File this under "things I did not want to imagine existed"

[flewellyn]

I'm all in favor of people inventing new and interesting ways to experience each other sexually. So long as everyone involved is a consenting adult human, nobody is injured, and everyone has a good time, I don't care what two or more people enjoy doing in the privacy of their own home/hotel room/RV/tent/empty field in the middle of nowhere with a wisk, a can of shaving foam, cellophane, tights, and a miner's helmet. I may not want to see the pictures, mind you, but I figure, as long as it's safe, sane, and consensual, whatever! I really don't care who's doing who, what they're doing with each other, and where they bought the equipment...usually.

There are, however, some things I happen upon which I think are truly screwed up and wrong. Things like the Gigimo Artificial Virginity Hymen.

The description, unedited:

No more worry about losing your virginity. With this product, you can have your first night back anytime. Insert this artificial hymen into your vagina carefully. It will expand a little and make you feel tight. When your lover penetrate, it will ooze out a liquid that look like blood not too much but just the right amount. Add in a few moans and groans, you will pass through undetectable. Its easy to use, clinically proven non-toxic to human and has no side effects, no pain to use and no allergic reaction.

I think it should be obvious why my reaction to this was (no pun intended), "What the FUCK?"

Are there really that many men out there who care that badly about their girlfriends or wives being virgins, that there is a market for such a thing? Apparently, there are. And apparently, there are enough women who feel, for whatever reason, that they must deceive their boyfriends or husbands into thinking they are virgins through the use of this device.

I would imagine that women who buy and use these devices do so to protect themselves from retribution, either from their boyfriends or husbands, or the larger community; it's not unheard of in some places for men who find that their new wives are not virgins, to kill them as a matter of "honor", or for the woman's family to do the same. And even if that's not the case, they may suffer great public shaming and social ostracism.

This is one of those things where, at first, I laugh, but then the implications hit me, and I sigh and get depressed. The sheer batshit insane patriarchal fuckedupitude is absurd on one level, but on another, it's deadly serious.

Comments

[nimbrethil.livejournal.com]

Not necessarily stupid in the U.S. either. There's plenty of men here who'd be willing to kill over "his" woman's non-virginal status.

My concern is what will be the reactions of men who find out about this thing. Gods help the woman who gets caught trying to buy one or put one in. And what about men who suddenly decide that women are just so untrustworthy that you never know if one in particular will be telling the truth about her virginity or not?

[flewellyn.livejournal.com]

That's a big concern of mine as well.

I also just wonder, what the hell is wrong with men who care this much about virginity anyway?

[nimbrethil.livejournal.com]

Religion has a huge thing to do with it, though most religions have their roots in patriarchal cultures and that may be splitting hairs. But most of the men I know who care so goddamn much about virginity take their justification from religious texts. Though a lot of 'em don't seem to be nearly so concerned with their OWN virginity. But then we're back to the original question.

I've been told that originally the concern for female virginity was to do with a supposed need for blood purity--tribal genetics and family lines and all that. But even that seems to have an element of purely male pride to it.

[flewellyn.livejournal.com]

Or usurpation of the natural means of measuring family succession. It's easy to tell who your mother is, but telling who your father is can be difficult...UNLESS there's strict social controls on who women can sleep with!

I wonder how much of this feeds into the overthrow of the old "mother goddess" pagan religions by later patriarchal ones.

overthrow of old religions

[carmiel.livejournal.com]

I wondered how far down I'd have to go to read someone else post my favorite theory re: this type of thing. It comes down to control of all parts of society by a few, and religion is a sucessful tool for gaining total control.
"Do what I say or suffer in hell for eternity!!" and there's no way to verify the threat, funny thing that.

Re: overthrow of old religions

[flewellyn.livejournal.com]

I blame the Goa'uld, myself.