze and understand it becomes easier to rely on the experience of others to formulate our value system. We build a sense of self based on that information.

Learning from the experience of others is extremely beneficial but it cannot be the only building blocks for the formation of our identity. If so, we then can become rigid in said values until something big enough happens in our lives that force us to question what we know. For some “losing” your virginity is that moment.

I don’t know about you, but I do not like losing. I don’t like losing my phone, a game, money or time. Losing has a negative connotation associated with it. It sounds like something is gone or taken forever.

Part of changing society’s frame of reference about virginity is in changing the language we use. If we change how we talk about sex, we can begin to look at virginity as a valuable life experience to gain rather than something we lose.

Education is always the key but it does not end or begin in a classroom. It begins the moment you open yourself up to questioning what you believe you know. In that space you begin to question your sources of information and develop your own criteria for what constitutes as reliable and trustworthy.

Questioning why you think what you think is an incredible way to gain perspective, build a sense of self and learn, relearn and unlearn so much about life. It’s way to open yourself up to growth and progression. I would be wrong if I expected a cultural shift to happen overnight, but it starts from somewhere, somehow.

So why not with you, the reader.

Let’s start by ditching the archaic concept of “losing” one’s virginity and change how we think, talk and view sex. Regardless of what you chose to do with your virginity, understand this; just like all of life, it’s an experience.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.