ExposedNYC

I got into a conversation with Jodie and Troy tonight about our “number”. Now, I lost my virginity later in life than most girls I know, so people are always fascinated to discuss this topic with me. I hate to relate to Ms. Flash-My-Vagina Spears, but she once said that she wished she had never said anything about her virginity, because it then allowed people to feel entitled to ask intimate details every step of the way.

I agree whole-heartedly. When I was still at lucky number zero, and anyone discovered this fact, they immediately grilled me on how far I’d gone, how many guys I’d been involved with, etc. Much more personal questions than one would start with a casual acquaintance, but somehow when the subject arose I became a case study. Really, what’s in a number?

A number doesn’t define what went into the relationships(s). Troy focused on the number of people that I’d slept with in the first year (which, I might add, is probably less than what he sleeps with in a month). I prefer to quantify my number as the total number spread out over the period of my entire life.

I’ve never had any regrets about waiting. I said growing up that I was waiting for true love, which I’m sad to say got exhausting and I settled for the right person at the time. But, I do feel like I was mature and knew myself well enough to realize I could handle all of the responsibilities and emotions that go along with a sexual relationship.

According to Collegehumor.com, 81% of students surveyed lost their virginity by age eighteen, and hanneblank.com puts the average age between sixteen and twenty. Both sites prove that teenagers are risking their lives, and the possibility of creating a life, when they couldn’t even be trusted by our government to enter a bar.

Many men I knew growing up were disappointed when I’ve told them that, finally, I’d made the decision to go through with it. They had this image that if you make it to a certain point, you owe it to yourself to wait for marriage (an idea I NEVER agreed with or intended to fulfill), because you had made it this far already. I’m happy with where my number stands, and okay with the fact that it will probably grow before I find “the one”.

Share This