Virgin Envy: The Cultural (In)Significance of the Hymen

by Jonathan A. Allan (Editor), Cristina Santos (Editor), Adriana Spahr (Editor)

Virgin Envy sets out to reconceive the ways we relate to virginity as a cultural construct. Who is a virgin? How do we lose our virginities? What if we regret our "first time"? Contributors to Virgin Envy examine everything from medieval romance to Bollywood films to True Blood and Twilight, to destabilize the many "certainties" about sexual purity. In particular, the hymen is called into question. How is virginity determined for those without a hymen? How do we account for the ways in which the "geography of the hymen" has changed over the course of history? And what about male and queer virginity? Issues of commodification, postcoloniality, and religious diversity are also addressed.

Genres: Nonfiction, Feminism, Politics

247 pages, Paperback

First published November 25, 2016

Reviews

[Brittney]

I read two-thirds of this and really liked it. It's been sitting on my "currently reading" shelf for months because I'm not familiar with the primary sources behind the last few essays. I may finish it one day, but I'm moving onto other things for now.

[Andréa]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book through NetGalley.

[Jenny Cooke (Bookish Shenanigans)]

An interesting and diverse range of essays on an irregularly discussed topic.