“Virginity!” is the cherished motto of adherents of the “cult of the hymen.” It is primarily based on the bleeding of the sacred membrane during the wedding night. Bleeding on the wedding night, in some African countries as well as other parts of the world, symbolizes the purity of the bride. But the hymen has a mind of its own. It does not always bleed when the vagina is penetrated the very first time …
Under the influence of a culture obsessed with virginity and which basis a family’s honour on a piece of membrane, called the hymen, some women find themselves caught in a painful dilemma. This is because some have succumbed to the pleasures of the flesh, while others have fallen victim to sexual assaults. According to medical experts it is also possible for the hymen to become stretched open due to intense sporting activities.
The traumatic vestiges of being a non-virgin compounded with an inevitable family drama have led so many women to become obsessed with the idea of bleeding during their wedding night… this said, the end justifies the means, if it is to shed few drops of haemoglobin on the immaculate white bed sheets on the wedding night.
To achieve this, some women have opted for hymenoplasty or a total reconstruction of the hymen.
Bleeding like a virgin: compulsory
Hymenoplastic surgery has been condemned by some people as the “violation of women’s dignity” by a group of medical practitioners who seek to enrich themselves from the plight of women. Some doctors have also denounced their colleagues in the Maghreb (North Africa), who charge ludicrous fees and operate in insalubrious conditions.
These criticisms have helped to reassure those who, contrary to widespread beliefs, think that virginity is not an ultimate quality. In fact, in most parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo, sexual experience is a virtue and a sexually experienced woman is far from being considered a criminal.
There are many who question the meaning of true virginity. While some argue that one’s virginity is lost the first time one experiences penile-vaginal intercourse, whatever the case, others believe that non consensual sex like rape, should be excluded as women do not lose their virginity even though the hymen is ruptured. Is virginity then a state of mind?
If purity is what the “cult of the hymen” is looking for, what happens to the question of oral and anal sex? Are the principles of the “cult of the hymen” founded in hypocrisy?
Faced with these questions, it is quite obvious that the subject of virginity is highly controversial. Prompted by these questions, Afrik-news.com penetrates into this peculiar world of ex-non-virgins, to better understand their drive for hymen repair and their reasons, not forgetting the arguments of those who oppose this inclination. Watch this space.
Also read: Keeping a hymen intact to avoid being labeled a “whore”
