Virginity dilemma

Re-creating virginity through hymenoplasty in Iran

Datos Bibliográficos

ID15098792
AutoresMarzieh Kaivanara (University of Bristol, autor de correspondencia)
Año2016
Volumen18
Número1
Páginas71-83
Fecha de publicación2016-01-02
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaCulture Health & Sexuality (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1369-1058 • E-ISSN: 1464-5351
EditorialInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13691058.2015.1060532
PMID26265283
OpenAlexW1582590733
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas22
Referencias citadas22

Bridal virginity retains undeniable value in Iran's contemporary cultural landscape. Widely regarded as a sign of chastity and purity for unmarried girls, failure to prove virginity on the wedding night may have serious consequences for a girl. In this context, there has been a recent growth in the rate of hymen restoration surgery (hymenoplasty) due to an increase in the number of girls who engage in premarital sexual relationships. The present study attempts to elucidate the processes through which particular physical features come to be considered culturally meaningful, and explores the phenomenon of hymen-reconstructing surgery from the perspective of young Tehrani girls and boys. Applying anthropological insights into gender roles, I explore how so-called 'rebellious' Iranian girls find - through the surgical reconstruction of their hymen - a means to negotiate between dominant models of gender and their own subjective experiences. While their actions challenge the premarital sex taboo, Iranian girls who participate in hymen restoration surgery also conform to the values that require them to be a virgin at the time of marriage, thus reinforcing existing power relations

Art · Developmental psychology · Girl · Hymen · Sociology · Taboo · Virginity test · Anthropology · Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting Issues · Feminism, Gender, and Sexuality Studies · Gender Studies · History · Marriage and Sexual Relationships · Medicine · Psychology · Surgery