Deconstructing virginity - young people's accounts of first sex

Bibliographic Data

ID23347403
AuthorsJanet Holland (London South Bank University), Caroline Ramazanoglu (Goldsmiths University of London), Sue Sharpe (0009-0003-1571-0064, University of London), Rachel Thomson (0000-0002-3955-5818, London South Bank University)
Year2000
Volume15
Issue3
Pages221-232
Publication date2000-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueSexual and Relationship Therapy (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1468-1994 • E-ISSN: 1468-1749
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/14681990050109827
OpenAlexW2001084883
LanguageEN
Citations received57
References cited5

In their first (hetero)sexual experience, young people are enticed into the gendered practices, meanings and power relations of heterosexuality. This paper draws on findings from two primarily qualitative studies of young people's sexual practices and understandings: the Women, Risk and AIDS Project and the Men, Risk and AIDS Project. The paper suggest that for young men, first (hetero)sex is an empowering moment through which agency and identity are confirmed. For young women the moment of first (hetero)sex is more complicated, and their ambivalent responses to it are primarily concerned with managing loss. By exploring and contrasting young people's accounts of their first sexual experiences and the meanings that virginity hold for them, the paper reveals the asymmetry of desire, agency and control within (hetero)sex. The paper concludes by considering the implication of these findings for practice.

Agency (philosophy) · Ambivalence · Developmental psychology · Heterosexuality · Human sexuality · Identity (music) · Power (physics) · Psychosexual development · Sociology · Virginity test · Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health · Gender Studies · Psychology · Sex work and related issues · Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology · Social Psychology