Hi Sh! 
I'm from Indonesia. I am very interested in women empowerment, especially in sexual empowerment. I'd been brainwashed by my family's custom and religion; leaving me sexually devastated cause I haven't found a husband to channel everything yet.

I actually had a boyfriend (whom I broke up with last August) that was interested in the same stuff I was. Anyway, we did some heavy petting and fingering. And I think my hymen was kinda torn? It's not fully gone but I’m pretty sure the (used to be) small hole had gotten bigger. If only the tip of the penis and two fingers (index and middle ones) had entered the lobby of my vagina, can I still be considered as a virgin?Thank you so much. 

Patiently waiting for your input (ha),
Moderately religious girl.

Hello there, 

Many thanks for your question - it's an interesting one. 

What - and who - is a virgin?

A virgin is a societal concept of someone who has never had sex, but this is tricky as people define "sex" differently.

There is no one definition of what sex is or isn't. For some people, sex is penis-in-the-vagina. For others, it's oral sex, anal sex, or kinky sex.

A woman who has satisfying sexual activity on a regular basis, but chooses to not have anything inserted into her vagina, is a virgin? She probably wouldn't label herself a virgin. 

There are others who believe that it depends on consent, i.e wanting and agreeing to have sex. This means that women who are forced to have sex can still be virgins and will remain so until they choose to have consensual sex.

And yet another version: A woman who has never had penis-in-vagina sex but regularly masturbates with an insertable vibrator or dildo. She may have had the toy inside, but this may have no bearing on whether she defines herself as a virgin or not...

Is virginity a state of mind?

The hymen is a membrane that surrounds or partially covers the outside of the vaginal canal. It can be thin and stretchy, thick and somewhat rigid, or it may be completely absent. This membrane can stretch or tear as a result of a range of activities such as gymnastics, horseback riding or inserting fingers.

It's possible your hymen has been stretched by your play or "broken" by other activities. And it is just as possible that your hymen is still intact.

With all this in mind, if we ask you if you consider yourself to be a virgin, what would your answer be?

We understand that your background may require you to (seemingly) remain a virgin until you marry. However, in our opinion, it is up to each individual to make a choice about having or not having sex, defining their virginity or rejecting the concept of 'virginity.' 

A woman's body should always be her own, and it is not shameful to find sexual play intriguing and pleasurable. Quite the opposite - it is something to be celebrated! 

This YouTube clip is both funny and informative, and sheds light on what the hymen really is - a myth to control female sexuality!

We hope this helps!

Love,

Team Sh! xx

If you’d like any tailored advice or recommendations, please feel free to drop us a line at advice@sh-womenstore.com and we’ll answer you privately. We may also share Q&A’s so others may benefit, but if we do it will always be anonymous, with nothing left in to identify you.