A born-again virgin (also known as a secondary virgin) is a person who, after having engaged in

sexual intercourse Sexual intercourse (also coitus or copulation) is a sexual activity typically involving the insertion of the Erection, erect male Human penis, penis inside the female vagina and followed by Pelvic thrust, thrusting motions for sexual pleasure ...

, makes some type of commitment not to be sexually active again. Often, this commitment is intended to last until the adherent enters a

marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

. It can more broadly refer to any kind of re-identification as a

virgin Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...

, for whatever reason, and however virginity is defined. The concept has been taught in

abstinence-only sex education Abstinence-only sex education (also known as sexual risk avoidance education) is a form of sex education that teaches not having sex outside of marriage. It often excludes other types of sexual and reproductive health education, such as birth co ...

courses, and more commonly used among

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

and fundamentalist

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

, who place a strong emphasis on

abstinence Abstinence is the practice of self-enforced restraint from indulging in bodily activities that are widely experienced as giving pleasure. Most frequently, the term refers to sexual abstinence, but it can also mean abstinence from alcohol (drug), ...

from premarital and extramarital relations. Christian organizations such as True Love Waits or Silver Ring Thing have promoted versions that also encouraged born-again virgins to make a virginity pledge, in the form of a "written, web-based, or public ceremonial declaration".

History

The concept of "born-again virginity" was first popularized in the United States in the 1980s, by abstinence-based sex education books; this curricula then gained further exposure in the 1990s and 2000s, particularly with the imposition of abstinence-based sex education on schools as a result of a national welfare reform law passed in 1996.

In popular culture

In season 9 of the popular

medical drama A medical drama is a Television film, television movie or film in which events center upon a hospital, clinic, doctor's office, a paramedic, or any other medical topic or environment. Most recent medical drama (film and television), dramatic progra ...

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series focusing on the personal and professional lives of surgical internship (medicine), interns, residency (medicine), residents, and attending physician, attendings at the fictional ...

'', Dr. April Kepner, then an attending physician at Seattle Grace-Mercy West Hospital, announces that she is "revirginizing" after having sex with fellow resident Dr. Jackson Avery. This does not last long, as she has sex with him again at the end of the episode. In season 3, episode 16 of ''The Last Man on Earth'', Todd reclaimed his virginity prior to his wedding by abstaining from intercourse with his fiancée, Melissa, until their wedding. In the episode "Luanne Virgin 2.0" of ''

King of the Hill ''King of the Hill'' is an American animated sitcom created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels that initially aired on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox from January 12, 1997, to September 13, 2009, with four more episodes airing in First-run syndicati ...

'', Luanne and Peggy restore their virginity by participating in a ceremony headed by their minister. In season 9, episode 8 of ''

Supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...

'', Rock and a Hard Place, Sam and Dean both reclaim their virginity in order to investigate a missing persons case revolving around a chastity group, which all the victims were once a part of.

References

{{reflist Celibacy Hymen Virginity Sexual abstinence and religion Christian practices Sexuality in Evangelicalism Sex education in the United States Abstinence-only sex education

History

In popular culture

See also

References