Virginity is a big deal in India, the virginity of a woman, that is. Male virginity is never questioned; it is as if it doesn't exist. He is free to have one night stands but expects a virgin wife and this absurdity and partial want is considered righteous in India’s patriarchal society.
A woman, on the other hand, is expected to observe celibacy up to her wedding night where her husband (who most probably would have had numerous flings and even have STDs including AIDS) would ‘deflower’ her, consummating the marriage.
Now, the problem is, more and more young Indian women are getting sexually active. They are not waiting till after they tie the matrimonial knot to have sex.
In India and many Asian cultures, marriage is considered as a ‘licence’ to have sex. This revelation is treated with disdain and dismissed as archaic in this age of information and more often than not, misinformation.
Recently, Indonesia, the biggest Islamic nation in the world came up with the bid to have virginity test conducted on female students aged 16 – 19 to prevent promiscuity and prostitution among young girls.
One Indonesian politician is quoted as saying, "Virginity is sacred, thus it's a disgrace for a [female] student to lose her virginity before getting married," Indonesia is torn by rural and urban attributes and this measure is considered as a way to have girls keep their ‘morals’. In this lexicon, a girl’a ‘morals’ is situated between her legs. This clarion call received mixed reactions from the Indonesian public, women’s and human rights activists, NGOs, leaders and politicians.
Now, women from the former Soviet Union state of Georgia, now known as The Republic of Georgia, are required to undergo virginity tests if they are getting married. So, this virginity coveting culture is not exclusive to Asia after all.
With porn available at the finger tips, feminism, gender equality, personal liberation and globalization, more and more Indian pubescent girls are unsubscribing to this convention ‘wait until you get married to have sex’ which they claim orthodox and outdated.
Indian fundies stand by the verity that a girl should remain a virgin up to marriage. Else, she is not a ‘good’ girl or not‘wife material’. I won’t be surprised if Indian matrimonial column include ‘the girl should be virgin’ soon.
While males too are responsible for this scenario (a single hand clapping would not produce sound) they are let off the hook, the society holds only the girls culpable for losing virginity out of wedlock. Rape victims too, face this prejudice.
Due to this extending status quo, Indian, including Asian girls are opting for ‘virginity restoration’ like how Draupadi regains her virginity every morning after bedding each of her 5 husbands in the epic Mahabharata, a boon granted by Lord Krishna to Draupadi. Do you see what I mean by virginity obsessed India? They even have it in their ancient religious epic! After all, India is the place where Kamasutra was written by the sage Vatsyayana.
Since Lord Krishna is only around now as inanimate idols and statues, unable to grant such rejuvanating boons, hymenoplasty has become a God sent boon for to be Indian brides.
Since hymenoplasty doesn't come cheap, virginity and tight vagina obsessed India has come up with 18 Again Vaginal Tightening gel.
The gel claims to make intercourse feel like the first time, every time.
And, the first time feel is for the guy. The guy feels like the girl is virgin, the girl feels nothing but pain .
This is female shaming and patriarchal imposition at its finest.
Even if it does make a positive difference to the girl, the usage of the chemical down there can be very unhealthy. It probably involves contracting the vaginal muscles in unnatural ways. The gel consequently may lead to horrid complications and side effects that can render one sterile or cause other health problems.
Vagina is not a place to tamper with. It has a delicate slightly acidic Ph balance and adulterating the tender area is not advisable. Just like how douche is harmful, disrupting the natural bacterial culture of the vagina along with a host of other dangerous, adverse medical conditions, this gel might deliver similar after effects. Using alien objects at the female genitalia is not advised by doctors and gynecologists alike.
Since so called modern Indian girls are flouting this ‘sex only after marriage’ establishment, they think that they can hide their sexual orgies from the man they marry, trick the guy to believe that she is a virgin by applying the tightening gel. Marriage begins from deception when it should begin with mutual trust and deep understanding of each others’ convictions and beliefs and the sharing of secrets.
If one sees the 18 Again Vaginal Tightening Gel commercial, it is outlandish, brazen and awkward to watch.
The lady twirls around and seduces her husband in full view of people who seems to be family, crooning sensuously that she feels like a virgin again and it ends with an old lady typing out the website of this 18 Again Vaginal Tightening Gel while an old man, most probably her husband looks on hopefully.
What is the message this ad reverberates in the minds of young Indian girls? It provides a fleeting security sense in unmarried sexually active girls that they can get away with their previous free sex lifestyle once they settle down in marriage by this sex commercialism.
Pretty soon, perhaps synthetic virginity would become a dime a dozen while natural virgins will be as sparse as the hair on Dr Phil McGraw’s head.
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